Review characteristics | Systematic review | Scoping review |
---|---|---|
Research question | Typically focused, narrow parameters | Broad |
Selection criteria | Pre-defined | Can be developed post hoc using an iterative approach [16, 18] |
Quality assessment | Filters applied | Quality filters not often applied in initial stages |
Data extraction | Pre-defined, a priori and generally very detailed. Usually well documented in a protocol ahead of the review process | Less structured. Data extraction process typically ‘evolves’ as a part of the scoping review process |
Evidence synthesis | Quantitative (sometimes mixed) | Typically qualitative |
Other | Â | Often described as a process of mapping existing literature and used to identify gaps in evidence |