Lecture note on scoping reviews as a secondary research method: for MBA students

Lecture note on scoping reviews as a secondary research method: for MBA students

Highlight 5 main ideas of the secondary research method of Scoping Reviews in the context of MBA dissertation projects.

Scoping reviews are a well‑established form of secondary research that map, rather than appraise, the existing literature on a topic. In MBA dissertation projects, they are especially useful when the research area is broad, emerging, or conceptually messy. Below are five main ideas that capture their value and design logic in this context.

1. Exploratory mapping of a broad or emerging field

Scoping reviews are explicitly designed to “identify the types of available evidence,” “clarify key concepts/definitions,” and “examine how research is conducted” in a given field. They are therefore ideal when an MBA student is entering a relatively new or diffuse topic (e.g., ESG integration in Asian SMEs, AI in luxury marketing) and needs to understand:libguides.polyu

• What has been studied, by whom, and where
• Which concepts, theories, and terms are used (and how inconsistently)
• What kinds of studies exist (qualitative, quantitative, case-based, industry reports, etc.)

This mapping function helps you position your dissertation question within a wider landscape before committing to a narrow hypothesis or model.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

2. Identifying and justifying research gaps and future directions

A core purpose of scoping reviews is to “identify and analyse knowledge gaps” and thereby “advise future research.” In an MBA dissertation, this is critical for:tandfonline+1

• Showing that your research question addresses a real, literature‑based gap
• Distinguishing your project from prior work (e.g., different context, population, or method)
• Building a credible “research contribution” section that is grounded in evidence

Because scoping reviews systematically chart what is and is not known, they provide a strong evidence base for arguing why your study is needed and how it extends current knowledge.jclinepi+1

3. Flexible, inclusive synthesis suited to heterogeneous evidence

Unlike systematic reviews, scoping reviews do not require formal quality appraisal or risk‑of‑bias assessment as a mandatory step; they focus on describing the scope and characteristics of the evidence rather than judging its internal validity. This makes them particularly suitable for MBA projects where:libguides.tees.ac

• Evidence is heterogeneous (academic articles, industry reports, policy documents, white papers)
• The field is interdisciplinary (e.g., finance + marketing + technology)
• You want to include “grey literature” and practitioner sources common in business research

The method is also described as “flexible, inclusive, and iterative,” allowing you to refine your search and inclusion criteria as you learn more about the field.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

4. Structured yet pragmatic process aligned with dissertation timelines

Scoping reviews follow a structured, transparent process (often based on frameworks such as Arksey & O’Malley or PRISMA‑ScR), typically including:

1.    Defining the research question and scope (often using PCC: Population, Concept, Context)

2.    Developing a search strategy and searching multiple databases

3.    Applying inclusion/exclusion criteria and screening studies

4.    Extracting and charting key data (e.g., aims, methods, context, findings)

5.    Synthesising and reporting the mapped evidence and gaps

docs.litmaps+2

However, they are generally faster and less resource‑intensive than full systematic reviews, because they can omit steps like detailed quality appraisal and can use streamlined screening. This makes them pragmatically feasible within typical MBA dissertation timeframes while still being rigorous enough for academic work.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1

5. Strategic precursor to further research or a focused systematic review

Scoping reviews are often used “as a precursor to a systematic review” or to determine whether a more focused, in‑depth synthesis is valuable or feasible. In an MBA context, this means you can:libguides.tees.ac+2

• Use the scoping review as the main secondary research component of your dissertation, culminating in a clear research gap and proposed primary study (e.g., survey, case study, interviews)
• Or, if your programme allows, design a two‑stage project where the scoping review informs a subsequent, narrower systematic review or meta‑narrative review

Either way, the scoping review creates a solid foundation for justifying your methodological choices and research design in later chapters.tandfonline+1

 

Where should we explain this secondary research method design of scoping reviews: in chapter 2 (Literature review) or chapter 3 (Research methodology) of an MBA dissertation report? Where should we present the research method findings of this secondary research method: in chapter 2 or chapter 4 (presentation of research findings)?

In a standard MBA dissertation structure, the design of the scoping review belongs in Chapter 3 (Research methodology), while the findings of that secondary research belong in Chapter 2 (Literature review)—unless your scoping review is the primary study, in which case the findings go in Chapter 4.

Below is the logic and how to apply it in practice.

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1. Where to explain the scoping review design (methodology)

Place: Chapter 3 – Research Methodology

Why:
Chapter 3 is where you describe how the study was conducted so that another researcher could, in principle, replicate it. A scoping review is a formal secondary research method with its own protocol (search strategy, databases, inclusion/exclusion criteria, screening process, data charting, synthesis approach). Methodological guidance for scoping reviews emphasises reporting these components transparently (e.g., PRISMA‑ScR, JBI guidance).journals.lww+2

In Chapter 3, you would typically include:

• Rationale for choosing a scoping review (e.g., broad/emerging topic, need to map concepts and gaps)
• Framing of the review question (e.g., using PCC: Population, Concept, Context)
• Search strategy: databases, keywords, date limits, language limits
• Inclusion/exclusion criteria and screening process
• Data extraction/charting approach
• How you synthesised and mapped the evidence (e.g., thematic mapping, descriptive statistics of study types)
• Any limitations of the scoping review process

This aligns with standard dissertation guidance that Chapter 3 should describe the research design, data sources, and data analysis techniques in sufficient detail for replication.staloysiuscollege.ac

You may briefly mention in Chapter 2 that “a scoping review of the literature was conducted” as part of your approach to the literature review, but the full methodological description belongs in Chapter 3.

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2. Where to present the scoping review findings

This depends on the role of the scoping review in your dissertation.

Scenario A: Scoping review is your secondary research foundation for a primary study

(e.g., you then do a survey, interviews, or case study)

Place for findings: Chapter 2 – Literature Review

Rationale:
In this design, the scoping review is essentially your structured way of doing the literature review. Its outputs are:

• A map of key concepts, theories, and definitions
• A summary of what has been studied (contexts, methods, populations)
• Identified gaps and tensions in the literature
• A clear justification for your primary research question and design

These are classic Chapter 2 functions: “summarizes what is known and identifies what is unknown about the topic” and provides the foundation for discussing results later. Your own lecture note also positions literature‑review tasks (including structured reviews) as part of Chapter 2.josephho33.blogspot+1

So in this scenario:

• Chapter 2: Presents the results of the scoping review (themes, gaps, conceptual map, brief descriptive stats on study types, etc.).
• Chapter 3: Explains how you did the scoping review (methods).
• Chapter 4: Presents findings from your primary data collection (survey, interviews, case, etc.).

This is the most common arrangement for MBA dissertations that combine a structured literature review with an empirical component.

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Scenario B: Scoping review is the main study (no separate primary data collection)

Place for findings: Chapter 4 – Presentation of Research Findings

Rationale:
If your dissertation is designed as a standalone scoping review (i.e., the entire empirical contribution is the review itself), then it is effectively your “results” chapter. In this case, many programmes structure it as:

• Chapter 2: Traditional literature review on the substantive topic (if required), or a shorter conceptual background section.
• Chapter 3: Detailed methodology of the scoping review (as above).
• Chapter 4: Findings of the scoping review: PRISMA flow diagram, characteristics of included sources, mapped themes, identified gaps, and implications.

This follows the IMRaD‑style structure for scoping reviews (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion), where the “Results” section reports the numbers of articles screened, characteristics of included studies, and key thematic findings.guides.lib.unc

Check your programme’s specific guidelines, but in a pure scoping‑review dissertation, the review’s findings are your primary results and therefore sit in Chapter 4.

Practical recommendation for a typical MBA project

Given your context (MBA dissertation with a pragmatic focus, often combining structured literature work with some primary data):

• Explain the scoping review method (design, search, screening, charting): Chapter 3 – Research Methodology.
• Present the scoping review findings (themes, gaps, conceptual map, justification for your research question): Chapter 2 – Literature Review, if the scoping review underpins a subsequent primary study.
• Move the scoping review findings to Chapter 4 only if the scoping review is the core empirical study and there is no separate primary data chapter.

** A collection of lecture notes on the subject of research methods for MBA students, 2026 June

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.