Article
Exploring the use of horizon scanning to identify future research methods: scoping review abstract
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Authors
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Nicole O’Connor
- NIHR Innovation Observatory and Evidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative
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Claire Eastaugh
- NIHR Innovation Observatory and Evidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative
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Jennie Lister
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative; York Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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Catriona McDaid
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative; York Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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Catherine Hewitt
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative; York Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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Dawn Craig
- NIHR Innovation Observatory and Evidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative
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Gill Norman
- NIHR Innovation Observatory and Evidence Synthesis Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Services (RSS) National Collaborative
| Published: | June 6, 2025 |
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Outline
Text
Introduction: Horizon scanning (HS) systematically collects and evaluates information to identify issues that may be important in the future [1]. It could play a role in identifying emerging research methods in health and social care. We conducted a scoping review to explore if and how HS is used to identify research methods across different disciplines.
Methods: We followed JBI methodology to conduct the scoping review. Studies using HS to identify research methods in any discipline, published in English, were eligible. Searches were conducted on June 6, 2024, in Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest. Two reviewers independently screened records at title/abstract and full-text stages. Following a pilot, one reviewer extracted data, with quality checks by a second. Horizon scanning methods were categorised using Hines seven stages, and reporting followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The protocol is registered on OSF: https://osf.io/4xqv6/.
Results: After deduplication, 727 citations were identified, 680 were excluded at the title and abstract stage, 47 full-text articles were assessed, and five met the inclusion criteria at the interim analysis stage and are included in this review [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]. All five were peer-reviewed articles using HS to identify research methods in environmental, ecological, and earth science disciplines. All articles included the signal and detection stage of HS, but only one clearly reported filtration and prioritisation methods, and none covered dissemination, updating, or evaluation. Reported HS approaches used to detect emerging or required methods included a literature review, survey, interview, and bibliometric analysis. Identified research methods included digitisation, computational techniques, genomics, next-generation sequencing, and statistical methods to facilitate dataset comparability. Only two authors cited supporting references to support their HS methods, and none incorporated public involvement in their studies.
Discussion: Horizon scanning encompasses wide-ranging methods and is commonly used to identify broad areas of priority and knowledge gaps. The use of HS to identify either emerging research methods or a need for novel research methods has the potential to facilitate interdisciplinary learning across adjacent fields and to allow researchers to prepare for and rapidly adopt the most promising research methods. However, our findings suggest that the use of horizon scanning to identify research methods is underexplored, and recommendations for conducting HS in this area are lacking or poorly cited.
Funding statement: This paper is an output from work undertaken as part of the NIHR RSS National Collaborative. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
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