Find Support & Resources

Find support for your participatory research work from the Library, University, and or beyond. This includes core Library resources and services, and the University wide Participatory Research Network.

A photograph of the Main Library, with the Library sign to the left and the front entrance to the right.

The Library

The Library is more than just books: it is home to a variety of resources that can offer valuable contributions to your participatory research projects. We are working alongside our various institutional partners to continuously improve the Library's ability to facilitate participatory research. With the support of our PIPs and colleagues across the institution, we hope to develop further tailored support in the future, and to ensure that our core resources match the needs of community involvement in research.

We also host events and activities alongside our Partners in Participation and the Participatory Research Network. 

Learn more about our events and activities here

Collections and Participatory Research

The Library's Heritage Collections include over 70,000 items. These range from audio recordings of folk-tales in the Scottish Studies Archives, contemporary artworks from key figures such as Alberta Whittle in the ever-growing art collection, medical records in the Lothian Health Service Archives, early printed rare books, and a vast archive of historical materials.

Collections of this kind are an invaluable resource in research generally, but can be a really powerful tool in participatory methods. They can be used as a:

  1. A means of encouraging participation
  2. Basis for engagement activities
  3. Prompt for discussion, or tool 
  4. Focal point for research resting on the themes of the materials (historical, artistic, 

For those unfamiliar with archival and heritage materials, this may seem very abstract! You may be excited by the possibility, but unsure of how to introduce them into your research. How could they inform a citizen science project in physics? Why would a medical study need these?

Do not hesitate to reach out and ask - or, even better, join us at one of our discovery sessions to get more direct contact with the materials, and to explore their possibilities alongside us. 

Using Collections

Due to the vulnerable nature of the Heritage Collections, they will need to be viewed on site at one of our locations (New College, Scottish Studies Archives, St. Cecilia's Hall, or The Centre for Research Collections). Remote access is available for online activities.

Both group activities and individual access (online or through the reading rooms) can be organised for you and your participants. 

To learn more about how to access the collections and the practical aspects of incorporating research and engagement work, visit the Heritage Collections website or reach out to a member of their welcoming team to learn more.


uCreate Banner Image

uCreate is The University of Edinburgh's free community makerspace, loans and multimedia service. They are open to all students, staff and alumni of the University, and offer tailored advice and guidance on all their tech to help you make (nearly) anything! Materials range from a mixture of on-site resources and loanble tech, including:

  • High Resolution Book/Image Scanners
  • 3D Scanners
  • VR Headsets
  • Electronics workbench and materials
  • Laser cutters
  • 3D Printing
  • Poster Printing
  • Green screen & video recording

Many participatory research projects have used the resources to enhance their projects. Uses may include:

  • Printing materials for participants, such as pollution monitors for use in crowdsourced mapping exercises
  • Co-designing 3D gallery exhibitions of participant artworks, viewable using the headsets
  • Utilising the LIDAR scanners for sensory mapping with participant collaborators

The main "hub" for uCreate can be found on the first floor of the Main Library, but there are additional sites in the Future's Institute Building and Nucleus Hub (Kings Buildings).

Please note that due to health and safety reasons, external users (including participants in research projects) cannot use on-site resources, such as the 3D printers, directly. If you have any questions regarding who can and cannot use the resources, reach out to the ucreate team - they will be happy to discuss your project with you! 


The Library sits at the heart of the University. We interact with thousands of students, staff, and external visitors on a daily basis. The Main Library has one of the highest footfalls in Scotland. If you are seeking a way to raise the profile of your project, recruit participants, or advertise associated engagement events, then there may be opportunities here.

You might consider:

  • Having a display stand or booth in the Main Library lobby
  • Showcase your outputs on the Mezannine floor as a small exhibition or utilising the digital wall
  • Collaborate with us directly on an event or engagement activity associated with your project

Edinburgh Diamond is the University's Diamond publishing platform. This means that all hosted materials are free to access to anyone, without any paywalls or financial barriers to access. Equally, it does not cost to use Diamond's services. Any member of the University, staff or student, can apply to set up a journal or to publish on the books platform. Materials hosted on Diamond are no different to those hosted on any other publishing platform. They are assigned a DOI and will be stored and accessible indefinitely.

The Open Access nature of the platform makes it especially well suited for participatory research outputs. Materials published in this way will be readily available and sustainably stored for access by:

  • Participant groups
  • Third-sector organisations
  • Policymakers

Which can serve to maximise the impact and engagement of your research outputs. In addition, the openness and transparency of the platform can also streamline co-authorship, allowing manuscripts to be published alongside participants - as long as the corresponding author is a member of staff or student at the University. 


Publishing your outputs Open Access will ensure that your research is available to the widest possible audience, including your participants. Increasingly research funders are requiring outputs to be published in Open Access journals, but this can be intimidating .

The Scholarly Communications team in the Library can help you to navigate this space. Visit their website to find guidance and modes of support for publishing your research open access.


Participatory Research can often lead to unique challenges relating to the control and management of data, often involving difficult questions like:

  • How do I share ownership or ensure access for my collaborators?
  • How can I produce a Data Management Plan that is sufficiently flexible to allow my project to evolve while remaining ethical and FAIR? 
  • How do I migrate my data securely from my citizen science app or platform to a secure data storage location? 

Research Data Services provide a suite of tools and support to help staff and students throughout the entirety of the research cycle - from the planning stages, to longer-term data storage. 

The research data services team can help you to:

  • Ensure that your data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) - an essential aspect of Open Research, and a key part of best practice within Participatory Research
  • Develop data management plans that fit with
  • Help you to create guidance for your participants, so they understand the basic principles of research data needed in order to work with your project.
  •  Manage and store your data securely and ethically, and to navigate the access needs of participatory research

The team can also help to ensure that you are working in line with both institutional and funder expectations with regards data management. 


Participatory Research as a methodology falls under the banner of Open Research, referenced by both the UNESCO and LERU Models (referred to as "citizen Science"):

  • Learn about the UNESCO Principles of Open Science
  • Learn about the LERU Pillars of Open Research

Our Open Research team is working to make research more open across the institution. The team supports regular trainings and events, runs the annual Open Research Conference, manages the Open Research Roadmap, and works closely with key areas to foster an Open Research Culture. 


The roof of Old College facing east from the quad, with the dome in the centre.

University Resources

The University has a number of resources beyond the library that can help you in your participatory research work. Many can be found at your local college or school/departmental level, others are institution wide. 

The Participatory Research Network is University wide and open to all staff and students with an interest or active practice in participatory research. 


In CMVM, Public Engagement with Research is considered a pathway to impact and is embedded the CMVM Impact Strategy 2023-2028. The SharePoint offers guidance and support for all staff and students to carry out Public Engagement with Research as an integral part of their roles. ​​​​​ 


The Participatory Research Resource Library collects together a range of useful resources for researchers working at the University of Edinburgh. From ethics guidance to facilitation models. Collaboratively managed by the PR-Network and Library teams, the resource is always keen to expand it's curated content to include a wider variety of materials and approaches. If you have something you think would be of value, please feel free to submit the content via the Microsoft form:

Submit additional resources


Participatory methods are often a solid starting point for creating impact, but do not by their nature entail a positive and impactful outcome. Edinburgh Research Office has collated resources to help you to produce a meaningful impact for your research in the areas of the Public, Policy, Practice and Industry.  The pages include guidance and support for securing funding, alongside training materials to help you maximise your impact. 


Participatory Research can come with an array of difficult challenges that can make going through the ethics review process difficult. Your first point of contact should be your school or department's local ethics committee. Schools and departments typically have their own guidance and procedures tailored to the research taking place at a local level. Your college Ethics pages have links to these resources.


Edinburgh Local works closely with the communities surrounding the University and manages the "Community Plan", 32 practical commitments the University of Edinburgh is making to our local communities. Visit their pages to find out more about how the University is already working with the city and how these efforts might align with the goals of your project.


A photograph of the words “Get Wisdom”, a detail from the ceiling of McEwan Hall

External Resources

There are many sources of support outside the University for undertaking all forms of participatory practices. Many of these can be found listed in the Resource Library. Below we have identified some of the larger hubs of activity to help you find your way. These include:

  • Training opportunities and events
  • Communities and networks
  • Workflows, plans, guides and models
  • Forums and spaces to ask questions

 

The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) is a membership organisation set up in 2014. Our main goals are to increase the democratisation of science, encourage the growth of citizen science in Europe, and support the participation of the general public in research processes ⎯ across the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts.


The Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) is a member-driven organization that connects people from a wide range of experiences around one shared purpose: advancing knowledge through research and monitoring done by, for, and with members of the public. 


EU-Citizen.Science is an online platform for sharing knowledge, tools, training and resources for citizen science – by the community, for the community.

The platform includes:

  • Projects that are engaging the public in research via citizen science activities
  • Resources that are useful for citizen science practitioners
  • Training resources and materials on citizen science as a practice
  • Training modules on citizen science in a wide range of themes
  • Organisations that are involved in citizen science projects and research
  • Events calendar
  • A blog
  • Forum for questions, conversations, and collaboration with the rest of the community 

The co-production collective are a community where everyone is welcome. Together we learn, connect, and champion co-production for lasting change. In addition to events and opportunities for connections, their site includes training and guidance materials relating to co-production. 


Involve's mission is to make public participation and deliberation an everyday part of our democracy, and help solve the big challenges of our time. Involve works with governments, parliaments, civil society, academics and members of the public to create, advocate for and deliver new forms of public participation that re-vitalise democracy, improve decision-making, and enable people to shape the decisions that affect their lives.

Their web-resources include a number of guides and models for use in participatory activities. 


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