A scoping review primarily aims to:

A scoping review primarily aims to summarize findings and identify gaps in the literature. This type of review is particularly useful in exploring a broad research area, allowing researchers to map the existing evidence comprehensively. It provides an overview of the key concepts, types of evidence, and theoretical frameworks that are relevant to a specific topic. By doing so, scoping reviews help to highlight where gaps exist in the current research, directing future investigations and informing practice or policy.

In contrast, assessing the quality of included studies is a focus of systematic reviews rather than scoping reviews, as scoping reviews are more exploratory and do not require quality assessments of the studies included. Although a comprehensive meta-analysis is a critical component of systematic reviews, scoping reviews typically do not perform such quantitative synthesis of data. Lastly, while critiquing the effectiveness of treatment plans can be done in systematic reviews or qualitative reviews, it is not the primary goal of a scoping review. Instead, scoping reviews aim for a broader understanding of the field rather than assessing specific interventions or treatments.