Soliciting views of various communities on health research: a prelude to engagement in specific research projects.

Background: Members of the public are increasingly engaged in health-service and biomedical research and provide input into the content of research, design and data sharing. As there is variation among different communities on how research is perceived, to engage all sectors of the general public research institutions need to customize their approach.

Objective: This paper explores how research institutions and community leaders can partner to determine the best ways to engage different sectors of the public in research.