What is a scoping review?

A scoping review maps the existing research on a broad topic: what has been studied, how, and where the gaps are. Like a systematic review it uses a documented, reproducible search, but it asks a wider question and usually doesn’t appraise study quality or pool results. It is often a first step before a systematic review.

Scoping reviews are reported with the PRISMA-ScR extension.

They are common in health, education and emerging fields where evidence is scattered.