A Practical Guide for Integrating Community-Engaged Research Across the Psychological Research Cycle

Abstract

Despite growing calls to increase diversity in research, methodological approaches that could address this issue remain underused. In this article, we argue that community-engaged research (CEnR), a framework that ultimately seeks to create genuine partnerships between researchers and marginalized communities, offers a solution for making psychological research more diverse while strengthening scientific rigor. We provide a practical guide for implementing CEnR principles across seven key research phases, from study conceptualization to knowledge dissemination, with different levels of engagement based on what researchers can realistically manage. Drawing from examples across five of our studies with diverse populations, including Black youth in Canada and the United States, Syrian newcomers in the Netherlands, and racial and ethnic minority university students in Canada, we illustrate how CEnR strengthens research quality and impact by fostering culturally responsive methods, building trust with communities, and enabling richer interpretation of findings. We discuss challenges in using CEnR, including the time and resources it requires and institutional barriers, while providing concrete guidance that emphasizes honest self-reflection and starting small. We conclude by highlighting future directions and emphasizing that developing CEnR skills requires ongoing practice, with the goal of building toward more collaborative and impactful psychology research.