Students and supervisors

The Lowitja Institute has produced two guides (see below) to assist researchers in undertaking Indigenous health research that is driven by priorities set by First Nations people and communities, to be of practical use to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector and to develop research capacity within communities.

Students and emerging researchers, both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous, want to know how to involve participants and the users of research when developing and conducting projects – how to build Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and approaches into research processes to make the research stronger, and to ensure that it leads to real benefits for people’s health and wellbeing.

Supervisors often have a lot of experience in designing and conducting research but limited experience of undertaking research in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context. They may also need guidance as trainers of emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers. Non-Indigenous supervisors, in particular, want to know how to provide the right type of support and how to build strong inter-cultural research partnerships for better research projects.

Researching Indigenous Health: A practical guide for researchers (2011) includes the history, context, values and change priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research in Australia and the planning and management of projects in this area. It offers practical information, advice, strategies and success stories in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research.

Supporting Indigenous Researchers: A practical guide for supervisors (2009) aims to help researchers and supervisors who are working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings. The publication is intended to support training and be a hands-on resource for those in the field.

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