AARC Standards for Multicultural Research

Purpose The impetus for creating the Standards for Multicultural Research is based upon the idea that multicultural competence continues to evolve as research and evidence-based practices inform the profession of counseling. These standards aim to address research that focuses on multiculturalism as well as general multicultural considerations in research. The goal is to promote cultural intentionality, inclusion, and responsiveness. As such, the development of these standards is an attempt to address the potential obstacles, challenges, and rewarding aspects of developing and producing research that is multiculturally competent. Consequently, this document will provide minimum and current standards of practice. Professional counselors, counselor educators, and counseling researchers are continually encouraged to utilize these standards and seek out best practices related to research and multiculturalism. Finally, this document is expected to be updated over time, as ideas around multiculturalism evolve and influence the nature of research practices in professional counseling and counselor education.