Welcome

Welcome to our new ebook on Research with Diverse Populations. Our ebook highlights the contributions of graduate students, their professor, and librarians at the University of Utah. You will meet the authors as you read the Introduction and the various chapters in our ebook. As a group, we worked on our ebook throughout the spring of 2014 and into the summer. Our course assignments were retooled to become chapters and sections of this book, expecting that others will find our work and use it to further our collective conversation about research with diverse populations.

Why did we bother with an ebook? Because we care about this topic and about the many issues, large and small, that make research with those who are different from ourselves interesting. In writing, we came to trouble our understanding of basic ideas like “different” and “diverse” and “vulnerable.” We also wrote this book because we care about sensitive research topics. As we undertake sensitive research, we want to plan and conduct research that is both inclusive and respectful. Finally, we wrote as a kind of self-exploration. There are ways that vulnerability, sensitive topics, and diversity describe who we are and what we stand to gain and risk in research relationships as investigators.

For all these reasons, we put extra effort into our work to publish this ebook rather than let our assignments and term papers turn yellow and crusty on the shelf. In considering research with diverse populations, we take heart in the words of Todres (2009 p. 69), who reminds us of our shared humanity.

“To be concerned with humanization is to uphold a particular view or value of what it means to be human, and furthermore, to find ways to act on this concern.”

In this ebook, we tell the story of who we are and how we approach those we hope to understand more fully. We are acting on our concern for what it means to be human and take part in research.

How do I use this ebook? Chapters are topical. Please click on the chapters to read about who is “vulnerable” (Chapter 1), qualitative and quantitative research designs and methods used to study populations who are diverse or marginalized (Chapter 2), or successful strategies to recruit, retain, and respect research populations (Chapter 3).

The Populations tab includes information provided by the authors about the populations or communities they will approach to participate in research. Each author has summarized background literature about the nature of their proposed study. Authors also completed audio disclosures about their own positionality relative to those they wish to study.

How do I give feedback to the authors? Please see the Contact Us page.

How do I take part in the ebook? We expect that future cohorts of students will contribute new chapters to our book. The beauty of epublishing is that the conversation can continue. At this time we do not have a way for those outside our University of Utah College of Nursing doctoral program to write chapters or contribute, but we may consider a pathway for broader participation in the future. Depending on your interest. And ours. Your feedback will help us think about that.