The Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks subclass of MOFs (ZIFs) composed of imidazolebased linkers tetrahedrally coordinating metallic ions such as Zn +2 or Co +2 , stand out due to their suitability for diverse applications and straightforward synthesis methods. Among the most studied members of the ZIF family is the ZIF-8, based on Zn 2+ ions and 2-methylimidazolate anions (mIm -). ZIF-8 features a crystalline structure with permanent and hydrophobic microporosity (11.6 Å pore diameter), with BET surface areas that can go up to 1950 m 2 g -1 (estimated from crystallographic data); good chemical and thermal stability, retaining its porous structure at temperatures below 450 • C; and good mechanical stability (Young's modulus ∼ 3 -4 GP a). These interesting properties triggered intense activity during the past decades and resulted in multiple applications using ZIF-8, such as gas-and liquid-phase separations, vaccine-related technologies, energy conversion, plasmonics, and drug delivery. The above-discussed relevance of MOFs, and ZIF-8 in particular, across different fields of application, resulted in a diversification of synthesis methods and led to somehow contradictory hypotheses related to the formation mechanisms. There are individual reports exploring intensively certain subregions of synthesis conditions space and proposing operating mechanisms, mostly based on classic nucleation and growth theories (CNT). In the case of ZIF-8, some reports argue that, for example, crystalline nuclei are formed in the initial stages; it has been also proposed that nucleation takes place by internal reorganization of metastable phases which arise upon precursor mixing. Different growth mechanisms were also proposed; some reports show that growth proceeds via the addition of individual ions and linkers or by the addition of small units. Aggregative growth was also reported as one of the mechanisms ruling ZIF-8 formation. This variety also yielded a dispersion of reported results across literature regarding structural and functional properties, such as the final morphology (from perfectly faceted to quasispherical particles) and particle size (from a few tens to thousands of nm). It becomes clear the need for a methodology to systematize and summarize results of reported procedures, to extract insights or patterns from previous data.