Table 3.

Community perceptions of “benefits academicians gain in working with 566 communities on research” and “what academic partners need to know about 567 working with communities”

Benefits of engaging the community in research	What academic partners need to know
Real world applicability	It takes time to develop relationships
Connection to the people	Think about how the research will benefit the community
The community is a lab	Learn about the community -- read the local newspaper
Broader perspective	Understand and respect limits
Opportunity to improve health	Define expectations for both sides of the research partnership
Community provides additional resources or “hands”	Speak the same language -- “community versus academic speak”
Speed the implementation process	Find your champion in community leaders; get to know the key players