A scoping review aims to map the key concepts in a research area AND the main sources and types of evidence. There isn't a research question to answer, rather you are mapping the concepts that make up the research area.
According to Grant and Booth (2009): "...preliminary assessment of potential size and scope of available research literature. Aims to identify nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research)." Scoping reviews are popular in the medical field, but have been used in other fields recently as well. Therefore, a lot of information about conducting a scoping review is centered around medical research. In summary: Investigates a broad area and what has been done in that area.
Colquhoun, 2016
Arksey & O'Malley, 2005
Keeping Track
One way to keep track of the information sources, keywords, and searches used for a scoping review is to use a spreadsheet with each worksheet / tab for one source (database, journal, web browser, etc.).
On a worksheet, columns would be keywords, number of results, and filters (and others if you like). Each row would be a different search strategy (you rarely get the results you want on the first go!). A very brief example of what this may look like is below.
Keywords / Search String | Filters | # of Results |
"academic libraries" AND "information literacy" | peer-reviewed, since January 2008 | 25,000 |
"academic libraries" AND "information literacy" AND "transfer students" | peer-reviewed, since January 2012 | 2,200 |
"academic libraries" AND "information literacy" AND "transfer students" AND "community colleges" | peer-reviewed, since January 2012 | 250 |
According to Arksey and O'Malley (2005): "...a systematic review might typically focus on a well- defined question where appropriate study designs can be identified in advance, whilst a scoping study tends to address broader topics where many different study designs might be applicable."
Comparison between systematic and scoping reviews
Systematic review | Scoping review |
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