The Delphi technique is a widely used and accepted method for gathering data from respondents within their domain of expertise. The technique is designed as a group communication process which aims to achieve a convergence of opinion on a specific real-world issue. The Delphi process has been used in various fields of study such as program planning, needs assessment, policy determination, and resource utilization to develop a full range of alternatives, explore or expose underlying assumptions, as well as correlate judgments on a topic spanning a wide range of disciplines. The Delphi technique is well suited as a method for consensus-building by using a series of questionnaires delivered using multiple iterations to collect data from a panel of selected subjects. Subject selection, time frames for conducting and completing a study, the possibility of low response rates, and unintentionally guiding feedback from the respondent group are areas which should be considered when designing and implementing a Delphi study.

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The Delphi Technique: Making Sense of Consensus

Case study is a suitable research methodology for software engineering research since it studies contemporary phenomena in its natural context. However, the understanding of what constitutes a case study varies, and hence the quality of the resulting studies. This paper aims at providing an introduction to case study methodology and guidelines for researchers conducting case studies and readers studying reports of such studies. The content is based on the authors' own experience from conducting and reading case studies. The terminology and guidelines are compiled from different methodology handbooks in other research domains, in particular social science and information systems, and adapted to the needs in software engineering. We present recommended practices for software engineering case studies as well as empirically derived and evaluated checklists for researchers and readers of case study research.

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Guidelines for conducting and reporting case study research in software engineering

https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/976864/1/OkoliPawlowski2004DelphiPostprint.pdf

The Delphi method as a research tool: an example, design considerations and applications

The Montreal Definition and Classification of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Global Evidence-Based Consensus

Background Medication toxic effects and drug-related problems can have profound medical and safety consequences for older adults and economically affect the health care system. The purpose of this initiative was to revise and update the Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in adults 65 years and older in the United States. Methods This study used a modified Delphi method, a set of procedures and methods for formulating a group judgment for a subject matter in which precise information is lacking. The criteria reviewed covered 2 types of statements: (1) medications or medication classes thatshould generally be avoidedin persons 65 years or older because they are either ineffective or they pose unnecessarily high risk for older persons and a safer alternative is available and (2) medications that should not be used in older persons known to havespecific medical conditions. Results This study identified 48 individual medications or classes of medications to avoid in older adults and their potential concerns and 20 diseases/conditions and medications to be avoided in older adults with these conditions. Of these potentially inappropriate drugs, 66 were considered by the panel to have adverse outcomes of high severity. Conclusions This study is an important update of previously established criteria that have been widely used and cited. The application of the Beers criteria and other tools for identifying potentially inappropriate medication use will continue to enable providers to plan interventions for decreasing both drug-related costs and overall costs and thus minimize drug-related problems.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/articlepdf/757456/ioi20821.pdf

Updating the Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults: results of a US consensus panel of experts.

This paper gives an account of an experiment in the use of the so-called DELPHI method, which was devised in order to obtain the most reliable opinion consensus of a group of experts by subjecting them to a series of questionnaires in depth interspersed with controlled opinion feedback.

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An Experimental Application of the Delphi Method to the Use of Experts

An experimental study of group opinion

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The Delphi Method: An Experimental Study of Group Opinion

Studies in the quality of life; delphi and decision-making.

: An analysis is given of the validity of using self-ratings as a technique for selecting more accurate subgroups in applications of the Delphi procedures for eliciting group judgments. A series of experiments was conducted using groups of upper-class and graduate college students answering almanac-type questions. (Author)

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Norman Crolee Dalkey

Papers

An Experimental Application of the Delphi Method to the Use of Experts

An experimental study of group opinion

The Delphi Method: An Experimental Study of Group Opinion

Studies in the quality of life; delphi and decision-making.

The Delphi Method, III: Use of Self-Ratings To Improve Group Estimates