Guides for Researchers

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research needs to be driven by priorities set by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to be of practical use to that health sector and to develop research capacity within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Lowitja Institute and its predecessor, the CRC for Aboriginal Health, developed two guides in response to a growing need for resources in this area.

Please note: Information contained in both guides was accurate at the time of publication, but URLS, in particular, referred to in the guides may since have changed. The guides are currently under review and it is expected that updated versions will be published in 2019.

Supporting Indigenous Researchers: A practical guide for supervisors 

The CRC for Aboriginal Health developed this guide to help researchers and research supervisors who are working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings. The publication is intended to support training and be a hands-on resource in the field. It offers practical information, advice, strategies and success stories in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. It is an easy-to-use manual in plain English that supports:

• setting up a workplace with the capacity to employ, support and train a developing researcher
• research processes and issues (a practical overview)
• doing research work in and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Researching Indigenous Health: A practical guide for researchers 

The Lowitja Institute receives frequent requests for resources and advice about how to conduct research projects, and has identified different audiences with different resource needs including emerging and experienced researchers looking for ways to improve their Indigenous health research practice. Researchers want to know how to involve participants and the users of research when developing and conducting research projects—how to build Indigenous research values and approaches into research processes to make the research stronger, and how to make sure research can lead to real benefits for people’s health and wellbeing.

The guide includes the history, context, values and change priorities of Indigenous health research in Australia and the planning and management of Indigenous health research projects. It has three parts:

• Indigenous health research in context
• Doing research that makes a difference
• Designing and managing a successful research project.

Both books offer practical information, advice, strategies and success stories in Indigenous health research and can be purchased in hardcopy or downloaded in PDF format.