How do we Determine Content Boundaries in Systematic Review Studies of Management Research?

Abstract

To offer new insights into relevant concepts, approaches, and theories, a systematic literature review is considered a common phenomenon in today’s management field. But, the domain has still suffered from a lack of advice on how to design content boundaries as a methodological piece of a systematic review. Our study emphasizes this gap and examines the important piece of review studies in greater detail. Specifically, we provide a critical review of review studies published in leading three management journals (i.e., the International Journal of Management Reviews, the Academy of Management Annals, and the Journal of Management) between 2019 and 2022. Drawing on the methodological review, our research provides issues to acknowledge in the most crucial choices for the content boundary. In addition, our review clarifies three main components of the content boundary process: identification of content boundaries, searching for content boundaries, and confirmation of content boundaries. These components could be adopted as benchmark stages in future systematic review studies.