How to write a scoping review? – A comprehensive guide

Abstract

Systematic reviews occupy a higher order of hierarchy in the evidence pyramid; however, certain questions are left unanswered since a quantitative synthesis is difficult to achieve when there is limited and heterogeneous data. The scoping reviews thereby play a pivotal role in covering the gap in knowledge acting as a precursor to systematic reviews. They also aid in giving guidance for the scope of future research and the parameters that must be considered in future studies. To the best of our knowledge, limited scoping reviews have been conducted so far which could be attributed to a lack of awareness on what is the aim of scoping reviews and how does it contribute to evidence-based medicine. As a result, the purpose of this article is to highlight how a scoping review should be conducted.

Keywords

• evidence-based medicine
• scoping review
• systematic review