Essay on Methods in Futures Studies and a Selective Bibliography

Futures studies is often conflated with science fiction or pop-futurism. Consequently there is a need for demarcation of what is futures studies and what is not. From the same reason the essay stresses the need for quality control to focus on futures research and its methods: Publications in futures studies must be open to critique to be accepted as a research activity. Premises, assumptions, methods and data have to be explicit as a critical discourse, cooperation, and eventual revision is to be carried out by egalitarian means, potentially accessible to all. Problems in this idealistic programme are (only) partly reduced by applying Causal Layered Analysis as an internal quality control. The following selective bibliography is focussed on these methodological issues