Why and how to conduct a Scoping Review of literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences? Application to free labour in agriculture

Abstract

Literature reviews stand as familiar and relevant tools within the research community, as mean to produce a state of knowledge to justify the relevance of a research question. Among the many methods that can be used, systematic approaches are developing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). These review methodologies employ rigorous techniques in the identification, retrieval, and analysis of data. The overarching objective is to uphold transparency and replicability in research endeavours, elevating the overall quality and credibility of scholarly work in these disciplines. By presenting the two main systematic approaches to literature reviews – Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs) and Scoping Reviews (SRs) –, we intend to clarify their respective objectives and methods, so that interested researchers can make an informed choice between them. We thus show that an SR aims to characterise the extent (or scope) of research on a subject or field, whereas an SLR aims to answer a specific question with a view to guiding practices. We also show the interest of these approaches for the HSS. We use a case study – free or unpaid labour in agriculture – to illustrate the different stages of a systematic approach to a literature review. We begin by justifying the choice of an SR over an SLR, and then test the former’s methodology through its various stages. The aim is to provide guidelines for researchers wishing to undertake this type of work. We reflect on this methodology, illustrating its advantages and disadvantages in the light of our experience. We show that systematic approaches to literature reviews are non-linear and time-consuming processes which require constant back-and-forth and reflection between the various stages. Nevertheless, their contributions in helping us understand complex subjects, develop expertise and achieve transparency show that they are suitable approaches for the HSS.