The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) is a guideline for reporting scoping reviews which was published in 2018. The checklist contains 20 essential reporting items and 2 optional items to include when completing a scoping review.
Update the search before submitting for publication if over 6 months have passed since the original search date. Re-run your searches, deduplicate, screen, and include any new results found that meet the criteria.
Data from all included studies can be presented as a table.
Present summaries of findings and explain how they answered the original review question(s).
- What were the main findings?
- How do the findings fit with previous research?
- Where are the gaps in the literature?
- What are strengths/limitations of the included studies?
- What are strengths/limitations of the review process?
- Discuss ideas for future research based on the findings from this review.
Results of a scoping review may be presented in your final paper in a variety of ways, including:
- tables and charts, featuring distribution of studies by year or period of publication, countries of origin, area of intervention (clinical, policy, educational, etc.) and research methods; and/or
- in a descriptive format that aligns with the review objective/s and scope.
See the Data Visualization Guide to help create effective representations of your results. Our Data Librarian is available for consultations.
