Cooperation between community members and researchers is one of the main characteristics of community-based research. 

In any given project, all participants involved decide what collaboration means to them. They have to decide on their level of involvement and participation may look very differently from one CBR project to the next.

To ensure equitable collaboration partners may ask themselves:

• How do we ensure the realization of authentic partnerships between communities and researchers?
• How do we balance power and share resources among community and researchers?
• How can the partnership translate into improved community health?

Also see the Research Methods section on this site to learn about ethics and evaluation when engaging in partnerships.

Resources on CBR collaboration

Many procedures exist to assist groups in their collaboration, such as the development of partnership agreements, decision-making procedures, and group process strategies.

Sample Partnership Agreement
http://www.caan.ca/pdf/Principles_of_Research_Collaboration.doc

Setting Up Teams
http://www.caan.ca/pdf/CBR%20Teams.pdf

Guidelines and Categories for Classifying Participatory Research
http://www.lgreen.net/guidelines.html

Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pdf_files/HealthConfJHEOE.pdf

The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE) features a section of 4 papers based on presentations made at the 2006 Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) conference:

• Engaging a University in Self-Assessment and Strategic Planning to Build Partnership Capacity: the UCSF Experience - Naomi Wortis, Ellen Goldstein, Roberto Ariel Vargas, Kevin Grumbach
• How to Avoid Stumbling While Walking the Talk:  Supporting the Promise of Authentic Partnerships - Terri L. Shelton, James M. Frabutt
• The Community Impact Statement: A Prenuptial Agreement for Community-Campus Partnerships - Susan Ann Gust, Catherine Jordan
• Community-University Research Partnerships: Devising a Model for Ethical Engagement - Linda Silka, Paulette Renault-Caragianes