Empirical studies on minority serving institutions (MSIs) have proliferated in higher education scholarship in the past two decades. Using the MSI designations to identify distinct types of postsecondary institutions can be a useful, race-aware strategy for understanding the US higher education landscape. However, such usage warrants further examination of the racialized dynamics inherent in the scholarly enterprise engaging with MSIs. Drawing from scholarship on Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions and Hispanic Serving Institutions, we illustrate how researchers engaging with institutional actors within these organizations have yet to explicitly account for the racialized processes of conducting research alongside MSIs. In this conceptual paper, we propose a heuristic--Transparent, Aligned, and Responsive--as a methodological guidance for scholars and practitioners interested in advancing empirical knowledge on MSIs through a commitment to race-aware reciprocal partnerships with student affairs professionals.