Consolidation of “clusters” of related terms prior to Round Three.
Prior to Round Three, the research team worked with the expert group to consolidate a subset of some closely related terms that had reached the threshold for further discussion during Rounds One and Two. For example,structure-activity relationship and structure-function relationship had both reached the threshold for discussion, and a single term to represent them was required to avoid the inclusion of close synonyms in the final round of the Delphi method.
Thirteen such “clusters” were identified, and the research team came to agreement on a single term that met the criteria to be a core concept and best represented each cluster. Seven of the 13 recommendations were endorsed by 80% of the Expert group. In the two workshops held between Round Two and Round Three, single terms were identified to represent each of the remaining six clusters in the final round.