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Research activites

There are a variety of ways that you can get involved in research and these are some of the ways that people are getting involved:

  • joining a group or commissioning panel that helps decide what research should be funded
  • helping write patient information leaflets to help recruit people to a study by telling them what they need to know in language they will understand
  • joining an ethics committee whose job it is to make sure that research that is carried out respects the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of the people who take part
  • being part of an advisory group of a research project which helps to develop, support and advise the project
  • reading and commenting on research reports or proposals.  This is often called peer review
  • helping to design a questionnaire and thinking through approaches to gaining good quality information from people in a research study
  • carrying out the research - this might involve interviewing people or talking to people in small groups
  • working with others to help people find out about the findings of the research


In some research organisations and projects you will be working with researchers and other health and social care professionals.  However some research projects are directed and managed by service users and their service user organisation.

Visit the Experiences section to listen to people talking about how they are involved in research.

Page last edited: 25 November 2011