Protocol for a scoping review on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in community practice

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing literature connecting information and communication technologies (ICTs) to community-based practices including community organizing, community development, and participatory planning. Over a decade ago, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare launched the Grand Challenge to Harness Technology for Social Good. Despite its potential to answer this challenge, community practice is absent from all systematic reviews on social work and technology. The proposed scoping review will address this gap by identifying, organizing, summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing the existing literature connecting community practice and ICTs in social work and related disciplines. METHODS: This protocol was developed using Arksey and O'Malley's [2005] framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols [PRISMA-P]. Search will be conducted in the following databases: Sociological Abstracts [ProQuest interface, 1952-], [Social Service Abstracts ProQuest interface, 1977-], Applied Social Service Index Abstracts [ProQuest interface, 1987-], Social Work Abstracts [Ovid interface, 1968-], Communication Abstracts [EBSCO interface, 1915-], Social Science Citation Index [Web of Science interface, 1900-], and Emerging Sources Citation Index [Web of Science interface, 2005-]. Published records eligible to include in this scoping review include conceptual and empirical peer-reviewed articles. Selection criteria, and methods of data extraction, management, and analysis are detailed. DISCUSSION: The proposed scoping review will explore the engagement of community practitioners with ICTs. This review will also identify ICT-facilitated community-based practices that the social work profession can reclaim in a bid to address the Grand Challenge to Harnessing Technology for Social Good. Limitations, implications for future research, and methods of disseminating the results are discussed.