Elicitation as challenge in social research: evolution, frontiers and perspective

This article provides a critical review of the practice of elicitation in contemporary qualitative research, focusing on its methodological and epistemological implications. The study is based on a systematic literature review conducted according to the PRISMA protocol and supplemented by a multilevel analytical design combining qualitative content analysis with topic modelling techniques based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation, lexical correspondence analysis and cluster analysis. In this way, the study traces the evolution of elicitation techniques, ranging from traditional verbal and visual stimuli to the most recent digital and algorithmic tools. The fundamental role that these techniques play in the co-construction of knowledge is highlighted, emphasising how they contribute to redefining the traditional hierarchies between researcher and participant. The analysis identifies recurring cross-disciplinary themes, illustrating how elicitation operates at the intersection of qualitative depth and computational potential, while simultaneously negotiating tensions between standardisation and the recognition of participants’ agency. Particular attention is given to the challenges posed by increasingly digitised research environments, in which elicitation practices are embedded in complex technological mediations. Overall, the article conceptualises elicitation not merely as a set of techniques, but as a broader methodological perspective that is attentive to power relations, situated voices, and contextual conditions of knowledge production. It argues for the transformative potential of elicitation in addressing the emerging complexities of post-digital societies, where meaning-making processes are distributed, mediated, and continuously negotiated within adaptive epistemological frameworks.