Scoping Reviews

For scoping reviews, extracting the data is referred to as "charting the data." The goal with charting is to create a descriptive summary of the results which addresses the scoping review's objectives and answers the research question(s) of the review.

According to Chapter 10 (Section 10.2.7)  in the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, a draft of the charting table should have been developed at the same time as your protocol, but it is considered acceptable to refine this table at the review stage:

"For ease of reference and tracking, it is suggested that reviewers keep careful records to identify each study. As reviewers chart each study, it may become apparent that additional unforeseen data can be usefully charted. Charting the results can therefore be an iterative process whereby the charting table is continually updated." 

Key information to chart for each source includes the:

• author(s)
• year of publication
• origin/country of origin where the study was published or conducted
• aims/purpose
• study population and sample size (if applicable)
• methodology/methods
• intervention type/duration, comparator, outcome measures (if applicable)
• key findings that relate to research question(s)

EndNote may be used to create a form as seen in the Peter et al. (2017) article below. Alternatively, you can use the following editable template from the Joanna Briggs Institute: