This resource is the first paper of a three-part series by the Wellesley Institute that focuses on peer research models practiced in Toronto. The authors define peer research as, “a popular form of community-based research where community members are trained and supported to participate as co-researchers.” How have CBR partnerships defined peer research and integrated it into their CBR projects? What challenges have these research projects encountered in the peer research process? The Wellesley Institute conducted interviews and held focus groups to answer these questions, and identified three models of peer research: advisory, employment, and partner models. The study suggests that the partner model has the greatest potential to facilitate true inclusion of community members, and concludes with recommendations for CBR teams on how to use a model of peer research to guide their work.
Roche, B., Guta, A., & Flicker, S. (2010). Peer research in action I: Models of practice. Community Based Research Working Paper Series. The Wellesley Institute, 2-18.