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Scoping Reviews

A guide to conducting evidence syntheses using scoping review methodology.

What is a scoping review?

“Scoping reviews, a type of knowledge synthesis, follow a systematic approach to map evidence on a topic and identify main concepts, theories, sources, and knowledge gaps.”

Source: Levac D, Colquhoun H, O'Brien KK. Scoping studies: advancing the methodology. Implementation science. 2010;5(1):69. https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1748-5908-5-69 (See Table 1, pg. 2)

Scoping Review vs Systematic Review

	Scoping Review	Systematic Review
Authors	Two or more authors	Team-based (multiple authors)
Research question	Ask a broader question Identify gaps Understand the size/reach of a topic	Focused question May be limited in comprehensiveness
Eligibility Criteria	Flexible	Fixed/Developed a priori
Search Strategy	Iterative, revisions acceptable	Fixed/Developed a priori
Results	"Larger" result sets	"Fewer" results
Appraisal	Optional	Required
Protocol and write up	PRISMA-ScR	PRISMA-P PRISMA 2020
Synthesis	Overview and thematic	Formal synthesis of findings

When to consider a scoping review?

Below are a few indicators that a scoping review might be right for you:

Broad research question or topic
Multiple research questions
Multi-part research question
Goal is to identify knowledge gaps
Aim is to conduct a landscape or environmental scan of a topic
Clarifying or examining key concepts, topics, or areas

Last Updated: Apr 22, 2025 5:20 PM
URL: https://libguides.galter.northwestern.edu/scoping-reviews
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Subjects: Publication Support, Research Methods, Systematic & Scoping Reviews

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