Table 1 Priorities and recommendations for future GDI research.

Leverage “methodological pluralism” to strengthen theory development.

Prioritize multiple-case study analyses.

Engage with a wider variety of methodologies.

Engage with relationally reflexive practices.

Support the creation of multidisciplinary research networks focusing on GDIs.

Encourage and sustain active participation in these networks of scholars from underrepresented fields and communities.

Apply theoretical sampling to select the objects of empirical analyses.

Select the cases, subjects, and timeframes of empirical investigations based on specific theoretical constructs.

When comparative analyses are not viable, focus on extreme or deviant cases and/or prioritize embedded case study designs.

Sustain and incentivize qualitative longitudinal research on GDIs.

Engage with data collection methods and methodological approaches enabling qualitative longitudinal research (such as the biography of artifacts and practices).

In the distribution of research funding, prioritize longitudinal studies over cross-sectional analyses of GDIs.

Grant adequate resources to collect data over extended periods and to mitigate participant attrition over time.

Strengthen data collection and archival methods for GDIs

Leverage participatory action research and expert interviews to investigate GDIs taking place in contexts where official records are limited or difficult to access.

Harness digital archives and participatory archiving methods to conduct longitudinal analyses.

Nurture cross-sector collaborative efforts to enhance the quality and coverage of digital archives.

Provide material support for GDIs to implement participatory archiving methods.

Support the work of non-profit organizations and universities acting as external moderators of participatory archives.