How to craft a research project with non-academic collaborators

Published: Oct. 6, 2023, 8:48 a.m.

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In the penultimate episode of this six-part podcast series about team science, Richard Holliman describes a project involving indigenous researchers in Guyana who wanted to limit insecticide spraying without jeopardising the South American country\\u2019s efforts to tackle malaria.


The early warning system they developed with Andrea Beradi, an environmental systems researcher and a colleague of Holliman\\u2019s at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, involved satellite technology, drones and ground monitoring systems.


Holliman, who studies engaged research, says members of the wider project team were all paid and listed as co-authors. \\u201cThat was a really straightforward example of just recognizing contributions from some fabulous people,\\u201d he adds. But sometimes, he argues, payment and authorship on a peer-reviewed paper may not be what co-producers are seeking. Instead they may want to co-write a report that would better serve their community\\u2019s needs in discussions with policymakers.


Helen Manchester, who researches participatory sociodigital futures at the University of Bristol, UK, adds: \\u201cFor me, there\\u2019s a real politics to knowledge production. We really need to be considering all the time when we\\u2019re doing our research, to think about our own position as researchers and our relationship to and with other people.\\u201d


And finally, Lorraine van Blerk, whose project about homeless young people in African cities featured in a previous episode, lists key questions to ask when working with young people in a research setting. \\u201cHow do we make sure that young people are involved in the research design, in the data collection, and the analysis and impact of data?\\u201d she asks.


Team Science showcases the roles of research managers, administrators and technicians, and their often hidden contributions to the scientific enterprise, and is a collaboration between Nature Careers and Nature Index. The series is sponsored by Western Sydney University. This episode, and others in the series, concludes with a section looking at how it is helping to champion team science.



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