Antiracist Practices Across the Stages of a Research Project: A Narrative Review
Objectives:
There is a need for formal guidance around antiracist research practices to dismantle structural racism, which has been embedded into the design and conduct of health sciences research. Our objective is to review and summarize recommendations from published literature published on antiracist research practices applicable to all health sciences research studies.
Method:
In 2022, we systematically reviewed PubMed, SCOPUS, Excerpta Medica Database, British Nursing Index, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Sociological Abstracts using search terms about antiracist research. We found 5362 papers, screened 3962 titles, assessed 171 abstracts for eligibility, and reviewed 103 using a standardized extraction form. We reviewed 11 papers twice to confirm accuracy. We narratively synthesized recommendations relevant to six stages of the research process via combined deductive and inductive qualitative analysis.
Results:
A total of 1407 individual recommendations were grouped into themes and subthemes within each research stage. Project development had the most themes (n = 7) and subthemes (n = 24); dissemination of findings had the fewest (2 themes and 5 subthemes). When designing a project, researchers are encouraged to develop diverse, representative, and empowered research teams; design projects important to marginalized groups; and use conceptual frameworks that build on the work of marginalized scholars. Researchers were encouraged to promote inclusive consent processes, accessible recruitment materials, and recruitment and retention strategies that maximized diversity. When analyzing data, recommendations included involving community partners to ensure appropriate conceptualization and measurement of race, justifying the selection of reference groups, and considering intersectional identities. Recommendations for data interpretation include contextualizing findings, considering structural racism, and improving community involvement to enhance the transparency of data analysis. During dissemination, recommendations highlighted increasing accessibility of research findings.
Conclusions:
We identified a comprehensive list of recommendations describing antiracist research practices. Our synthesis can be used to guide individual research teams, institutional review boards, and grant committees, and to develop educational curricula around antiracist research practices.