Community science projects should be designed to sustain and develop mutual trust between partners by generating evidence that partners do in fact “walk the talk” in working toward shared visions and goals. The trust and relationships cultivated through community science efforts should lay the foundation for long-term partnerships between community members and partnering organizations.

Engaging in community science expands opportunities to do science that leads to tangible and relevant results. It also has potential to expand scientific literacy and self-efficacy as well as conceptions of who can be a scientist. Community partners can gain scientific agency in a particular area through greater research competency and technical understanding, and the application of this knowledge.

Community science can advance scientific research and practices and improve research quality by strengthening external validity and overall rigor by grounding science in real-life contexts. Community science can also improve data quality by increasing participation rates in studies.

Community science incorporates diverse perspectives and grounds research in broader contexts of the social, cultural, and ethical implications of an issue, possible solutions, and courses of action. By considering the moral and ethical implications of research use and impacts on communities—and by engaging community members in identifying the best ways to share findings—community science ensures awareness of potential implications of technological advancements and developments.

Community science can inform and inspire advances in scientific methods, processes, and questions beyond the work of a particular project. Findings and methods can be adapted, tested, and applied in other contexts, and new questions can inspire future research.

Community science supports communities in producing greater capacity for deep engagement across science and societal issues with public agencies, governing bodies, research institutions, and other science and policy-making institutions. Community science collaborations can influence science and policy-making institutions to better consider diverse community partners and democratize approaches and structures.

By centering research in communities, community science can be particularly effective in generating and implementing sustainable solutions that improve community well-being. A community science approach means generating innovative and community-relevant ideas that yield new, sustainable solutions that improve community well-being.