Systematic Review Service

A scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of a particular topic by synthesizing the breadth of evidence currently available. They systematically map the literature available on a topic and are intended to provide readers with key concepts and theories, important insights regarding the topic of interest, knowledge gaps in the field, sources of evidence, and a summary of how research has been conducted.

They differ from systematic reviews in that systematic reviews often cover larger, more homogeneous bodies of evidence, which often include more specific research questions, methodological appraisals, risk of bias assessments, and meta-analyses. Scoping reviews provide a comprehensive overview to address broader review questions than traditionally more specific systematic reviews of effectiveness or qualitative evidence.

Systematic reviews are useful for answering clearly defined questions:

• Does this intervention improve specified outcomes when compared with a given comparator in this population?

Scoping reviews are useful for answering much broader questions:

• What is the nature of the evidence for this intervention?
• What is known about this concept?

Scoping Review - protocol guidance

• Lely, J., Morris, H. C., Sasson, N., Camarillo, N. D., Livinski, A. A., Butera, G., & Wickstrom, J. (2023, May 30). How to write a scoping review protocol: Guidance and template. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YM65X
• Peters, Micah D.J.1,2,3; Godfrey, Christina4; McInerney, Patricia5; Khalil, Hanan6,7; Larsen, Palle8; Marnie, Casey1; Pollock, Danielle9; Tricco, Andrea C.4,10,11; Munn, Zachary9. Best practice guidance and reporting items for the development of scoping review protocols. JBI Evidence Synthesis 20(4):p 953-968, April 2022. | DOI: 10.11124/JBIES-21-00242

Learn more about the methodological guidance for conducting a scoping review:

• Peters, Micah D.J.1,2,3; Marnie, Casey1; Tricco, Andrea C.4,5,6; Pollock, Danielle7; Munn, Zachary7; Alexander, Lyndsay8,9; McInerney, Patricia10,11; Godfrey, Christina M.6,12; Khalil, Hanan13,14. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evidence Implementation 19(1):p 3-10, March 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/XEB.0000000000000277

JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis chapter on conducting a scoping review

• Peters MDJ, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Tricco AC, Khalil, H. Chapter 11: Scoping Reviews (2020 version). Aromataris E, Munn Z, editors. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI; 2020. Available from https://synthesismanual.jbi.global. 

PRISMA-ScR - PRISMA checklist for writing a scoping review

• Tricco, AC, Lillie, E, Zarin, W, O'Brien, KK, Colquhoun, H, Levac, D, Moher, D, Peters, MD, Horsley, T, Weeks, L, Hempel, S et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018,169(7):467-473. doi:10.7326/M18-0850.
• Checklist
• PRISMA-ScR website