2026-10-13T12:07:26Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34020582 2026-09-30T07:54:18Z portal_1104 item_type_15 month_year_09_2026

Using Rapid and Scoping Reviews to Generate Actionable Evidence in Research with Hard-to-Reach Populations Joel McGregor (18925645) Ben Lohmeyer (19104344) Loryn Sykes (18919072) No keywords <p dir="ltr">This case study reflects on the use of rapid and scoping reviews to generate actionable evidence in research involving hard-to-reach populations. It draws on an applied research project examining youth mentoring as a support strategy for young people experiencing structural disadvantage (McGregor, Lohmeyer & Hartung, 2023), with the empirical basis for the case coming from two linked journal articles, where rapid and scoping reviews were used not only to synthesise evidence, but to shape research design and inform time-sensitive policy and practice decisions.</p><p dir="ltr">The case focuses on the methodological choices involved in selecting and adapting review approaches under conditions of constraint. These included limited access to participants, ethical sensitivities associated with vulnerable populations, fragmented and interdisciplinary evidence bases, and compressed timelines driven by policy and funding cycles. It examines how search strategies, inclusion criteria, and approaches to synthesis were developed in practice, and how decisions were made about balancing breadth, depth, and rigour.</p><p dir="ltr">Particular attention is given to the challenges of working with grey literature and institutional sources, and to the implications this has for representation, bias, and knowledge production. The case also demonstrates how rapid and scoping reviews can function as an active stage of research, refining research questions, identifying gaps, and guiding subsequent empirical and co-designed work.</p><p dir="ltr">Readers will gain practical insight into how to design and implement review-based methods in applied settings, how to justify methodological trade-offs, and how to use these approaches to produce credible and useful evidence in contexts where traditional research designs may not be feasible.</p> 2026-09-30T07:54:18Z Text Chapter 10.25916/sut.34020582.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/chapter/Using_Rapid_and_Scoping_Reviews_to_Generate_Actionable_Evidence_in_Research_with_Hard-to-Reach_Populations/34020582 CC BY 4.0