Did you know that about ? This paywall is a problem for community-campus engagement researchers because we want to make our research available to everyone, especially our community partners!

Knowledge is a resource that should be shared democratically. In an effort to make information free for all many universities and funders actually require open access to the academic articles they fund. Hiding knowledge behind a paywall creates inequality not just at home, but on a global scale. The good news is that we can make access to knowledge more democratic by taking advantage of open access publishing. Here’s how!

Publish in Open Access Journals

Often called the “gold route” to open access, open access journals are scholarly journals that are free for anyone to read, no subscription required. Although sometimes seen as less legitimate than closed publishing, it is important to note that a number of open-access journals are peer-reviewed and well-respected!

Opt for OA Within Closed-access Journals

An increasing number of closed access journals are allowing authors to choose to make their articles open access for an “article processing fee” paid by the author or funder. The article is still published in their journal, but is not behind a paywall. Many closed access journals also make an article open access (without processing fees) after a set amount of time, or an embargo period.

Self-Archive your Research in Open Access Repositories

If you published your article in a closed access journal, you may still be able to make it available to more people through self-archiving in open access repositories. This approach is often called the “green route” to open access. to see what options are available to you. Some journals allow you to disseminate your article to websites or repositories after an embargo period has passed or some allow post-print versions to be self-archived immediately. There are many places to post your research: your university or funder might have a repository for published articles or you can look for repositories dedicated to your subject. See below for resources on how to find open access repositories.

Make your Research Available on your Website

Many academics archive their research on their website. It is an additional avenue for making your research available, but should be used in concert with other methods that have a wider reach. Just be aware that most people turn to Google when they are looking for information. Google’s bots will automatically find articles that have been posted online in most cases, but to make sure that your research is being included in results, Google has provided some in their help pages.

Don’t Forget ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Community-partnered Conferences!

Participants listen to CFICE’s Engage! 2017 conference presentation.

A more hands-on option is to participate in conferences that include community groups. Meetings and conferences that include both academics and community representatives allow for sharing knowledge and building relationships. These events give community a forum to share and learn about research findings as well as provide feedback. Look for community partnered conferences such as the , or the , to name a few.

I hope that you are thinking about ways to make your research more accessible. If we missed anything, please share your ideas on how to improve access in the comments below. In the coming weeks, we will share the “Top 5 places to share your CCE Research” and offer more specifics on how to get your research seen and heard.

For More Information on Open Access:

(INASP)

(Article)

Directories of Open Access Repositories:

At CFICE, we feel good about being part of community success stories–but how can we measure if we’ve truly made an impact? This is the question that Emily Amon, a master’s student at Trent University, is tackling with her research on the U-links model and its environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts. In case you haven’t heard, U-Links is a community organization that “links” faculty and students from Trent University with local Haliburton County community groups to work together on research and development projects.

We got a chance to interview Emily at the Canadian Community Campus Engagement Roundtable (CCCER) that took place at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University on February 14th, 2018. At the meeting, members of CFICE, community groups and academic institutions met to network and share ideas. Among the many topics we discussed was the importance of measuring community impact and the outcomes of community-campus engagement.

Emily is a U-Links student research veteran. During her undergraduate studies at Trent she was a student researcher on several projects. She says that she was motivated to work with U-Links again, this time to look at community impact, because of her belief in direct social action: “I think it is common to community-based practitioners that they may not see themselves as a researcher but more as an agent of change.”

Techniques for measuring community impact must be based in the community. To this end, Emily will be embedding herself in the Haliburton community and conducting a range of research activities there. She will spend the summer following up on past U-Links projects and interviewing the project hosts, as well as capturing some community perspectives on U-Links via online surveys. From these community sources and from a participatory action workshop with U-Links, she hopes to create a picture of the tangible outputs of the projects, focusing on “how they attribute changes to the processes and products of the U-Links relationship.” Emily says, “You can’t necessarily state causation in many cases but you are able to state what they feel has changed as a result of the research.”

Emily foresees that the data she collects might provide some best practices for engaging in community-based research. When looking at projects that have been successful, she says that she aims to “identify the building blocks of a particularly impactful project. So perhaps there will be themes that come across as we look at successful projects.” She also hopes that identifying these success factors can help to encourage more community work and justify increased funding for new projects.

Knowing more about best practices may also go a long way in helping to facilitate good community-campus relationships. Emily points out that, “Often times, there is a lot of mistrust because the academic institutions sometimes come into communities to, what can feel like, meet their own ends rather than use a truly collaborative process. People may be concerned about whether or not the research will be useful to them, or whether they will be an active participant. So looking at how to better have these relationships can help to really solidify that this is an explicitly community-first approach.”

Look for more blog posts about this project in the future. In the meantime, you can check out U-Links at their website: .

Have you evaluated the community impact of your community-based projects? Please feel free to share your insights in the comments below!

Just getting started in community engagement? Then perhaps you’ve already encountered some confusing terms and phrases. It is common for specialists to invent language that suits their needs, but jargon can create barriers for those looking to participate. We don’t want anything get in your way—the point of community engagement is to get everybody involved! In this article, we will attempt to help by explaining the top 5 terms that you will hear in community engagement.

Community-Based Research

As the name suggests, community-based research (CBR) takes place in the community, but CBR is much more than just getting out of the office. The difference here is that researchers and community groups act as equal partners and work collaboratively to study community issues. Research that has roots in the community has a much better chance of helping those who need it most.

Often, CBR use participatory research or action research methodologies to guide their approach to working with the community. Participatory research emphasizes collaboration with the people or organizations being studied in order to get a deeper understanding of the issues they face; while the aim of action research is to foster positive change in the community by taking action and then studying their effect.

Community Service-Learning

They say that the best way to learn is by doing. This is the idea behind community service-learning, a form of education in which students learn through the act of community service. Many university and college courses integrate community service into their learning objectives. Students could find themselves working on one-time research projects or enjoying ongoing volunteer work. The best part? Everyone benefits: students get to practice skills in “the real world” and community partners get the help they need while being exposed to fresh perspectives. Most importantly, CSL forges relationships that enhance community-campus engagement in the long term.

Knowledge Mobilization

Knowledge mobilization (KMb) is sharing academic research in order to create an impact. To make knowledge work for the community, academia must reach out through multiple media—simply publishing in academic journals is not enough! It is better to use social media, blogs, newspapers and other platforms that are accessible to the community and more widely used. Knowledge mobilization also requires researchers to seek out and listen to community perspectives before beginning their project.

Knowledge brokers that specialize in connecting with knowledge users can be a great help in making sure research makes the most impact.

Community Impact

The point of community engagement is to have an impact! Community impact, then, are the outcomes of community initiatives. There are many ways being engaged in the community can make a measurable difference, such as influencing policy, increasing awareness or improving people’s lives. Success often hinges on understanding and answering the needs of community!

Community-First

Being community-first is what CFICE is all about! Community-first is a way of thinking and a way of working with community partners that respects their experience. When you are community-first, you work as an equal partner, listen to community needs and work together to tackle issues.

Did you notice that being community-first is the common thread in the terms we discussed? Community-first thinking can help you in all of your community engagement activities and ensures that you make an impact.

Are there any other community engagement terms that you find confusing? Why not check out our Glossary that expands upon the list of terms in this article. Or leave a message in the comments below to request a definition.

As students we’ve all heard the very ‘tumblr’ quote “You all have a little bit of ‘I want to save the world in you’. That’s why you’re here in college”. But, did you know that participating in community-campus engagement can actually help you cultivate that ambition and actively help you make the world a better place?

So, what is Community Campus Engagement (CCE) and how can it improve the world?

Community-campus engagement (CCE) is when members of the community and members of post-secondary campuses come together to reach a common goal. When the community and campus is unified in purpose, society’s best minds and hearts are at work to improve humanity!

For example, one student working with CFICE–Zhaocheng Zeng–had a great opportunity to impact her community when she partnered with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction in 2014 to study living wage in Hamilton, Ontario. This collaborative research project contributed to a better understanding of employee motivations at work, and also led to more employers signing up to be living wage employers.

Participating in CCE can help you make the world a better place by:

• Generating new perspectives on how to best improve society
• Strengthening community capacity, particularly for vulnerable groups
• Providing an incubator for open-minded and engaged citizens
• Constructing networks that improve access to capacity and resources
• Addressing local challenges with new solutions.
• Sharing knowledge
• Enhancing contributions to social change
• Fostering community!

Members of the GottaGo! team, including student volunteers ŠGottaGo!

How can you get involved?

• Talk to an academic advisor about your interest in seeking a placement/ internship in a community organization relevant to your study/ interests
• Keep your eyes peeled for on-campus posters, brochures and tables that advertise volunteer opportunities
• Visit or to find local volunteer opportunities
• Check out CFICE’s piece on  for more ideas

What best practices will help you be the most effective partner?

• Stay open-minded and respectful of all partners.
• Focus on listening before sharing your ideas so you fully understand the community partner’s needs and expertise.
• Seek to make connections for long-term projects and networks.
• Take every opportunity to seek training on skills and competencies for effective CCE.
• Take pride in your CCE work! Share your experiences with friends, and be willing to be a mentor for future students.
• Stay up to date with all of CFICE’s latest by

Your desire to “save the world” is something that makes you great! Take it, cultivate it in CCE, and go make the world a better place!

Applications are due: January 3, 2014

For more information: 

For questions about application, contact Liv Lindenberg llindenberg@wisc.edu

For questions about the program: Brian D. Christens, bchristens@wisc.edu

CES4Health publishes diverse products of community-based participatory research and other forms of community-engaged scholarship – including videos, policy briefs, resource guides and online toolkits.  Basically, any product in English from anywhere in the world, except journal manuscripts!

CES4Health has published 60 products to date — all products of community-engaged scholarship — and many co-authored by community and academic partners.

Community-based organizations are also finding CES4Health to be a valuable outlet for peer-reviewed publication of their community-engaged work, whether involving academic partnerships or not.

CES4Health provides wide dissemination of  high quality products that can improve the health of communities and “count” in the faculty promotion and tenure process.  Every product submitted is peer reviewed by community and academic experts.  If it’s published, the Editor sends an email about the publication and the rigorous peer review process to people that authors identify, such as deans, department chairs and supervisors.

CES4Health also tracks how many times a product is downloaded and can follow-up with users to find out how it was used – important data that can be included in promotion and tenure dossiers and grant proposals.  I should also mention that CES4Health does not retain copyright for any of the products it publishes.

łŐžą˛őžąłŮĚý to submit products, search for products and apply to be a reviewer.  Follow the latest CES4Health news on twitter at