A review protocol on research partnerships: a Coordinated Multicenter Team approach

Area of Science:

• Collaborative research methodologies
• Knowledge translation and implementation science
• Multidisciplinary research synthesis

Background:

• Research partnerships are crucial for knowledge translation and implementation but lack a unified understanding.
• The diversity and breadth of literature on research partnerships pose challenges for evidence synthesis.
• A clear framework is needed to understand the principles, strategies, outcomes, and impacts of various partnership models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline an innovative protocol for synthesizing the existing literature on research partnerships.
• To develop a comprehensive understanding of different research partnership approaches and their evidence base.
• To address well-documented gaps in the literature concerning research partnership terminology and domains.

Main Methods:

• A Coordinated Multicenter Team approach using a consensus-driven conceptual framework.
• A review of reviews to synthesize key domains across different partnership approaches (health and beyond).
• Three complementary scoping reviews focusing on health research partnerships, followed by an umbrella review.

Main Results:

• The proposed methodology aims to identify and synthesize key domains (principles, strategies, outcomes, impacts) of research partnerships.
• Common terminology and efficient search strategies will be established through a collaborative review process.
• The synthesis will provide a clearer differentiation of research partnership terminology and its associated domains.

Conclusions:

• This collaborative review methodology enhances the quality, conduct, and reporting of research partnership studies.
• The approach optimizes research feasibility and quality by leveraging shared expertise and resources.
• This multicenter, efficiency-focused strategy can guide future research in the expanding field of research partnerships.