Briefing notes for researchers
Structured notes on involving members of the public, with practical prompts, examples and useful supporting documents.
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Resource centre
Practical resources for meaningful public involvement
Explore clear guidance for planning, supporting and learning from public involvement in health, public health and social care research.
Find what you need
A library built around real research decisions
Whether you are new to involvement or refining an established approach, these resources offer structured starting points, examples and useful questions.
Use the guides to clarify purpose, prepare accessible information, recognise contributions and document how public perspectives influenced your work.
Search and browse
Start with a subject or library
Use a keyword to focus your reading, or select a library for a more targeted route through the resource centre.
Core guidance
Plan, support and communicate
Practical material for teams and contributors at different stages of a project.
Recognition and support
Considerations for recognising time, skills and expertise, alongside practical support for involvement.
Read the guidance →Developing training and support
Advice for planning learning opportunities that help people participate with confidence and clarity.
Develop training support →Plain English summaries
Guidance on explaining research questions, methods and relevance in language that readers can understand.
Write a clearer summary →Jargon buster
Find plain explanations for commonly used terms in health and care research.
Browse key terms →Find out more
An accessible introduction for people who want to understand roles, opportunities and the purpose of involvement.
How to get involved →Reference libraries
View all librariesExplore evidence, practice and examples
Examples
Examples that help teams consider different approaches and contexts.
Find out more →Use the material well
A simple way to work through the resources
Adapt the detail to your research question, contributors and the decisions that remain open.
Be clear about the purpose
Identify what public insight can influence and select the guidance that fits that stage of the work.
Make information accessible
Use plain language, allow time for discussion and consider what support contributors may need.
Keep track of influence
Document questions raised, decisions made and any reasons an idea could not be adopted.
Close the feedback loop
Explain what happened next and use learning to improve future involvement activity.
Questions about resources
Using the resource centre
Where should a new research team begin?
Begin with the briefing notes for researchers. They offer a structured overview of planning involvement and identifying meaningful opportunities for influence.
Is there guidance for people who are new to involvement?
Yes. The find out more section introduces public involvement, explains the difference from study participation and outlines common roles.
How can we make study information easier to understand?
Use the plain English summaries guidance alongside the jargon buster to reduce unnecessary technical language.
Where can we find examples of involvement in practice?
The library of examples and library of research projects provide useful routes for comparison and learning.
Can these resources support training?
Yes. Visit developing training and support for material that can inform learning plans for researchers and public contributors.
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.