Table 1.

A comparison of the characteristics of scoping and systematic reviews.

Systematic Review	Scoping Review
Focused research question with narrow parameters	Research question(s) often broad
Inclusion/exclusion usually defined at outset	Inclusion/exclusion can be developed post hoc
Quality filters often applied	Quality not an initial priority
Detailed data extraction	May or may not involve data extraction
Quantitative synthesis often performed	Synthesis more qualitative, and typically not quantitative
Formally assesses the quality of studies and generates a conclusion relating to the focused research question	Used to identify parameters and gaps in a body of literature