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Public involvement positively shapes research. By sharing their time and personal experiences with researchers, members of the public can influence what research takes place, how it’s carried out, and how the results are shared.

As public involvement in the design, conduct and dissemination of health research has become an expected norm and firmly enshrined in policy, interest in measuring its impact has also grown. Despite a drive to assess the impact of public involvement, and a growing body of studies attempting to do just this, a number of questions have been largely ignored.

Public involvement in research has evolved over the last two decades in a culture dominated by the principles of evidence-based medicine.

The impacts of involvement in research are often described in terms of the difference made to the research, the people involved and less frequently the researchers.