FACTOR: a framework for formulating systematic review questions in economics and the social sciences, adapted from PICOC and CIMO

Abstract

FACTOR is a framework for formulating systematic review questions in economics and the social sciences. It adapts PICOC and the CIMO logic of Denyer, Tranfield and van Aken (2008) to observational evidence, with six components: Focal phenomenon, Agents, Context, Theory and mechanism, Observables, and Rigor of the design. The document defines each component, shows how the components become a search equation for Scopus and Web of Science, gives two examples (financial inclusion and school closures), and includes an appendix with a complete review protocol template. Status: working document, version 0.1, not peer reviewed. FACTOR has not been validated empirically; a validation study is in preparation and will be preregistered before any data are collected. Files: the English version is the reference text. A Spanish translation is included as a second file (Spanish title: FACTOR: un marco para formular preguntas de revisión sistemática en economía y ciencias sociales, adaptado de PICOC y CIMO); in case of doubt the English version prevails. The code of the review tool that implements the framework is deposited separately with restricted access (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23106613).