Is Partnership Research Better Research?

There are lots of reasons why we want to do 'Partnership Research'.

We think 'Partnership Research' can add significantly to the knowledge which is produced by more traditional forms of research. The special characteristics of 'Partnership Research' mean that it can produce different understandings than research conducted only by 'professional' researchers (see What is partnership research key ideas)

You can read about what Daniel - a researcher with learning disabilities - says about the benefits of him doing research with other adults with learning disabilities (see Daniel talks about partnership research)

'Partnership Research' can:

Inform research methodologies which are appropriate to the participants and their experiences;

• Develop a more complete picture of people's circumstances and lives as researchers draw on personal experiences to inform data collection;
• Include insights gained from both the 'ways of knowing' of research participants as well as what they know;
• Can avoid separating research from 'life' thereby allowing issues to be seen in a wider context and as inter-connected with many other issues;
• Benefit from the commitment that research participants feel when they are genuinely included in the research process; and
• Offer benefits to research participants through meeting others with similar experiences, developing the confidence to carry out research, and providing access to resources.

As with all research there are no guarantees that these good things will necessarily happen. You will see from some of the examples we use on this website that 'Partnership Research' is quite difficult in practice (See Partnerships: Questions and Challenges). We hope that you find reading about some of our experiences helpful and that, like us, you will want to continue trying to work in partnership.