Action research is a broad term to describe a type of collaborative research which seeks to analyze and improve action within an organization, community, or team. It is an iterative cycle of analysis, data gathering, plan suggesting, plan implementation, and evaluation. In action research, both researchers and practitioners work together and share in the planning, implementing, and evaluating.

One typical cycle includes stakeholders identifying problems, the community suggesting solutions, a solution is selected, the solution is put into action, the action is monitored and evaluated, data is collected, the action is reviewed, the action is revised, and then each of the steps are repeated. Each of these steps are performed in the collaborative context with all stakeholders providing input.

Other models might be followed under the rubric of action research. The above description is a sample flow of how researchers and practitioners might engage together to find solutions to problems, resulting in improved action.

A PHREE-Way partner is engaged in an action research project focused on understanding the impact of humanitarian assistance on women's empowerment. Data gathering on this issue has been conducted in one location, and with additional researchers and practitioners joining the project, multiple sites could be implemented in order to gather additional data for evaluation. From such an evaluation could emerge new ideas about how to improve humanitarian assistance to empower women.