Supporting participatory PhDs: a call to action

There has been sustained and growing interest in public policy, professional practice, and research, in what has come to be called patient and public, or service user, involvement. Requirements for such involvement are now embedded within health and care legislation, professional education, and training, and the expectations of many research funders and commissioners. There has also been an increasing interest in public involvement in research, learning, and specifically in the undertaking and assessment of PhDs. However, provisions and requirements for PhDs have not caught up with these developments, despite them being offered as providing advanced research training. Consequently, obstacles to fulfilling such involvement are present in existing arrangements concerning the authorship, regulations, funding, and assessment of PhDs, which seek to be participatory and collaborative. This article reports on this issue and the emergence of an international Participatory PhD Network to support this developing field as a result, and the ways forward it suggests. Our paper aims to support the empowerment of people undertaking participatory research, inspire those who may like to approach their PhD through participatory methodologies, advocate for innovative methods of collaboration, and provide evidence for updating PhD processes and procedures in line with increasing participation. Within the paper, we explore both the possibilities and constraints of participatory PhD research. The Participatory PhD Network aims to instil inspiration and confidence in members of institutions, researchers, research participants and others involved, offering support and validation for PhD students preparing for their study design through to examination and subsequent research.