Table 1.

Comparison of traditional and community-based participatory research.

TRADITIONAL RESEARCH APPROACH	COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
Expert derives research problem, purpose objectives and questions	Community works with investigator to identify and develop research problem, purpose, objectives and questions
Research conducted in or on community	Research conducted in full partnership with community
No community assistance or collaboration	Community members are participants and collaborators
Researcher advances own knowledge and discipline	Co-learning and capacity building among researchers and community partners
Researchers control research activity, resources, data collection and interpretation	Equitable control of research activity, resources, data collection and interpretation among researchers and community partners
Researchers own, control, access, possess, use and disseminate data	Research data is shared and researchers and communities come to a joint decision on its use and dissemination
Research goal: Knowledge production for publication, academic advancement,	Research goal: Knowledge production to meet needs, benefit and inform action for change.

Notes: This table demonstrates the main differences between a traditional research approach and a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. This table was adapted from Mary Anne MacDonald, MA, DrPH from Duke Center for Community Research http://www.dtmi.duke.edu/dccr/community-linked-research/. Accessed at http://ccts.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Practicing%20Community-engaged%20Research_Training%20Module.pdf