Citizen involvement in scientific activities and extension of knowledge to society

High-quality health research must involve the citizen, bringing merit, relevance, and value to research and ensuring the transfer of new knowledge or outputs to the community. This theoretical study aimed to conceptualize and discuss the role of Citizen Involvement and Extension to Society in research processes and outcomes, revealing that both concepts have different purposes. Research units and research funding agencies are promoting Citizen Involvement in all steps of the research process because it adds quality to it. Moreover, universities, research units, and researchers should extend their knowledge to society, the citizens, or the end-users as part of their social responsibility. Citizen Involvement and Extension to Society should be considered strategic areas for the development of research in general and nursing research in particular. More studies are needed to generate new knowledge and useful products to better serve the real needs of society.