International working
Explore learning shared across settings and the questions that arise when involvement practices travel.
Explore international work →Current work
Learning from involvement, and putting it into practice
Explore areas of ongoing work that help make public involvement more inclusive, purposeful and visible across health, public health and social care research.
Our focus
Work that supports better research relationships
Public involvement is strengthened when people can contribute early, understand what is open to influence and receive clear feedback about decisions.
The areas collected here build on practical questions raised by communities, researchers and organisations. They cover inclusive involvement, learning and support, shared decision-making, standards and connections between local and wider networks.
Areas of work
Topics to explore in more depth
Choose an area that fits the stage, people and decisions involved in your work.
From reflection to practical action
01 / Listen
Start with experience
Make space for people affected by the subject to identify priorities, assumptions and access needs.
02 / Plan
Clarify influence
Set out what can be shaped, who will decide and how contributions will be considered.
03 / Support
Build confidence
Provide clear information, accessible formats and opportunities to ask questions throughout the work.
04 / Learn
Share what changed
Record decisions, explain outcomes and use learning to improve the next stage of involvement.
How to use these pages
Follow a practical route through a topic
The detail will differ by project, but these questions can keep public involvement connected to real decisions.
Choose a focus
Identify the part of your work that would benefit from public insight or a closer look at current practice.
Read the context
Use the topic pages to understand key considerations, language and existing resources.
Discuss together
Bring the questions into conversations with contributors, teams and partners in a suitable format.
Record learning
Note what changes, what remains unresolved and what needs to be revisited as work progresses.
Related material
View resourcesContinue your research involvement learning
Involving children and young people
Guidance for planning age-appropriate, supported and meaningful opportunities to contribute to research.
Find out more →Practical tools for teams
Find briefing notes, learning material and plain-English guidance in the resource centre.
Common questions
Current work FAQ
Who are these pages for?
They are for members of the public, researchers and organisations who want to understand or improve public involvement in research.
Are these areas only relevant at the start of a project?
No. They can be useful when setting priorities, developing a study, reviewing progress, sharing findings or planning future work.
How do standards support public involvement?
Standards offer prompts for reflecting on what good involvement looks like in context. They can support discussion, planning and learning rather than act as a simple checklist.
What does co-production mean here?
Co-production describes working together in ways that take shared influence, relationships and decision-making seriously. The practical approach needs to fit the purpose and people involved.
Where can I find introductory information?
Visit Find out more for an introduction, or use the resource centre to explore practical material.
Need a starting point?
Email InvolvestoryTell us what you are trying to understand
Send a concise description of your question and the stage your work has reached. Involvestory will help you identify relevant material on this site.