Search frameworks use mnemonics to help you focus your research question further. They will also guide you in developing search concepts and terms.
CIMO is a search framework commonly used in the management and policy questions. An example question might be, ““What is the extent, range, and nature of the published peer-reviewed literature on the implementation and outcomes of source water protection programs involving Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States."?” The CIMO framework would look like this:
Context
Which individuals, relationships, institutional settings, or wider systems are being studied?
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Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States
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Intervention
The effects of what event, action, or activity are being studied?
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Implementation and outcomes of source water protection programs
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Mechanisms
What are the mechanisms that explain the relationship between interventions and outcomes? Under what circumstances are these mechanisms activated or not activated?
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No Indigenous involvement (status quo)
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Outcomes
What are the effects of the intervention? How will the outcomes be measured? What are the intended and unintended effects?
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Degree of inclusion of Indigenous people on implementation
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You could also adapt this framework to CIMOT (which adds Time) or CIMOS (which adds Study design).
Other frameworks may be helpful, depending on your question and your field of interest:
For qualitative questions you could use
- SPIDER: Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type
For questions about causes or risk,
- PEO: Population, Exposure, Outcomes
For evaluations of interventions or policies,
- SPICE: Setting, Population or Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation or
- ECLIPSE: Expectation, Client group, Location, Impact, Professionals, SErvice
See the University of Notre Dame Australia’s examples of some of these frameworks.
TIP: If you use all the elements of your search framework to combine terms, you may find you have narrowed the search too much and will struggle to find relevant studies. Try using only the most critical elements from the mnemonic. For example, in a CIMO search, you would often exclude the O (outcome) terms in your search strategy. If the M (mechanism) is the status quo, you wouldn't use those terms either. |