Brief · Template
Scan.
LiveScanFind out what exists in a field, inside a stated boundary and date, listed item by item with its source, so you can see the shape of the field without anyone ranking it for you.
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When to use it
You need to know what is out there, and where the boundary of the field lies, before you analyze, compare or decide.
Who it is for. Leads building a landscape, a partner list, a watch list or the evidence base for a position: public affairs, regulatory, clinical operations, market access, corporate development and pharmacovigilance leads.
Why scans mislead
A scan is only as good as its boundary and its method. A list with no stated boundary, search date or source looks complete and cannot be checked or repeated. Horizon scanning in health has lacked reporting standards, and a draft checklist adapted from the scoping-review standard has been proposed to fix that. This template states the boundary and the method, lists items without scoring them, and says what it did not cover.1,2
What you get
A stated boundary. The field, the period and the geography, and a short table of what is included, what is excluded and what is borderline.1
How the scan was run. At Comprehensive length: the sources searched, the date, the terms, and how many items were found against how many were kept, so the scan can be repeated.1,2
Every item, one row each. A table of item, category, maturity, what it is, source and date. It holds at most eight rows at Brief length and fifteen at Standard and Comprehensive. It carries no scores and no ranking.
How the field divides. The rule used to group the items and a diagram of the groups, kept to a few groups that do not overlap and together cover the items.4
What stands out. At Comprehensive length: the clusters, the gaps and the early signals, each labeled Established, Emerging or Weak signal. The labels are analyst judgment.3
What it does not cover. The closing section lists what was not looked at, the borderline items, and the fact that the scan is a snapshot of one date.1
What is in it, by length
| Section | Brief | Standard | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope and boundaryThe field, period and geography, and what is in or out | ● | ● | ● |
| How the scan was runWhich sources, which date, how many found and kept | – | – | ● |
| What is out thereWhat exists, one row per item, grouped by category | ● | ● | ● |
| How the field dividesThe groups, and why those groups | – | ● | ● |
| What stands outWhich clusters, gaps and early signals matter, at what maturity | – | – | ● |
| What this does not coverWhat was not looked at, and the borderline cases | ● | ● | ● |
A Standard scan runs about 1,300 words and up to 1,600. A Comprehensive scan runs about 2,600.
Choosing a length
Choose Standard for most scans. Choose Comprehensive when the method has to be auditable, for example when several registers or countries are searched, or when others will repeat it. Brief lists eight items and the boundary.
The standards and practice behind it
The structure and the checks come from published practice in scoping reviews and horizon scanning. These are the references we drew on and what we took from each. None of their authors has reviewed the template.
| What we took | From | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Report the eligibility criteria, the information sources and how items were selected | PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, PRISMA-ScR (Tricco and colleagues, 2018): 20 essential and 2 optional items1 | The scope and boundary section and, at Comprehensive length, the account of how the scan was run |
| Report horizon scans in a standard way: scope, technology characteristics, interest holders and interpretation | A draft reporting checklist for horizon scanning adapted from PRISMA-ScR: 35 items, of which 29 are essential and 6 optional2 | The fields of the method section, the item table and the closing limits |
| Treat horizon scanning as a way to spot trends, risks and opportunities before they bite, and say how the scan was done | A practical review of horizon scanning approaches, tools and techniques (Waverley for the UK Building Safety Regulator, 2026)3 | The maturity labels on items and the signposts in What stands out |
| Group items so that the groups do not overlap and together cover the field | The Pyramid Principle (Barbara Minto), which popularized the grouping discipline known as MECE4 | How the field divides: the splitting rule and the diagram |
| Choose the chart for the question and draw it only from sourced data | The Financial Times Visual Vocabulary5 | Counts by category, drawn only from the items listed |
What it will not do
It does not rank or score the items. A scan says what exists; it does not say which item is preferable.
It is a snapshot of one date. It does not monitor the field after that date.
It lists what it could find in the sources it names. Items in sources it could not open are listed as not covered.
References
- [1] Tricco, A. C. et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018;169(7):467–473. DOI 10.7326/M18-0850. Read on the PRISMA site: 20 essential and 2 optional items. The wording of each item was not read.
- [2] Innovation Observatory. Improving the reporting of horizon scanning methods: developing a checklist of preferred reporting items. Abstract OP47, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 2025. A draft checklist released for piloting. The full paper was not read.
- [3] Waverley for the Building Safety Regulator. A practical review of horizon scanning approaches, tools and techniques. GOV.UK, 17 September 2026. Read the publication page; the report itself was not read.
- [4] Minto, B. The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. Pearson, 3rd edition. Retailer listing; the book was not read. Editions and dates differ between listings.
- [5] Financial Times Visual Journalism Team. Visual Vocabulary. Financial-Times/chart-doctor repository.
Links checked 9 October 2026
These are the sources the template drew on. None of their authors or issuers has reviewed it.
About the Brief service
A Brief is a written answer from one specialist, at the depth you asked for. It arrives with its sources, and it closes by saying plainly what would change the conclusion. Nothing is hidden behind a summary, and anything the expert could not source is marked as a gap rather than filled in.
Use cases for the Scan
10 ready-to-run use cases. Each opens its own page with the question, the specialists, the standards and the references.
To edit a saved template, open New → Brief → From template, or the library rail on the service form.