Research Approach

Community-Engaged Research

Community-engaged research is rigorous scholarship conducted with—not simply in or about—communities. Engagement can range from community-informed research to fully co-led or community-led research, depending on the partnership's goals and context. Community knowledge and experience help guide the work throughout the research process.

The Center for Community-Engaged Research (CCER) supports this approach across disciplines, connecting expertise within Northwestern and among community organizations, government agencies, schools, health systems and civic institutions. Research priorities emerge through collaboration between researchers and community partners.

Strong partnerships define mutual benefits from the outset, recognize and appropriately support community expertise, establish clear roles and decision-making processes, and jointly determine how findings and other products will be interpreted, shared and used.