The importance of a strong evidence-base is widely recognised in contemporary health, social care and education practice, meaning that there is a real need for research which can be quickly and easily translated into real world situations.

Research co-produced by practitioners and academics from early stages to end results can draw on each party’s knowledge and experience, in order to create high quality evidence that is relevant and appropriate to practice needs. This guide introduces the basics of co-producing research, looking at the evidence for co-produced research and outlining its theoretical underpinnings, as well as discussing barriers and facilitators to consider. It includes a practitioner perspective and an academic perspective on the benefits and challenges of co-produced research. The substantive chapters are each co-written by an academic and practitioner team and give examples of work carried out – and lessons learned – in public health, education and criminal justice settings. Key learning points are included throughout and drawn together to comprise a toolkit at the end of the book.

This book teaches academics and practitioners more about how they can find practical evidence-based answers to complex questions.

Dorothy Newbury-Birch is Professor of Alcohol and Public Health Research at the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law at Teesside University where she leads a team of researchers and postgraduate students.

Keith Allan is a Consultant in Public Health. He has a Master's in Public Health Research, University of Edinburgh, and a PhD in Child Health, University of Aberdeen.