Understanding the use of Community Advisory Boards in autism research: A scoping review
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Understanding the use of Community Advisory Boards in autism research: A scoping review protocol Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence available on the use of Community Advisory Boards in autism research. The review will identify and clarify definitions and methods related to this literature, and examine strategies and practices used by researchers. Introduction: The inclusion of Autistic people in research has been promoted as a good practice in autism research (Nicolaidis et al., 2019) and endorsed by organizations such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (2021), the Organization for Autism Research (Benevides, 2023), and the Autism Research Institute (Lawson, 2021). One way that Autistic people are included in autism research is through the use of Community Advisory Boards (CABs). However, a comprehensive understanding of the available evidence on CABs in autism research is lacking. Inclusion criteria: The population of interest is Community Advisory Boards (CABs) established to guide autism-related research. We will include studies that explicitly identify the use or involvement of a CAB as a feature within the research process (i.e., stated in the title, abstract, or keywords). The concept of interest is how CABs are described, structured, and utilized in autism research. The context includes English-language, peer-reviewed publications, with no restrictions on publication date or geographic location. Methods: We will search the peer-reviewed empirical literature published in English using three databases: Web of Science Core Collection, ProQuest Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA) and Social Services Abstracts, and Ebsco APA PsycInfo, Social Work Abstracts, and Medline and Wiley Online Library. The data will be screened using a screening tool, followed by full article screening. Data will be extracted using a form on Covidence. We will synthesize (i.e., collate, summarize, and report) extracted data, presenting in narrative and table formats.
Authors: Margaret Janse van Rensburg, Alexia Ostrolenk, Valérie Courchesne, Betty Wilson
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7106230615