Participatory research. Part 2: Practical considerations

Participatory research can make heavy demands upon both the researcher and the community with whom they work. Nonetheless, it can also be a very rewarding process for all involved and lead to real changes. It is important that a number of issues are considered and addressed both before the research commences and during the life of the research project. This paper explores five key areas: participatory, ethical, financial, time, and personal considerations. In each instance, personal experience and wider literature is used to explore the practical issues which need to be identified and managed. It is concluded that while not all research will be participatory, consideration of these issues should assist readers in developing participatory research studies.