The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Health Equity Network (HEN) Evaluation Subcommittee members conducted an open-ended survey regarding what should be considered authentic health disparity/equity (HD/E) research and how the SRNT community defines this term. Anonymous surveys were emailed to over 300 SRNT HEN members, and invitees were asked to complete the survey if they conducted HD/E research or engaged in HD/E research in some other way. A total of 26 usable survey responses were collected and qualitatively coded. Respondents were asked to describe authentic HD/E research, challenges in their field, and indicators of good and poor quality HD/E research. Respondents expressed that authentic HD/E research investigates disparities/inequalities in health outcomes or access to healthcare services that are specific to communities defined by a social or demographic characteristic. Challenges included lack of funding, a slow rate of recruiting minority populations, and an under-valuation of HD/E research among funders and scientific journals. Indicators of good quality HD/E research were community involvement and a social justice context. Respondents also expressed concerns that poor quality HD/E research could inadvertently harm minoritized communities. As this field grows, we feel it is necessary for experts to set standards for the appropriate conduct of HD/E research, set benchmarks for success, and voice their concerns about the potentially negative impacts of poorly conducted HD/E research.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding.

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Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This project received an exemption and waiver of HIPAA authorization from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Institutional Review Board (IRB00087203).

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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

Due to the sensitive nature of the opinions in the survey, and the potential for survey respondents to be identified based on their answers, this survey data is not available for sharing.