Resources
Welcome to the ESA – Environmental Justice Section’s annotated guide to resources on community-ecologist partnerships. This page is a work in progress, so please check back frequently — we will continue to add and annotate resources. Also, please contact us to suggest other resources we might include.Scroll down to see resources in six categories:
- Public participation in scientific research (PPSR) — A new field of scholarship dedicated to exploring different models for collaboration between scientists and members of the public, and how project design influences outcomes for science, education, and social-ecological systems.
- Participatory research — General resources
- Case studies of community-based, participatory research
- Working with indigenous communities
- Service learning
- Institutional change
Each resource includes a citation and a brief description summarizing the contents and situations where it may be helpful. Where resources are freely available online, we also include links. We hope you find this helpful in your efforts to foster community-ecologist partnerships!
Public Participation in Scientific Research — Designing participatory research to produce positive outcomes for science, education, and social-ecological systems
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bonney, R., H. Ballard, R. Jordan, E. McCallie, T. Phillips, J. Shirk and C.C. Wilderman. 2009. Public participation in scientific research: Defining the field and assessing its potential for informal science education. A CAISE inquiry group report. Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), Washington, D.C.
- Type of Resource: Report commissioned by the National Science Foundation
- Link: http://caise.insci.org/uploads/docs/PPSR%20report%20FINAL.pdf
- Summary: The authors of this report define three models for Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) — contributory, collaborative, and co-created. They then describe 10 projects – five Contributory, three Collaborative, and two Co-Created – and evaluate the educational outcomes of each. Finally, they synthesize findings across projects to suggest the types of educational outcomes associated with different project models. This report can help ecologists and community partners during project design as they consider what types of experiences a PPSR project should include to achieve desired educational goals.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Citizen Science Toolkit. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY.
- Type of Resource: Web-based compilation of resources for starting and/or supporting public participation in scientific research (PPSR) projects in ecology and conservation.
- Link: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/toolkit
- Summary: This compilation provides resources for each step of developing a PPSR project, from choosing a question to disseminating results and evaluating project impacts. For each step, the ToolKit contains an overview, concise “how-to” points, and links to additional references and tools. In the future, case studies illustrating each step will also be included. Finally, the Toolkit has information on overarching Design Considerations, including ethics, integrating local and scientific knowledge, and a framework for deliberate project design.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Porticella, N., Bonfield, S., DeFalco, T., Fumarolo, A., Garibay, C., Jolly, E., Huerta Migus, L., Pandya, R., Purcell, K., Rowden, J., Stevenson, F., and Switzer, A. 2013. Promising practices for community partnerships: A call to support more inclusive approaches to public participation in scientific research. A report commissioned by the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Washington, D.C.
- Type of resource: Web page and reports commissioned by the Association of Science-Technology Centers
- Links:
- Summary: This Web page, consensus report, and supporting case studies outline and illustrate six promising practices for increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion in Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR): (1) Provide concrete benefits for participants; (2) Build on what’s familiar; (3) Develop collaborative partnerships; (4) Be flexible and adaptive; (5) Offer genuine, equitable, and sustained personal contact with the community; (6) Uncover and address additional context-specific barriers. These insights arose from case studies of PPSR initiatives designed to engage communities that have been historically marginalized in the sciences (e.g., communities of color, low-income communities, and tribal communities) and may assist a range of PPSR project developers and facilitators incorporate more culturally inclusive practices.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Shirk, J.L., H.L. Ballard, C.C. Wilderman, T. Phillips, A. Wiggins, R. Jordan, E. McCallie, M. Minarchek, B.V. Lewenstein, M.E. Krasny and R. Bonney. 2012. Public participation in scientific research: A framework for deliberate design. Ecology and Society 17:29.
- Type of Resource: Peer-reviewed journal article (open access)
- Link: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol17/iss2/art29/
- Summary: This article explores how the outcomes of Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) projects are associated with project design choices. The authors describe predominant models of PPSR and illustrate how project outcomes depend on (1) the degree of public participation (steps in the research process in which stakeholders are engaged) and (2) the quality of public participation (“the extent to which a project’s goals and activities align with, respond to, and are relevant to the needs and interests of public participants”). They then propose a framework for deliberate PPSR design and describe considerations that project developers may address at each stage to achieve desired outcomes for science, education, and social-ecological systems. Using brief case studies, they illustrate different approaches to PPSR for each stage of project design and implementation.
Participatory Research — General Resources
- Resources coming soon
Case Studies of Community-Based, Participatory Research
- Resources coming soon
Working with Indigenous Communities
- Resources coming soon
Service Learning
- Resources coming soon
Institutional Change
- Resources coming soon