Organising and running a research study

Following the previous step on including people with disabilities throughout the research process, in this step Sarah Marks will give an overview of planning and running a research study. Sarah is a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

This step will help you to appreciate the stages of a typical research cycle and consider the steps involved in planning and running a study. There are multiple stages in the process of conducting a research project. From developing a research idea, to seeking funding, data collection through to dissemination. It is important at each stage to consider how people with disabilities can be included throughout the research cycle. There is no one size fits all approach to including people with disability in these different stages. However, there are many examples of good practice, and we hear about some. We will also revisit this idea later this week when we learn about participatory research methods.

A written summary of the research cycle is provided in the “Downloads” section below.

Image: The research cycle

Discussion

As ever, we would love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. Some questions to consider in the comments:

• Do you have any ideas about how you might include people with disabilities in each of the stages of the research cycle?
• Have you got an example from your own experience that you would like to share?