Scoping review
Research Methods
Definition. A scoping review maps the extent, range and nature of evidence on a topic, often to clarify concepts or identify gaps, without necessarily appraising study quality.
Explanation
Arksey and O’Malley proposed the first methodological framework (Arksey & O’Malley, 2005), later refined by JBI, whose users have evaluated its strengths and limits (Khalil et al., 2020). Scoping reviews are used to map methods, such as Q-methodology in health care (Churruca et al., 2021).
Related concepts
Systematic review Evidence gap map PRISMA
Read on The Health Topics
- Evaluating the JBI Scoping Review Methodology: User Experiences and Refinements
- Q-Methodology in Healthcare: A Scoping Review
References
Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
Churruca, K., Ludlow, K., Wu, W., Gibbons, K., Nguyen, H. M., Ellis, L. A., & Braithwaite, J. (2021). A scoping review of Q-methodology in healthcare research. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 21 (1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01309-7
Khalil, H., Bennett, M., Godfrey, C., McInerney, P., Munn, Z., & Peters, M. (2020). Evaluation of the JBI scoping reviews methodology by current users. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 18 (1), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000202
Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Scoping review. In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/scoping-review/