• 1.Preparing a grant application

    What makes an application excellent?

    In this blog by Chair of the NIHR Doctoral Fellowship and RDS London Fellowship information session guest speaker, Professor Gary Frost, he outlines what he thinks makes an excellent application.

    Developing a research question

    This guide will help you to start the process of transforming your idea into a research question.

    Tips for writing your research proposal

    Tips and resources on how to write a research proposal.

    How to form a research team

    Here you'll find guidance on how to source and create a research team.

    How to find funding

    A list of websites that provides information about UK funding for health and social care research.

    How to conduct a systematic review

    This information is about how to conduct a brief, systematic review in support of a primary research grant application.

    Applying for systematic review funding

    Systematic reviews are essential components of the research funded by NIHR and other organisations. This guide provides information about how to apply.

    How to disseminate your research

    Information about how to disseminate your research

    What is health research?

    A free course from the NIHR for those wishing to pursue a career in health research

  • 2.Study design and research methods

    Innovative qualitative methods resources

    A comprehensive list of resources compiled by Jill Russell and Christie Cabral

    Innovative Research Design

    In this RDS blog, Michael Grayling from RDS NENC defines Innovative Designs, when to use them and how the RDS can help.

    Ethics

    Information about ethics and research.

    Health economics

    Information about health economics and how to apply it to your research and grant application.

    Health psychology

    A list of health psychology resources from RDS and others.

    Qualitative research

    Information about how to write a qualitative research proposal.

    Social care

    Information and resources to support your Research for Social Care funding applications.

    Choosing the right study design

    See our list of useful links on study design and types.

  • 3.Clinical trials

    Find a CTU

    UKCRCs UK-wide registered clinical trials unit finder.

    Delivering complex and innovative trials podcast collection

    This podcast series from the NIHR aim to inform, educate and answer the common questions around the management and delivery of complex and innovative design trials.

    Innovative research design - Platform trials: full steam ahead?

    New approaches for designing, conducting and analysing clinical trials are playing an important role in improving their efficiency. Find out more about how Platform Trials are doing this in the RDS blog by James Wason with contributions by RDS London's Directer and Deputy Director.

  • 4.Equality, diversity and inclusion

    NHS England - Increasing diversity in research participation: A good practice guide for engaging with underrepresented groups

    This document provides practical insights for researchers on how to engage more diverse participants in health research.

    NIHR INCLUDE Impaired Capacity to Consent Framework

    The NIHR INCLUDE Impaired Capacity to Consent Framework is a tool for researchers to ensure that their trial is designed to be inclusive of people with impaired capacity to consent, as well as improving the quality of the trial design and funding application.

    Research Design Service EDI toolkit

    This resource has been developed by the to support you to better understand how to embed EDI in your research design and to meet the NIHR’s requirements. The toolkit advocates for best practice which also goes beyond the NIHR's current requirements.

    NIHR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy (2022-2027)

    The EDI strategy 2022-2027 will ensure we deliver on our commitment to EDI through the collaborative implementation of inclusive practice in our research, culture and systems. It will at once enable us to address issues across the entire NIHR people framework, whilst empowering better health outcomes for the national and global community.

    RDS South East - Equality Diversity and Inclusion in research

    In this event video series you can watch talks on: COVID-19 in minority ethnic populations, reframing diversity and inclusion, research involving the LGBTQ community and involving people with disabilities in research.

    Studying trans: recommendations for ethical recruitment and collaboration with transgender participants in academic research

    The transgender population has been subject to a troubled history of ethically and methodologically flawed research practices. Whilst interest and ethical standards have both risen, there remains little specific methodological consideration of research with transgender participants. This article draws on practical experiences of doing research with transgender communities, and insider group status, to construct six categories to consider when working on trans-focused research.

    Conducting research with LGBTQ+ people using online resources

    This student-led training provides advice on engaging with marginalised groups and understanding secondary data on these groups with a specific focus on the LGBTQ+ community.

    Conducting sexualities research: an outline of emergent issues and case studies from ten Wellcome-funded projects: Open letter

    This letter seeks to synthesise methodological issues encountered in a cohort of Wellcome Trust-funded research projects focusing on sexualities and health.

    Researching intersex populations

    How can intersex people be included effectively in research studies and surveys? Clinical research is subject to implicit and explicit assumptions and methodological issues that adversely affect the quality of clinical evidence. The following principles set out Intersex Human Rights Australia's policy and guidance on studying this population.

    Serving the underserved in trials

    In this NIHR blog find out more about how the INCLUDE initiative will help trials better reflect all members of society.

    Centre for BME Health Toolkit

    A toolkit for increasing participation of BAME groups in health and care research.

    NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework

    Improve trial delivery for under-served groups using this framework to help trial teams think carefully about which ethnic groups should be included, so results are widely applicable.

    Being inclusive in public involvement

    What are some of the things to think about to become more inclusive in public involvement in health and care research? How do we develop inclusive research communities? This document is intended to be a helpful series of prompts for researchers and for those whose job it is to support public involvement in research.

    Improving inclusion of under-served groups in clinical research

    In this guidance from the INCLUDE project, you can find information on what an under-served group is, a roadmap suggesting intervention points to improve inclusion, examples of under-served groups, example barriers to inclusion, a suggested framework of questions to guide the deliberations of funders, researchers and delivery teams, and examples of good practice.

  • 5.Impact

    RDS Impact Guide

    This toolkit aims is to ensure that you understand impact and that impact planning, knowledge mobilisation and implementation issues are considered and embedded into your research design and application development process.

    Impact by design: Planning your research impact in 7Cs

    Against the background of societal and institutional demand, and the proliferation of advice and discourse on research impact, the authors of this paper introduce their key set of principles or tools for researchers - “7Cs for Impact”: Context, Communities, Constituencies, Challenge, Channels, Communication and Capture.

    HRA's Communicating study findings to participants.

    This guidance is for researchers, chief investigators, funders, and sponsors who are responsible for sharing findings to participants. All types of research studies should consider communicating study findings to participants.

    Research Impact Canada

    RIC's resources focus on dissemination and capacity building for knowledge mobilisation, providing tools and support that promote best practices and innovative approaches. The resources are freely accessible.

    NIHR plan for impact

    Generating impact from research is highly context dependent, takes time, involves serendipity, and, often, comprises a series of small incremental changes carried out collaboratively. Find out more and access toolkits.

  • 6.Public involvement

    Patient and Public Involvement in Health and Social Care Research: Handbook for researchers

    In this RDS London handbook, we to address some of the common questions and misunderstandings about public involvement that we have come across over the years helping researchers apply for research funding.

    A brief guide to public involvement in funding applications

    An RDS brief guide to public involvement.

    UK Standards for Public Involvement

    The UK Standards for Public Involvement are designed to improve the quality and consistency of public involvement in research.

    Understanding patient and public involvement

    In this video, Charlotte explains the role of patient and public involvement in research and how RDS London can support you.

    Public involvement during a pandemic

    In this national blog, RDS advisers and public contributors address what you need to consider when undertaking PPI during lockdown.

    Guidance on co-producing research

    Co-producing a research project is an approach in which researchers, practitioners and the public work together, sharing power, knowledge generation and responsibility from the start to the end of the project.

    NIHR Learning for involvement

    This new training and resources page for public involvement from the NIHR replaces the INVOLVE website: invo.org.uk

    Patient and public involvement toolkit

    The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals's toolkit gives a step by step guide to help you implement PPI in your research.

    NIHR INVOLVE: briefing notes for researchers

    This publication provides an introduction for researchers who are new to PPI.

    Public involvement pack

    NIHR INVOLVE's pack details how to get actively involved in NHS, public health and social care research.

    Patient Experience Research Centre

    The Patient Experience Research Centre at Imperial College London specialises in participatory approaches to health care and research. They have developed some new PPI resources for researchers to use.

    Writing a lay summary

    Read our tips for writing the lay summary of your research proposal.

    Supporting PPI in paediatric research

    Find insight into the issues of PPI with children and young people.

    Payment for PPI

    Information about payment when involving patients and the public in research.

    National Research Ethics Service report

    A joint ethics study conducted by the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) and NIHR INVOLVE.

    James Lind Alliance: Priority setting partnerships (PDF)

    This paper looks at approaches to setting priorities with patients and the public.

    NIHR Senior Investigators: leaders for public involvement in research

    This report details the work of senior investigators and the different ways they include the public across all stages of the research process.

    Exploring impact: public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research

    This document addresses the difference that public involvement makes to the research process, the impact of involvement on researchers and the public, and gaps in PPI in health and social care research drawing on the use of case study examples to illustrate the advantages and pitfalls.

    What is health research? NIHR free online course

    If you’re interested in taking part in health research or discovering how to get involved in supporting health research, this course will help to answer your questions before you make the decision.

  • 7.Public Health

    Creating a logic model for an intervention: evaluation in health and wellbeing

    This guidance from the Office for health improvement and disparities helps public health practitioners conducting evaluations developing a logic model to represent how your intervention works.

    Logic model templates

    Useful templates for logic models from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  • 8.Research collaboration

    CHAIN network

    The CHAIN network is open to anyone working in health and social care, in the public, voluntary, educational or private sector.

  • 9.Statistics

    Understanding statistics methods (video)

    Sam Norton explains how to use statistics methods in your research application.

    Calculating sample size for a clinical trial

    This guide explains how to calculate sample size for a clinical trial.

    Justify sample size for a feasibility study

    Prof Richard Hooper explains how to justify sample size for a feasibility study.

    Clustered data

    This guide explains what clustered data is, when it occurs and how to deal with it.

  • 10.RDS London case studies

    Supporting the pilot befriending trial in people with intellectual disability

    We supported Dr Afia Ali when she applied for a NIHR Public Health Research Programme

    Encouraging Access for South Asians to Timely Dementia Diagnosis

    We first helped Dr Naaheed Mukadam when she approached us for assistance with her NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship

  • 11.National RDS resources

    RDS resources

    A national Research Design Service collection of resources created by our teams across the country, covering EDI, Public Involvement, Impact, our blogs and more...