What is community based research?
Research conducted by, for, or with the participation of members of a community. It often involves collaboration of community members who are lay people with experts in academic fields.
(definition adapted from CRN web page)

Web Resources

1. The Community Research Network
This is a loosely structured network to coordinate encourage collaborative efforts and broaden the availability and efficacy of community based research.
The webpage contains several links to organizations and networks facilitating, teaching, and using community based research.
hamp.hampshire.edu/~LOKA/crnintro.html

1 a. This website is a subset of the organization Loka, a non profit research and advocacy organization concerned with the social, political, and environmental repercussion of science and technology.
www.amherst.edu/~loka/outreach/others.htm#comres

The Deputy Director of this organization is Madeleine Scamell, the project coordinator of the Community Research Network. She has, in the past, organized citizen participation in the development of biotechnology. The organization has an email address at which she can be reached.
email: loka@amherst.edu

Loka has published "Doing Community Based Research: a reader" which is available on their website.

2. Another helpful site is the Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste. This organization works with grassroots community groups on a broad range of environmental issues. It has links to many other organizations and clearinghouses.
www.essential.org/orgs/CCHW.

3. Society for Community Research and Action- this is an interesting organization, since its main goal is to use community based research as a tool to promote positive action. For questions you can e-mail: rlee2@gl.umbc.edu

You can actually become a member of the SCRA through links on their web page
www.apa.org/divisions/div27/

For regional information contact Northeastern Coordinator of SCRA:
Catherine A. Crosby-Currie
Department of Psychology
St. Lawrence University
Cantor, NY 13617

Articles of interest

Leland, Pamela J. 1996. Exploring Challenges to Nonprofit Status: issues of definition and access in community based research. American Behavioral Scientist 39 (5): 587-601.

This article deals with questions that are the focus of community based research, and the problems and constraints of community based research involving the nonprofit sector. It specifically looks at the challenges to tax exempt status occuring in Pennsylvania.

Hirabayashi, Lane R. 1995. Back to the Future: Re-framing Community Based Research. Amerasia Journal 21 (1): 103-118.

This article deals with the problems of community based research and offers ways to overcome them, specifically in reference to Asian American communities. However, the ideas expressed can be extrapolated to other community based research.

On-Campus Sources

For more information on methods for effective community based research you could take :
Soc. Anth. 21 Research Design
Soc. Anth. 22 Field Methods
Both taught by Profesor Charlton, or contact Prof. Charlton as a faculty informant.
Can be reached through e-mail: jcharlto1@swarthmore.edu

Prof. Milton Machuca and Prof. Miguel Diaz-Barriga are also good sources since they are working on community based research themselves (they are working on videos of culture and traditions in the Latino community of Kennet Square PA).