Table 3 Empirical details about partnership initiation evaluated and reported in each review

 Defining and describing the problem and research question

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Setting priorities and/or expectations; conducting needs assessment

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Identifying stakeholders and opportunities to build partnerships (internal and external opportunities)

x

x

x

x

x

 Creating common goals with common outcomes, objectives, memorandum of understanding, agreement, operating norms

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Establishing pre-existing resources that could be used or acquired by the partners to build the project

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Developing risks and benefits of the partnership

x

 Considering inequalities in power

x

x

x

x

 Establishing communication methods such as evidence briefs, web portals, social media, new tools and technologies

x

x

x

x

x

 Receiving training and learning

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Applying for funding

x

x

x

 Planning to conduct joint research

x

x

x

x

x

 Establishing committees, boards, or working groups

x

 Creating and transferring of organisational knowledge occurs through processes of conversion (i.e. tacit to formal) and assimilation, and the transfer from individual to collective

x

 Mobilising knowledge/change agents

x

x

 Building organisational structures aligned with strategy and external context

x

x

x

x

 Sense of ownership of research or output

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Commitment to partnership

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Formal training and development and the acquisition of team members’ knowledge and skills

x

x

x

x

 Positive attitude towards listening, learning, adapting and training

x

x

x

x

x

 Time for team meetings for information sharing by using all-day conference, etc.

x

x

x

x

 Multiple and varied opportunities for interaction

x

 Phased approach to developing shared language

x

x

 Support from facilitators, champions, boundary, spanners; advisory board

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Clear and agreed upon goals, roles, expectations and vision

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Dedicated funding

x

x

x

x

 Pre-existing relationships between researchers and research users

x

x

x

 Policy-makers with a research background and researchers skilled in policy-making

x

 Supportive policy framework or network structure/ties for researchers and research users to create knowledge and implementing research results

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Team members from the community

x

x

x

x

 Positive personality of the action researcher

x

 Time for learning and training, developing relationships, building trust and sustaining intervention

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Performance rewards awarded to individuals rather than groups

x

 Performance feedback that mixed individual with group level feedback

x

 No understanding and/or differing interpretations of the institutional and federal Institutional Review Board regulations

x

x

x

 Imbalance between rigor of academic preferred research designs and incorporating of community preferences

x

x

x

x

 No stakeholder engagement

x

x

x

x

x

 different needs and priorities

x

x

x

x

x

 No skill in understanding of partnership process

x

x

 Negative attitude about researchers or the value of research

x

x

x

x

 Goals, roles and expectations were not clear

x

x

x

x

x

x

 No incentives to participate

x

x

 No funding or infrastructure of partnership

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Little continuity of involvement due to staff turnover

x

x

x

 Limited interaction due to geographic distance

x

x

 Community resistance

x

x

 Issues of power

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Conflict of interest

x

x

 Negative personality of the action researcher

x

 No guidance of initiation of partnerships in literature

x

x

x

x

x

 Empowerment of research users

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Develop research questions

x

x

x

x

 Develop a clear understanding of the expectations of different partners

x

x

x

 If research users understand research, they grow to value it, it is more relevant and easier to disseminate and implement, aids in the translation and interpretation of findings which increases actionability

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Enhanced mutual understanding of process, including language, work style, needs and constraints, research

x

x

x

 Strengthened relationship, trust and goodwill

x

x

x

x

x

 Emergence of community leaders

x

 Agenda building

x

x

x

x

 Builds strengths and resources within the community

x

x

x

x

x

 Increase trust and respect, minimise fear

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 Compliance and accountability

x

x

x

x

x

x

x