Are you a researcher, faculty member, or staff member eager to embed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) into every facet of the research process? Introducing our tip sheet, “REDI Best Practices for Equitable and Inclusive Research.” This guide offers a roadmap for taking actionable steps to diversify your recruitment efforts, build authentic, ethical partnerships, break down barriers to participation, and ensure your research outputs benefit everyone.
Best Practices for Embedding Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Research
Key Terminology
HMGs (Historically Marginalized Groups)
Refers to people who belong to groups that are historically, systemically, and persistently discriminated against and excluded from mainstream social, economic, cultural, or political life on the basis of, but not limited to, race, Indigenous identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socio-economic status, disability, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.
Recruitment: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Selecting and Recruiting Your Research Team
Action: Reflect on Your Assumptions and Biases About the Candidates You Are Seeking
Questions to Ask
- Is there an affinity bias toward certain fields, demographics, or academic backgrounds in our recruitment efforts?
- Are we unconsciously rejecting people who are different from us?
Why Is This Important?
Diversity and inclusion enable creativity and innovation that result in excellence in research.
Action: Value and Assess Interpersonal Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Competencies Developed Through Working With HMGs
Questions to Ask
- Are we using an expansive model of excellence that recognizes contributions (such as intercultural skills, relationship-building skills, and effective conflict engagement) that may be overlooked using traditional models of excellence?
- Are we providing diverse ways for people to demonstrate how lived experience (not only academic experiences) benefits this research project?
Why Is This Important?
Valuing multiple perspectives that are relevant to the project will attract and retain team members and engage them in authentic research collaboration.
Action: Develop Fair, Inclusive, and Transparent Recruitment Processes That Attract People With Diverse Perspectives
Questions to Ask
- Are we using an expansive model of excellence that recognizes contributions (such as intercultural skills, relationship-building skills, and effective conflict engagement) that may be overlooked using traditional models of excellence?
- Are we providing diverse ways for people to demonstrate how lived experience (not only academic experiences) benefits this research project?
Why Is This Important?
Changes in the process and criteria are necessary to increase the talent pool and recruit excellent candidates.
Inclusion: Promote Inclusion and Belonging (Especially for, but Not Limited to, HMGs)
Action: Create Onboarding Practices, Processes, and Policies That Support Inclusion, Belonging, and Well-Being
Questions to Ask
- Do HMGs feel supported in our onboarding process?
- Are our supports and expectations (e.g., accommodation processes, counselling services, UBC affinity groups) clearly communicated and fairly applied?
- What training, supports, and resources are we providing to ensure that new team members can succeed?
Why Is This Important?
When team members clearly understand what is expected of them and feel supported to meet those expectations, well-being, morale, and motivation are higher. This can, in turn, increase productivity and promote a healthier work culture for the entire team.
Action: Provide a Safe Environment for Differences of Opinion and Conflict
Questions to Ask
- What structures are in place to hear and value the insights of colleagues from HMGs?
- How are we promoting psychological safety so that team members feel included and encouraged to speak up without fear?
- What systems are in place to mitigate power differentials? Are people in less powerful positions able to provide feedback, resolve conflict, and grow in their positions?
Why Is This Important?
Psychologically safe environments foster acceptance and support that promote feelings of belonging and purpose, which are powerful drivers of engagement and productivity.
Research Design: Embed Equity, Fairness & Inclusion Into the Development and Design of Projects
Action: Reflect on Your Motives for Engaging With HMGs
Questions to Ask
- Why do we want to engage with HMGs?
- Is it appropriate to engage with these HMGs?
- Is our goal to promote justice and equity?
- Are we being self-serving?
- Do we have the time, resources, and capacity to provide tangible benefits to this community?
Why Is This Important?
Ethical partnership with HMGs should authentically serve, amplify, and support them. Failure to engage ethically may result in efforts being interpreted as performative and extractive, causing long-term harm between institutions and communities.
Action: Demonstrate Ethical Engagement That Is Mutual, Reciprocal, Transparent, Accountable, Reparative, and Respectful
Questions to Ask
- How do we build in enough time to authentically collaborate and develop a meaningful process to work as equals?
- How are we co-developing research projects in partnership with members of HMGs?
- Who gets credit for the information? Who owns the information? Who benefits from the research?
- How will we ensure that sufficient resources (e.g., translation services, communications support, and time) are available to present results back to the community in meaningful ways?
Why Is This Important?
It is important to engage in research with HMGs, not on HMGs. Research should respect, support, honour, and empower marginalized communities that participate in research.
Action: Create Safe and Supportive Processes to Learn From Conflict and Differences in Perspective
Questions to Ask
- What practices are we using to ensure that conflicts are resolved in a mutually respectful manner?
- How are we ensuring that community members can voice concerns to the research team?
Why Is This Important?
Safe spaces promote learning, creativity, intercultural understanding, and mutually acceptable solutions. Addressing differences early can help when navigating conflict.
Data Collection: Gather and Use Data Equitably and Ethically
Action: Reflect on Assumptions and Biases Related to Data Collection
Questions to Ask
- How might power dynamics within the research team adversely affect the quality of research? How might we disrupt them?
- How might we rethink disciplinary and cultural assumptions about what constitutes data?
- How can we bring different ways of knowing into our research?
Why Is This Important?
It is critical to ensure a positive experience for communities and that the data collected is valid, reliable, and triangulated through multiple sources.
Action: Reduce Barriers to Broad Participation in Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Groups
Questions to Ask
- Are we taking steps to ensure all voices are heard?
- Are we appropriately compensating participants for the information they provide?
- What are the short- and long-term costs to participants (e.g., childcare, transportation, or lost income) of engaging in this research?
Why Is This Important?
If key voices are overlooked or excluded, they may be less likely to support the study, and some may actively oppose interventions resulting from the research.
Equitable Benefits: Ensure Everyone (Including HMGs) Can Benefit From Research Outputs
Action: Identify Groups or Communities That Have Not Benefited From, or Have Been Harmed by, Research Outputs
Questions to Ask
- Who has been underserved or harmed by past research efforts? Consider this specifically within the disciplines that inform the project.
Why Is This Important?
Understanding how past research outputs contribute to inequitable access and outcomes promotes equity and strengthens research design and implementation.
Action: Consider the Long-Term Impacts of Research Findings and Work to Reduce Harm
Questions to Ask
- How can we remove barriers to participation in research for HMGs and people with intersectionally marginalized identities to ensure that outputs are relevant and potentially beneficial?
Why Is This Important?
Understanding past and ongoing harms associated with research can help researchers build more positive relationships with marginalized communities and governments.
Contact Us
Have Feedback About This Document or Want to Learn More?
Email: redi.office@ubc.ca