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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this Research Practice Support is to provide an overview of basic concepts and a starting place for implementing different aspects of community-engaged research approaches, and share lessons learned, best practices, and resources from the community of academic sexual and reproductive health researchers. Our goal is to aid researchers who have not yet conducted research in a community-engaged way, as well as help researchers who have some experience with community engagement find a way to deepen their practice. STUDY DESIGN: The principles and examples included in this paper are drawn from the expertise of the community of academic sexual and reproductive health researchers in the Research Implementation Special Interest Group within the Society of Family Planning. RESULTS: In this Research Practice Support, we present a model of a continuum of community engagement, from less engaged to full shared leadership. This Research Practice Support highlights key lessons including: tensions between academic and community priorities, the need for transparency and trust-building, the value of humility and compromise, and the resource- and time-intensive nature of meaningful engagement. Best practices include setting clear expectations, acknowledging power dynamics, involving community partners in decision-making, and budgeting appropriately for engagement. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, responsible community-engaged research requires structural support from institutions and funders to overcome barriers to equitable participation.
Barar et al. (Sat,) studied this question.