Quick Reference Guide: Highlights of the Practical Guide to Community Engagement

This 2024 Quick Reference Guide summarizes key themes, principles, and decision frameworks from the more extensive Practical Guide to Community Engagement. Designed to support researchers engaged in convergence or transdisciplinary research, it outlines core principles of effective engagement, including trust-building, equity, shared leadership, and clear communication. The guide reviews multiple community engagement spectrums (e.g., IAP2, NIH, EPA, and others), helping researchers determine appropriate levels of engagement to achieve their objectives. It highlights a practical framework centered on four interconnected dimensions—who, why, what, and how—to help align goals, expectations, and roles between researchers and community partners. Emphasis is placed on intentionality, reciprocity, and iterative dialogue throughout the research process. The guide serves as a refresher companion to the full Practical Guide and is intended to support thoughtful, context-specific community engagement in engaged research.

This work was funded by the National Science Foundation under grant #2115169.