Briefing notes for researchers

These briefing notes are for researchers new to public involvement in research and just starting to consider how best to involve members of the public in their work. They will also be of interest to researchers with experience of public involvement in research who are looking to update and ‘refresh’ their knowledge and skills and helpful to others interested in public involvement in research.
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INVOLVE defines public involvement in research as research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. [read more]

As well as the practical benefits of helping to ensure research quality and relevance, the underlying reasons for involving members of the public in research are also informed by broader democratic principles of citizenship, accountability and transparency. [read more]

Members of the public get involved in research for a variety of personal and social reasons. For some, these are linked to personal experiences of health or social care services and a desire to bring about change in the quality of care or to improve treatments either for themselves or for others with a similar condition.
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How to:
• involve people as early as possible
• be clear with the people you want to involve
• be accessible
• resource public involvement in research
• offer training and support
• clarify organisational responsibilities
• document and record public involvement in your research
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Who should I involve?
In deciding who best to involve it is important to think about the knowledge and perspective that you are looking for from members of the public, and what support you are able to give to people who you plan to involve.

Even if your research is about informing practitioners about approaches to practice, the end user of the research will be the person receiving the practice. [read more]

In the past we have used the terms consultation, collaboration and user controlled to describe different levels of involving people in research. Over time it has become clear that, in practice, research projects can include a combination of these three and also that the boundaries between them are not clear cut. It is therefore more helpful to describe them as approaches rather than levels. [read more]

Members of the public are getting involved in a whole range of research activities. This briefing note considers the different ways members of the public can get involved in the stages of the research cycle and a section on things you need to think about if you are organising a meeting. [read more]

In these briefing notes we have provided information to help you think through how best to involve people in your research. However, there will occasionally be times when things go wrong. [read more]

Information on organisations and resources for further information on public involvement in research
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