I agree with Dr Dibakar Pal. Begin with assessment of community needs and analysis of information gathered and then move to theorizing. I try to do that already in my own way

I always say that research projects are 'vanity' and a mere waste of resources if they are handicapped in addressing the challenging situation faced by communities (local, district, regional, national or global).

For research projects to play this crucial and all-important role, researchers must always seek for avenues to identify the disturbing problems faced by communities (their institutions, workplace, livelihood and so forth). Then a proper definition of the problem must be carried out. After that, well-articulated research questions that are pleased with SMART objectives must guide the thrust of the research. Effective means of seeking for answers to the research questions (Methodology) must be adopted and utilized. This would result in the gathering of the RIGHT data (findings) that appropriately answers the research questions laid out for the study and can offer the MOST APPROPRIATE solutions to the challenges faced by the communities. Sound and feasible recommendations for policy implementation must be forwarded by the researchers. Those recommendations must show clearly, who or which institution is tasked to carry out the recommended paradigms.

The research paper must then be published to publicize the findings of the study. Copies must be given to concerned institutions and agencies, individuals and communities for prompt implementation. This would be easy if the concerned institutions and communities are not sidelined but actively involved in every phase of the research with their highly weighed views catered for in the research project's execution.

When these measures are undertaken, the academic research projects will be useful to communities rather than they wasting away on shelves of university libraries.

Thanks

Dickson Adom

1- Diagnosis of community problems

2- Determine their causes

3- Conduct survey data related to those problems

4- Conduct experiments

5- extract conclusions and develop appropriate solutions

In this way, you can connect the community with the research projects

Unfortunately most academics do not bother to share their discoveries with the public. In my view a historian has an obligation to share knowledge. I always prepare interesting power points for public presentations that follow my published research. As a member of the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau, my work is disseminated in small rural places as well as large community libraries and neighborhood centers. I think it's the right thing to do.  

thanks for all answers and useful notes.

Discuss with the community first before you begin your project. At least you could suit and aligned your research with the community need.

All the best.

Engage the community throughout the research project: problem identification, collectively decide the project objectives, research design, data collection, analysis, and results report. The community should have a voice in every step of the project so that the research project becomes part of the community. 

How are you thinking of 'the community'?  Are they an audience who might be interested in what you are researching, a population who might be directly affected by your findings immediately or in the long term, a source of data for your research who will therefore be entitled to know the outcomes?  There is a lot of literature on how knowledge can be co-constructed with communities if that is your aim, but obviously it requires a very different approach to research.  Think about how much power you want to give other people over your work - for example, if a group disagreed with your interpretation of a focus group discussion, would you agree not to publish it but only to publish an amended version they approved?  

It would help to know your discipline - if you want to co-construct knowledge or have  visible impact in a limited timescale, it's probably easier for a social scientist, local historian or public artist than for a physicist (though still not easy or direct!)  How long are you prepared to wait for your research to become effective?

Most people who work in this area think that a first step is getting the community themselves to identify the issues, so your research question and methodology emerge from their view.  This may well be the key to finding research impacts which are not externally imposed, and therefore likely to be effective - but they require you to relinquish much of the agenda setting to others.  Risky and no guarantee of success, but hugely satisfying when it works!

You need a paid individual as a "care taker" of your network project who serves for a group of cross-sectoral stakeholders who will meet regularly to exchange needs and demands for the network. The care taker is responsible to manage the community group of networkers (stakeholders).

Thanks for the answer. Could you give us an example of this? Is there an article or a scientific resource for more information on this?

perhaps we should consider the felt needs of these people from the community when designing a project. questions like, "do they need it? what benefits will this bring them? how will this impact their way of living?." assign the community leaders as point persons. by that, they will have a sense of responsibility on the project and the eagerness to take part in it and make it work.