Fig. 1

The research co-production continuum. This diagram shows that the degree to which research can be said to be ‘co-produced’ is a factor of how many research stages are co-produced, the types of stakeholder involved, the scale of their contribution, and ‘adherence’ to the principles and practice of co-production. For example: a university designed and conducted research project in which co-production between individual researchers and practitioners occurs at the ‘define question’ stage only; power imbalances persist at one end of the continuum whereas at the other there is major contribution from all stakeholders in the co-production of all research stages, adhering to the principles and practices of co-production