Developing Ethical Research Practices Between Institutional and Community Partners: A Look at the Current Base of Literature Surrounding Memorandums of Understanding in Canada

• Main Authors: Danielle Alcock, Jennifer Elgie, Chantelle Richmond, Jerry White
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Western Ontario 2017-11-01
• Series: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Subjects: Memorandum of Understanding; research ethics; community-based research; research partnerships; collaborative research practices; Indigenous research
• Online Access: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss4/3/
• ISSN: 1916-5781; 1916-5781

Few institutionalized examples exist wherein Indigenous communities have participated in the co-development of ethics initiatives. This article explores one such process—the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). A MOU is a document created between institutional and community research partners to outline project guidelines. Based on Canadian MOUs developed between 1980 and 2016, this research has four objectives; (a) to describe current trends of MOU use and recognition in research; (b) to describe the challenges of collaborative research and how MOUs might mitigate them; (c) to understand if a standard MOU is feasible; and (d) to offer policy suggesting for implementing MOUs. Local MOUs mark a way for engaging in good research practices that actually benefit the involved community.