1. What is a Public Contributor?

   A Public contributor is a member of the general public who helps out with research and engagement projects.

2. Why do you need help from the public?

   The support we receive for our projects is primarily from public funds, and the work we do is meant to benefit and inform the public, so it makes sense that you should be involved at every stage. This also helps us to make sure the work we do is useful, understandable and interesting.

3. Who can help?

   Anyone! Really. If you are interested in the work we are doing and want to help, please get in touch.

4. How much time will it take?

   As much or as little time as you like (see FAQ 5).

5. What do you need me to do?

   We have a number of different activities and opportunities available for our public contributors. Each activity will take a different amount of time and commitment. Opportunities range from helping us write study information sheets, to getting the word out about our findings, to volunteering at engagement events. We also sometimes need people to test out our research protocols (and patterns!) before we start research with real participants. Please get in touch to find out what we have going on at the moment, or let us know if you have any great new ideas.

6. What’s in it for me?

   Whilst we hope being involved in our project is interesting, we understand you are giving up your time to help us. We say thank you for your contributions in a number of different ways, and this varies depending on what you are involved in. For specific activity information please get in touch. 

• For face-to-face activities, we will provide refreshments. We can usually also reimburse you for your travel expenses.
• If you are attending an event as a participant, we will usually have a gift bag or something similar for you to take away.
• For activities that require you to do a craft activity, we will provide the supplies and some patterns.
• For activities related to more in-depth involvement in our research programmes we can usually offer an ‘Honorarium Payment’. This is a form of recognition we offer for contributions made to each activity, and not an hourly rate. This does not mean that you will have a contract of employment with us or a university.

Use our expression of interest form to let us know you want to get involved!

Read a bit more about how you can help here, in Emma’s Blog.