A protocol describes the rationale, hypothesis, and planned methods of your scoping review. A protocol should include the following:
Unlike protocols for Systematic Reviews, a Scoping Review protocol does not have to be registered in advance. However, it is strongly advised that you develop as much of a protocol as possible prior to conducting your search. A protocol will help organize the process and can prevent many issues down the line!
Eligibility criteria, also known as inclusion/exclusion criteria for a scoping review should be established before beginning your review. This helps ensure that your team has a clear understanding of what will or will not be included in the review across all members.
Eligibility criteria may include the types of studies most relevant for answering your research question. For clinical fields, you may also want to define the population you are looking at and include specifics in your eligibility criteria related to the population data.
Be sure that you have a clear, defensible reason for each criteria you include. While it may be tempting to limit by date or by peer review, this can introduce an element of bias into your methodology. Instead of including only peer reviewed articles, consider empirical studies as an eligibility criteria.
If you want to exclude older papers that may not be as relevant to your research question, think about why a particular date may be relevant. For example, was a technique, technology, or theory essential to your research question developed in a certain year? Then you have defensible grounds for excluding papers written before that year.
Librarian tip: Review existing scoping reviews and protocols on topics similar to yours to see what types of eligibility criteria other authors are using. This can guide you in developing your own.
Graphic Created by University of Melbourne Libraries
As part of your Protocol, you will want to consider if you have an appropriately sized team of researchers for conducting a Scoping Review. Disciplines vary on team size expectations, however there are some general best practices that you may want to consider.
Establishing team member roles in advance is extremely beneficial for smoothly conducting and documenting the review process.
It's advisable that you register your protocol, if possible, so that others can see what you’re working on and not duplicate your efforts. You should also search these sites for protocols that might overlap with your own.
Some registries are health-science focused, but as the social sciences use these methods more frequently, protocols in the social sciences are becoming more common.
Content adapted from University of Texas Arlington Libraries, Scoping Reviews Guide, CC BY-NC 4.0