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title: "10.1 Introduction to Scoping reviews"
canonical: "https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/space/MANUAL/355862533/10.1%20Introduction%20to%20Scoping%20reviews"
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Scoping reviews are an important type of evidence synthesis used across diverse academic fields. JBI scoping review methodology has been cited over 10,000 times since 2015 (Peters et al. 2015, 2021). This number attests to both the usefulness of the methodological guidance and the need for an evidence synthesis approach that is suitable for broad, hypothesis-generating review questions. Scoping reviews can answer important questions for knowledge users (i.e. the end-users of the review results, such as patients and public partners, policymakers, health care providers, educators, researchers and the media), such as ‘ What information is out there?’   ‘What research strategies and outcomes are being used?’ and ‘What methodological approaches are being used within research? ’   (Pollock et al. 2024a). These broad questions contrast with the more precisely focused systematic reviews (such as those on the effects of interventions or the accuracy of a diagnostic test; Munn et al. 2018, Pollock et al. 2024a). Scoping reviews can be used to highlight where there is a need for future primary research, methodological improvement, definitional clarification or a subsequent systematic review. Scoping reviews have a role in evidence-based research, for reducing research waste (Khalil et al. 2022b), informing guideline development   (Pollock et al. 2024b) and identifying research priorities (Khalil et al. 2025), with their importance within the evidence ecosystem continuing to grow (Khalil et al. 2022b). However, if inappropriately used, they do little more than contribute additional research waste. As such, there is a need to ensure that clear and robust methodological guidance is available to meet the needs of academics, policymakers and the broader community that generates, uses or benefits from this form of evidence synthesis.