contextreviews
Contextreviews is a methodological approach for evaluating the influence of contextual factors on outcomes, claims, or decisions. It emphasizes understanding how social, historical, technical, legal, economic, and cultural contexts shape the interpretation, effectiveness, and applicability of a topic under examination. The term is used across disciplines to counteract decontextualized conclusions and to improve the relevance of findings.
Typical contextreviews proceed by defining the scope and boundaries, mapping relevant contextual factors, and collecting data
Applications include research synthesis, product or software evaluation, policy analysis, journalism, and audits of artificial intelligence
Benefits include improved validity and transferability of conclusions, greater transparency about limitations, and enhanced accountability. Challenges
Contextreviews are considered an emerging practice with influences from contextual analysis, qualitative synthesis, and realist-inspired evaluation.