Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the benefits of using methodological frameworks are increasingly recognised, to date, there is no formal definition of what constitutes a ‘methodological framework’, nor is there any published guidance on how to develop one. For the purposes of this study we have defined a methodological framework as a structured guide to completing a process or procedure. This study’s aims are to: (a) map the existing landscape on the use of methodological frameworks; (b) identify approaches used for the development of methodological frameworks and terminology used; and (c) provide suggestions for developing future methodological frameworks. We took a broad view and did not limit our study to methodological frameworks in research and academia.MethodsA scoping review was conducted, drawing on Arksey and O’Malley’s methods and more recent guidance. We systematically searched two major electronic databases (MEDLINE and Web of Science), as well as grey literature sources and the reference lists and citations of all relevant papers. Study characteristics and approaches used for development of methodological frameworks were extracted from included studies. Descriptive analysis was conducted.ResultsWe included a total of 30 studies, representing a wide range of subject areas. The most commonly reported approach for developing a methodological framework was ‘Based on existing methods and guidelines’ (66.7%), followed by ‘Refined and validated’ (33.3%), ‘Experience and expertise’ (30.0%), ‘Literature review’ (26.7%), ‘Data synthesis and amalgamation’ (23.3%), ‘Data extraction’ (10.0%), ‘Iteratively developed’ (6.7%) and ‘Lab work results’ (3.3%). There was no consistent use of terminology; diverse terms for methodological framework were used across and, interchangeably, within studies.ConclusionsAlthough no formal guidance exists on how to develop a methodological framework, this scoping review found an overall consensus in approaches used, which can be broadly divided into three phases: (a) identifying data to inform the methodological framework; (b) developing the methodological framework; and (c) validating, testing and refining the methodological framework. Based on these phases, we provide suggestions to facilitate the development of future methodological frameworks.
Highlights
The benefits of using methodological frameworks are increasingly recognised, to date, there is no formal definition of what constitutes a ‘methodological framework’, nor is there any published guidance on how to develop one
The primary research question posed in this review is ‘what approaches are used in developing a methodological framework and is there consistency in those approaches to enable making suggestions for developing methodological frameworks?’ The secondary research question is ‘what terminology is used for naming methodological frameworks?’
One study contained two relevant keywords [5]. 4/30 studies had no keywords at all Approaches used for the development of methodological frameworks We identified eight different approaches used for developing methodological frameworks (Table 2), these are summarised by study in Additional File 4
Summary
The benefits of using methodological frameworks are increasingly recognised, to date, there is no formal definition of what constitutes a ‘methodological framework’, nor is there any published guidance on how to develop one. For the purposes of this study we have defined a methodological framework as a structured guide to completing a process or procedure. There is, unspoken agreement that a methodological framework provides structured practical guidance or a tool to guide the user through a process, using stages or a step-by-step approach [1,2,3,4,5]. We sought to address this gap, by 1) systematically scoping the literature on methodological frameworks, charting and summarising approaches employed, and using these summarised approaches to make suggestions for developing future methodological frameworks, 2) identify terminology used in the literature in order to inform future research. Rather than limiting our search to methodological frameworks related to academic research as Rivera et al did, we opted to be more inclusive so we could understand the rationale and approaches for the development of methodological frameworks in the wider arena
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