RESEARCH ARTICLE Community-structures that facilitate engagement in health research: Ifakara Health Research Institute-Bagamoyo case study [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations] Previous Title: Community-networks that facilitate engagement in health research: Ifakara Health Research Institute-Bagamoyo case study Leah Bategereza 1,2 , Ally Olotu 1 , Dorcas Kamuya 3 1 Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania 2 School of Life Science and Bio-engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania 3 Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kilifi, Kenya First published: 11 Mar 2021, 4:13 https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13187.1 Latest published: 23 Mar 2022, 4:13 https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13187.2 v2 Abstract Background: Involvement of communities in health research has been at the forefront of ethical conduct of research Worldwide. Many scholars put forward different ways of engaging communities in health research, debates on the levels of engagement, who should be engaged in the community and how, still persist. At the Ifakara Health Research Institute (IHI) in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Different approaches to engaging with the community in health research have been used over the last decade. The present research was aimed to describe the nature of community structures, that could be engaged in health research at the Ifakara Health Institute. Methods: Data collection was undertaken in between February 2019 and December 2019.A total of 25 interviews in which 19 were In-Depth Interviews, and 6 were Focus Group Discussions were carried out. Respondents were those previously participated in IHI research. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using framework analysis. Results: Different community structures including; village executive officers, community health workers, hamlet leaders, and community advisory board were involved in engagement activities. Approaches used as per the findings; community-level public meetings, information giving at household level/health facilities, the outpatient attendance at hospital/dispensary, Health District Coordinators, village leaders/representatives and routine health care campaigns; such as Tuberculosis day (TB day), Malaria day and HIV day. Reported Open Peer Review Approval Status 1 2 version 2 (revision) 23 Mar 2022 view version 1 11 Mar 2021 view view Nicola Desmond , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK 1. Shelley Lees , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK 2. Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. Open Research Africa Page 1 of 21 Open Research Africa 2022, 4:13 Last updated: 07 APR 2022