Practitioners of community-led research reconfigure their work so that it benefits the researched instead of the researchers. ¡°But most of us would say we did it on the sly,¡±?said Lynette Riley (pictured below), an associate professor in the University of Sydney¡¯s School of Education and Social Work.

Dr Riley?said the Western framework for research ¨C bid for a grant, get the money, apply for ethics approval and so on ¨C doesn¡¯t work in Aboriginal communities, for example. Instead, a ¡°precursor stage¡± is required up to two years beforehand in which she visits the community to talk about the potential topic, who might want to be involved and the roles they could play.

¡°It helps inform the research when I apply for funding,¡± she said. ¡°And when I come back, people aren¡¯t thinking it¡¯s just because I¡¯ve got the money. I¡¯ve done all that groundwork, so people are aware. They want to be involved because they helped give me the ideas.¡±

A common default in social policy is to seek community input after nothing else has worked, Dr Riley complained: ¡°Why don¡¯t we just let them have a go to begin with? This is a really valid way of doing research. Let¡¯s bring it to the forefront.¡±

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A new book edited by Dr Riley and two colleagues in her school, , is the culmination of a project that also included a series of seminars and interviews with academics. Part how-to guide, part theoretical underpinning, it explores the pluses and pitfalls of a modus operandi where research questions are largely determined by those being researched.

Co-editor Victoria Rawlings?said that while communities benefit, so do researchers. ¡°We ask better questions, [so] we get better answers,¡± she said. ¡°Outputs like reports, educational initiatives or findings to parliament are better-quality outputs.¡±

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The impacts often flow back to the participants ¡°through their networks¡± rather than little-read journals. ¡°It¡¯s research to feel good about,¡± Dr Rawlings said. ¡°You often have people contact you afterwards and say: ¡®I was really happy to be part of this research.¡¯¡±

A chapter co-authored by Dr Rawlings relates how she and Lancaster University colleague Elizabeth McDermott harnessed a youth advisory group and a paid consultant from northern England¡¯s LGBTIQ+ community to help shape survey questions on self-harm and suicide.

Dr Rawlings?said empirical data on the subject?are limited because LGBTIQ+ youth have been excluded from research for fear of inciting suicidal ideation ¨C exactly the wrong approach, she insisted.

¡°Young people in my study who were self-harming or suicidal often felt like they couldn¡¯t talk to anyone,¡± she said. ¡°For some, I was the first person they had told. Aboriginal children, trans children, disabled children, children in out-of-home care ¨C one of the best things that they can do is talk about it in research. It¡¯s important that we recognise that in ethical processes. Sometimes, protection goes so far that it restrains people from doing what would be helpful for them.¡±

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She?said ethics committees struggle with the ¡°off the books¡± nature of community-led research that strays into areas not previously canvassed. ¡°Committees want you to give them everything before you talk with a community, [but] community interactions are unpredictable.¡±

Co-editor and archaeologist James Flexner?said?that an incident in 2020, when mining company Rio Tinto destroyed a Western Australian cave system occupied by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years, demonstrates why communities need to guide research from the outset.

¡°Before you go out into the field, you should be [asking] people: ¡®What do you want out of this? How can we do this in a way that does no harm and ideally produces benefit?¡¯ And the community gets to define the benefit ¨C not us as outsiders coming in.

¡°One of the systemic problems with academia [is] that people have been so focused on the productivity model of scholarship. We¡¯ve lost sight of why we do things because of this rush to produce more and more [papers] every year,¡± he said.

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The book warns that community-led research is not easy or quick, with Dr Flexner pointing out that the title ¡°Dr¡± holds little weight in southern Vanuatu where he does much of his research. ¡°You have to take the time until you have a certain standing¡­for people to be willing to share knowledge with you.

¡°Even then, some stuff [will be] taboo. You don¡¯t have the right background to be party to this knowledge. I am quite comfortable with that. I don¡¯t need to know everything about everyone. I think that¡¯s something academics need to get over ¨C this idea that we need to know everything about everyone.¡±

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com