Scoping Review
A review that maps the breadth of literature on a broad topic to show what evidence exists, without formally appraising study quality.
A scoping review maps the extent, range, and nature of research activity on a broad topic. Like a systematic review it uses a transparent search and screening process, but its goal is to chart what kinds of evidence exist rather than to answer a narrow question or grade study quality. It suits emerging fields, diverse methodologies, or questions that are not yet precisely defined.
In thesis work, a scoping review is useful early, when you need to understand a territory before committing to a research question. It can reveal clusters of well-studied subtopics and thin areas that suggest a research gap. If your topic spans disciplines or mixes qualitative and quantitative evidence, scoping methods let you describe that variety honestly instead of forcing it into a single evaluative framework.
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