Literature scoping is a vital first step when beginning work on your MBA capstone project. The capstone requires synthesizing existing research and using it to support your own analysis, so it’s important to cast a wide net in exploring what others have already published on your topic. With properly conducted literature scoping, you can gain important insights that will help shape your project design, identify gaps where your work can contribute new knowledge, and find examples to support your arguments later on in the final paper.

To conduct effective literature scoping, start by brainstorming keywords and phrases related to your topic area. Consider the major constructs or variables involved, as well as synonyms. For example, if your topic concerns marketing strategy for luxury goods, some initial keywords could include “luxury brands, luxury marketing, brand positioning, product differentiation, consumer behavior.” Save these terms somewhere for future reference as your searching evolves.

The next step is selecting appropriate databases and directories to search. As an MBA student, focus first on business and management research databases like ABI/INFORM, Business Source Complete, and EBSCO. Don’t neglect cross-disciplinary sources like Google Scholar which can surface publications across many domains. Government and NGO sites may also offer reports relevant to your industry or issue. Thoroughly searching multiple databases increases the breadth and depth of sources found.

When searching selected databases, use controlled vocabularies and thesauri if available. This helps retrieve articles on closely related ideas that may not use your exact search terms. Apply appropriate filters like publication dates (focus on recent 5-10 years unless researching an historical topic), languages (usually stick to English), and document types (include journal articles, reports, books). Don’t eliminate sources based on their publication outlets until reviewing content – works from obscure or student journals occasionally present novel insights.

Taking good notes as you search and review results is critical. Capture the most pertinent details from each source in a standardized format like APA or MLA so they can easily be incorporated into your reference list later. As a minimum, record the author(s), year, title, publication information, and brief descriptive notes summarizing the paper’s main arguments or findings relevant to your research question. Saving or printing full-text PDFs of especially useful sources makes them readily accessible as you progress.

Organize and analyze the references you’ve collected using tools like bibliography software, spreadsheets, or coding/annotation features in PDF readers. Look for patterns in methodologies employed, gaps in existing research, and how findings do or don’t link together to form a cohesive picture of the area. You may find it helpful to group sources thematically to identify dominant perspectives or debates within the literature.

Iterating your searching with the new insights and questions that emerge from this analysis will yield an even richer set of sources. Discuss potential gaps or areas needing further exploration with your capstone supervisor early to refine your topic idea into a feasible research project. Well-executed literature scoping lays the foundation for situating your work within the published knowledge base, justifying your proposed contributions, and crafting a thoughtful research design capable of extending the discourse. With thorough scoping, you’ll be well equipped to craft a capstone proposal that demonstrates your command of the terrain.