TY - JOUR AU - Stevens-Uninsky, Maya AU - Barkhad, Aisha AU - MacDonald, Tonya AU - Perez, Alexander AU - Mbuagbaw, Lawrence PY - 2023 DA - 2023/4/14 TI - Decolonization in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Methods: Protocol for a Scoping Review JO - JMIR Res Protoc SP - e45771 VL - 12 KW - sexual and reproductive health KW - decolonized research KW - decolonized methodologies KW - community-centered research KW - indigenous research KW - scoping review KW - electronic database KW - colonialism KW - decolonization KW - indigenous peoples KW - decolonizing methodologies KW - decolonizing method KW - human sexuality, reproduction KW - reproductive health KW - Aboriginal AB - Background: As researchers and implementors begin to acknowledge the repercussions of institutionalized colonialism on community and individual health, the need to decolonize research has become clear. Despite this, there is neither a singular definition of decolonizing methodologies nor an overview of the shared principles and characteristics of decolonized research needed to codify this work as common practice in global health. Objective: The review will identify papers that reference principles of decolonization and identify shared characteristics between them. The aim of this scoping review is to review decolonized research methodologies through the lens of sexual health as a step in creating a shared understanding of best practices. We will further examine the tools and methods used to collect and analyze data within the included studies. Methods: The protocol for this scoping review was developed using the framework from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). The search strategy will comprise a search of electronic databases (JSTOR, Embase, EMCare, MEDLINE [Ovid], Global Health Database, Web of Science), gray literature sources, and key studies. Titles and abstracts will be reviewed by 2 or more independent reviewers against inclusion criteria. Bibliometric details, study design, methodology, community involvement, and other indicators will be collected using a data extraction tool developed for this review. Extracted data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of content and themes to identify common practices in decolonized methodologies within sexual health. Narrative summaries will be used to describe results in relation to the research question, and identified gaps will be discussed. Results: The initial title or abstract review of 4967 studies identified by the search strategy was completed in November 2022. In total, 1777 studies met initial inclusion criteria and were sent to a second round of title or abstract review, which was completed in January 2023. In total, 706 studies were downloaded for full-text inclusion, which is expected to be completed by April 2023. We aim to complete data extraction and analysis by May 2023 and expect to publish the findings by the end of July 2023. Conclusions: There remains a gap in the research on the meaning and application of decolonized research strategies, particularly within sexual and reproductive health. The findings of this study will contribute to a shared definition of decolonized methodologies and how they can be applied as a common practice in global health research. Applications include the development of decolonized frameworks, theoretical discourses, and methodologies. The study will inform the design and implementation of future decolonized research and evaluation strategies, particularly around sexual and reproductive health. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/45771 SN - 1929-0748 UR - https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e45771 UR - https://doi.org/10.2196/45771 UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37058333 DO - 10.2196/45771 ID - info:doi/10.2196/45771 ER -