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Participation of community partners in The Need to Know Project has provided unique perspectives on knowledge translation theory. It has identified limitations to the common interpretations of knowledge translation principles and highlighted the characteristics of collaborative research initiatives that are of greatest importance to community partners.

Objectives and Methods: Seventeen focus groups and 53 semi-structured individual interviews involving 205 planners and decision-makers were conducted in all 11 Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Objectives were to explore perspectives on the nature and use of "evidence," and barriers to evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). Results: In spite of almost universal support in principle for using evidence in decisionmaking, there was little consensus among participants on what evidence is, what kind of evidence is most appropriate and how "using evidence" can best be demonstrated. Significant skepticism about EIDM was expressed. Issues related to workload, politicized decision-making and organizational factors dominated the discussion of decisionmakers. Barriers to EIDM were commonly attributed to factors external to the RHAs. Conclusion: Effective strategies to promote EIDM must address the multiple barriers experienced by decision-makers in a complex decision-making environment. Rather than simply focusing on issues of access to evidence or development of individual capacity, strategies must focus on changing decision-making processes to support appropriate use of evidence.

Background Research funders in Canada and abroad have made substantial investments in supporting collaborative research approaches to generating and translating knowledge as it is believed to increase knowledge use. Canadian health research funders have advocated for the use of integrated knowledge translation (IKT) in health research, however, there is limited research around how IKT compares to other collaborative research approaches. Our objective was to better understand how IKT compares with engaged scholarship, Mode 2 research, co-production and participatory research by identifying the differences and similarities among them in order to provide conceptual clarity and reduce researcher and knowledge user confusion about these common approaches. Methods We employed a qualitative descriptive method using interview data to better understand experts’ perspectives and experiences on collaborative research approaches. Participants’ responses were analysed through thematic analysis to elicit core themes. The analysis was centred around the concept of IKT, as it is the most recent approach; IKT was then compared and contrasted with engaged scholarship, Mode 2 research, co-production and participatory research. As this was an iterative process, data triangulation and member-checking were conducted with participants to ensure accuracy of the emergent themes and analysis process. Results Differences were noted in the orientation (i.e. original purpose), historical roots (i.e. disciplinary origin) and partnership/engagement (i.e. role of partners etc.). Similarities among the approaches included (1) true partnerships rather than simple engagement, (2) focus on essential components and processes rather than labels, (3) collaborative research orientations rather than research methods, (4) core values and principles, and (5) extensive time and financial investment. Core values and principles among the approaches included co-creation, reciprocity, trust, fostering relationships, respect, co-learning, active participation, and shared decision-making in the generation and application of knowledge. All approaches require extensive time and financial investment to develop and maintain true partnerships. Conclusions This qualitative study is the first to systematically synthesise experts’ perspectives and experiences in a comparison of collaborative research approaches. This work contributes to developing a shared understanding of collaborative research approaches to facilitate conceptual clarity in use, reporting, indexing and communication among researchers, trainees, knowledge users and stakeholders to advance IKT and implementation science.