A scoping review is a synthesis of knowledge that explores the range or extent of literature on a broad topic. It is often metaphorically described as casting a wide net to see what might be out there, before diving in deeper to a specific topic. Scoping reviews have increasingly become more structured in their conduct, borrowing from systematic review methods, and therefore currently, are reported to be composed of the following steps: defining the objective, developing a protocol or methodology, conducting a comprehensive search through databases to find sources and literature, narrowing down selected or found sources, and then synthesizing conclusions and findings. The main distinguishing factor between scoping reviews and systematic reviews, is that scoping reviews are not meant to involve a formal quality assessment of included studies. Scoping reviews can be especially useful when the subject of interest is complex, emerging, or has not been thoroughly reviewed. This approach is useful when you need to summarize a large and diverse body of evidence, refine your research question, or when it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions
- Journal article: Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International journal of social research methodology, 8(1), 19-32.
- Journal article: Hadie, S. (2024). ABC of a scoping review: a simplified JBI scoping review guideline. Education in Medicine Journal. 2024;16(2):185–197.
- Online Resource: The University of Adelaide, Joanna Briggs Research Institute. Scoping Reviews: Resources.
- Journal article: Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O’Brien, K. K. (2010). Scoping studies: advancing the methodology. Implementation Science, 5(1), 1-9.
- Journal article: Peters, M. et al. (2015). Guidance for conducting systematic scoping reviews. JBI Evidence Implementation, 13(3), 141-146.
Reporting Guidelines
- Journal article: Tricco, A. C. et al. (2018). PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(7), 467–473.