A scoping review provided a framework for new ways of doing research through mobilizing collective intelligence

New forms of research involving collective intelligence (CI) of diverse individuals mobilized through crowdsourcing is successfully emerging in various fields. This scoping review aimed to describe these methods across different fields and propose a framework for implementation.

We searched seven electronic databases for reports describing projects that had mobilized CI with crowdsourcing. We used content analysis to develop themes and categories of the methods.

We identified 145 reports. CI was mobilized to generate ideas, conduct evaluations, solve problems, and create intellectual outputs. Most projects (n = 110, 76%) were open to the public without restrictions on participants' expertise. Participants contributed to projects by independent contribution (i.e., no interaction with other participants) (n = 50, 34%), collaboration (n = 41, 28%), competitions (n = 33, 23%), and playing games (n = 16, 11%). In total, 61% of articles (n = 89) reported methods to evaluate participants' contribution and decision-making process: 43% used an independent panel of experts and 18% involved end users. We identified challenges in implementation and sustainability of CI and proposed solutions.

New research methods based on CI through crowdsourcing could transform clinical research. This framework facilitates the implementation of these methods.