Table 3.

Key implications for researchers engaged in biospecimen research

Concept	Key finding	Implications for researchers
Form trust-earning relationships	We found that trust was an essential component of our research for recruiting diverse audiences. Trust allowed us to successfully carry out our work to address the information needs of the community while advancing scientific inquiry in this new field.	Researchers should focus their attention on the development of trust-earning relationships. Researchers need to recognize that: • Trust entails placing value on the unique contributions that community and academic members bring to a research situation. • Trust occurs when there is a willingness to be open to others’ ideas, perceptions, and viewpoints. • Transparency on what the objectives and expectations are from all partners engaged in the research process. • Trust is enhanced in relationships with equal power and control. • Trust is gained through multiple efforts that go beyond the research encounter; and which extends to other mutually beneficial and sustained outreach or education partnerships.
Find the value of research	We found that community members, across geographic sites and cultural groups, saw value in biobanking and biospecimen research, especially for future generations. There were many more similarities than differences.	Researchers need to find out how cancer research can best resonate with community members and is of value to them and their families. This means that the research focus/objective(s) must be understood by community members and match their values and priorities. This knowledge can be beneficial when developing research program messages and interventions that are useful and actionable.
Engage communities through formative research	We found that factors influencing participation negatively or positively are likely to be specific to the local sociopolitical and cultural experiences of a community group. As such, formative research such as focus groups, community discussions, or individual interviews, allows an understanding of community members’ concerns, perceptions, and understandings about a particular topic.	Participatory research approaches require active community engagement efforts in order to form research partnerships. Research partners can employ formative research to gain insights about factors that might influence or hinder receptivity to a new cancer innovation such as biobanking. The use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) can be an especially helpful approach to engage the community and provide co-learning by all partners in the research process.
Utilize clear communications	We found that once the concept of “biobanking,” the requirements for participation, and the sponsorship and organizational/institutional affiliation for such studies were defined clearly, using language-specific terminology, participants showed openness to considering donating biospecimens for research.	Methods that continually verify understanding of research concepts, terms, and phrases pertinent to a particular research topic to ensure shared meaning are essential. Communications (oral and written) must be clear, consumer-friendly, and linguistically, literacy and language-specific. This will help open the door toward an understanding of a research topic which is often laden with unfamiliar and difficult terminology. The messengers and study sponsors must be credible and trustworthy. CBPR approaches support an iterative approach to research that help to clarify meaning and perceptions held by the community that in turn enhance the research process.