How, why, for whom, and in what contexts organisational and team dynamics shape, and are shaped by, service user researchers in higher education mental health research centres: a realist review protocol.

backgroundService user researchers (SURs) are increasingly recognised as integral contributors within academic mental health research centres. However, the ways in which these roles are integrated and supported vary widely across academic contexts and are strongly shaped by organisational structures, team cultures and role clarity. While some SURs can contribute meaningfully and thrive, others experience challenges such as emotional labour and limited structural support. There remains a lack of theory-driven understanding of how organisational and team dynamics shape, and are shaped by, the SUR experiences and contributions. This protocol outlines the methods and approach for an ongoing realist review exploring how, why, for whom, and in what contexts organisational and team dynamics within academic contexts shape, and are shaped by, the experiences and contributions of SURs.

methodsRealist approaches aim to identify the underlying mechanisms that produce outcomes for different groups in different contexts. This approach is well suited to examining the complex and context-sensitive dynamics of SURs roles within academic mental health research teams. This realist review is organised into five phases. The first phase, now completed, involved defining the scope of the review and developing initial programme theories through consultation with key stakeholders. Subsequent phases will include systematic searching of academic and grey literature, quality appraisal, data extraction, realist analysis and synthesis, conducted iteratively with ongoing stakeholder engagement. DISCUSSION: By making explicit the mechanisms and contextual conditions underpinning SUR roles and organisational and team dynamics, this realist review aims to generate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen organisational and team dynamics in academic contexts. Identifying how specific organisational practices and cultural norms shape and are shaped by SUR experiences and contributions will inform how these roles can be more effectively designed and embedded across diverse academic contexts. Findings from this review will inform a subsequent phase of realist interviews with key informants, supporting further iterative theory refinement. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD420261296394.