A peer researcher shares a relevant experience, identity or connection with the people involved in a study.
That connection might involve caring for someone, using a health service or living with a particular condition. With appropriate training and support, peer researchers can help design studies, hold interviews, explore findings and share learning.
Shared experience can offer a useful starting point for conversation. A peer researcher may recognise an overlooked concern or notice that a question uses language people would rarely use themselves.
It can also create opportunities for participants to challenge assumptions and explain what makes their experience different.
However, shared experience does not automatically create trust or mean that two people see the world in the same way. Curiosity remains essential.
Peer researchers need clear roles, fair recognition, appropriate payment and opportunities to reflect on their work.
Their contribution is strongest when they have meaningful influence and support to use their knowledge—not simply a place on the project’s publicity.
