This symposium introduces collaborative methodology (CM) as a way to make political science research more ethical, inclusive, and accurate. Instead of treating communities as research subjects, CM involves them as partners in shaping concepts, methods, and data collection. Firchow and Gellman highlight how this approach challenges power imbalances, improves research quality, and supports efforts to decolonize the discipline. The symposium offers practical tools across qualitative and quantitative traditions to guide more community-centered research.