Table 1.

Operational terms and definitions

Term	Definition
Integrated knowledge translation	‘A model of collaborative research, where researchers work with knowledge users who identify a problem and have the authority to implement the research recommendations.’ (Kothari et al,3 p299) Research activities include but are not limited to establishing the research questions, deciding on the methodology and methods, recruiting and/or collecting the data, interpreting the results and disseminating the findings.40
Research partnerships	‘Individuals, groups, or organizations engaged in collaborative research activity involving at least one researcher (eg, individual affiliated with an academic institution) and any stakeholder actively engaged in any part of the research process (eg, decision or policy-maker, health care administrator or leader, community agency, charities, network, patients, lived experience advisor, etc.).’41 Examples of research partnership approaches include, but are not limited to, IKT, engaged scholarship, Mode 2 research, co-production and participatory research.42 We will include patient engagement research, if the study describes the patients as active partners and/or knowledge users in the study. We will exclude studies that describe community-based interventions (not associated with the health system), practice-based quality improvement initiatives or interorganisational networks or quality improvement collaboratives that seek to disseminate knowledge or improve service delivery and outcomes but do not undertake research.
Approaches	The IKT and research partnership activities that comprise or promote collaboration in the research process. We will refer to these as ‘approaches’; however, given the lack of universally accepted taxonomy, these may also be referred to in the literature as strategies, mechanisms, methods, activities or processes. Knowledge users could take part in one or more of these research functions. All studies included in the review will explicitly describe the IKT approaches.
Barrier	‘A circumstance or obstacle that keeps people or things apart or prevents communication or progress.’43
Facilitator	‘Someone or something that facilitates (to make easier).’44