Roadmap for Researchers: Navigating the Research Process with an Equity Lens
The Roadmap is organized into ten steps that occur across the research lifecycle, from forming your team and developing your ideas to disseminating your findings and reflecting on what you learned. Each of the ten steps includes a contextual overview of the step, questions for your team to answer together, and references and resources for further study. An extensive glossary and additional resources are also included.
The Roadmap is a response to requests from the AcademyHealth Board of Directors and members, as well as our work partners and other colleagues, to provide actionable and evidence-based guidance on advancing racial equity perspectives in health systems and policy research. It builds on recommendations from an external advisory group report on Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Health Services and Policy Research Workforce, which was released in August 2021.
The Roadmap reflects a thorough review and synthesis of available evidence and discussions with key members of the health systems and policy research communities. It includes the work and opinions of people who propose new research and cognitive frameworks and new language as well as emerging views about the value of lived experience in the research enterprise.
The Roadmap is not intended to be didactic, but rather to be used as a tool for planning and accountability. The questions in each section are not exhaustive and serve as a starting point to stimulate awareness, discussion, and action.
We are grateful for support and encouragement from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The Roadmap was created through grant support along with coaching and training sessions from the RWJF Equity Learning Lab.