In a bid to equip researchers, scholars, and students with the essential skills for conducting effective reviews, a highly anticipated webinar on "Scoping Review Methodology” was jointly hosted by the Food Environment Research Network (FERN) and the Food-SAMSA project and presented by Carmen Klinger on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
Carmen Klinger, a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at LMU Munich, has an interest in food environment and systems research, sustainable diets, and health equity. Currently, Carmen is pursuing a PhD in the international research project Food-SAMSA, - with a particular research focus on commercial determinants of health, i.e., the role of the food industry in addressing the double burden of malnutrition.
The webinar, which aimed to demystify the methodology, guidelines, standards, practices, and processes for conducting scoping reviews, welcomed over 60 participants. Key highlights of the webinar included a brief illustration of the various types of reviews, key characteristics that distinguish a scoping review from other reviews, and an in-depth exploration of what scoping reviews entail and their significance in generating a specific type of evidence landscape. Salient in the presentation were elaborations on guidelines and the best practices for conducting a scoping review and the need for reviewers to “follow rigorous and transparent processes”. Carmen’s presentation concluded with an interactive Q&A session. The recording of the webinar can be accessed here (watch the recording).
FERN-FoodSAMSA webinar series are methodological workshops delivered ahead of #FERN2023 meeting expected to be held fully virtual in November from 1st to 3rd, 2023. The first of such series, titled "Spatial analysis of community nutrition and the local food environment” was delivered by Dr Michelle Eichinger from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, on Wednesday, April 26 2023. Two other methodological workshops will be delivered during #FERN2023; registration is FREE and open to anyone interested. #FERN2023 also gives an opportunity to early-career researchers (students, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral fellows within 5 years of their research work) to present their work at FERN2023. The call for abstracts is open until September 30th for anyone interested. Visit FERN2023 webpage to know more.