Community-Based Research Ethics
Why this Resource?
Community-Based Research Ethics Resource - 鈥淐ommunities should be part of defining ethics鈥
Community groups and artists were at the heart of this resource from the beginning. The idea grew from conversations between Elaine Desmond, Siobhan O鈥橲ullivan and Maggie O鈥橬eill, on their participatory research experience and shared concerns about the uneven power dynamics between university researchers and the community organisations often invited to take part in research and the need for ethics guidance shaped by the very people so often asked to support or facilitate research. They were joined by Michael McLoughlin (TUS), Chriszine Backhouse (MTU), Ashling O鈥橲ullivan, Fionn Woodhouse and Yvon Bonenfant.
The social contexts in which community-based research takes place are constituted by structural and social inequalities and injustices. We wanted to work together to develop research ethics that acknowledged this as well as challenge and change inequalities. For example, communities and community organisations are often left out of decisions about research ethics, and this is an inequality in itself. The project group recognised the power and privilege researchers bring into their relationships with communities and the need to address this openly.
The workshops were organised to bring community groups, statutory and voluntary organisations, artists and researchers based in the university together to create this research ethics guidance. We wanted to facilitate space for the knowledge and experience of these groups and organisations to be central in shaping the ethical guidance. This participatory and socially engaged approach acknowledged how social inequalities and injustices (race, ethnicity, class, gender and disability), often embedded in social organisations and systems, affect people鈥檚 lives, and cognisant of this we wanted to work collaboratively to develop a framework for ethics that we could all use across the 深夜亚洲福利久久 and communities and in so doing we challenge injustices and inequalities together.
What we did
Two workshops were organised at UCC where representatives from university, statutory and voluntary sector organisations, artists and community groups working to address social injustices and inequalities, collaborated and generously shared their experience and expertise.
Together we have co-produced a Community Based Research Ethics Poster Resource with the support of Becky Hatchett, Artist. We worked together to develop a set of ethical guidelines, from the perspective of our shared experience, knowledge and understanding of working in collaborative, arts-based, and socially engaged ways.
Thank you to our collaborators
Community and collaboration have been at the heart of this project from the beginning. Thank you to our collaborators for their input and feedback, for giving generously of their time and experiences to shape this project. From: Age Action, Cork Alliance Centre, Cork City Council, Cork Healthy Cities, Cork Learning Neighbourhoods, Cork Migrant Centre, Cork Prison, ETB Prison Education Service, Frame works Films, HSE, Let's Grow Together! Infant & Childhood Partnerships CLG, Sexual Health Centre, Sexual Violence Centre Cork, Sherkin Island Development Society & Comhdh谩il Oile谩in na hEireann, Traveller Visibility Group.
From UCC: School of Applied Psychology, School of Applied Social Studies, The Sustainability Institute, Department of History, MarEI, Department of Music, Office of Vice President for Research & Innovation (OVPRI), School of Public Health, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Social Research Ethics Committee (SREC),Department of Theatre, and The Glucksman.
To learn more about this project, please click on the links below.
Wrap box photo leading to this page: Photo by on Bookshelf image on this page by on and camrea image on this page by on
First Workshop image by Marcin Lewandowski, Sound of Photography and Second Workshop image by Ashling O'Sullivan.