A Scoping Review of Theses and Dissertations on Pedestrian Crossing Behavior: A Cross-Country Comparison of Key Features

Academic research plays a crucial role in managing public health and risks. Dissertations and theses are more advanced than articles in producing new knowledge. A review of these academic works on pedestrian safety can reveal unique findings in this domain, as well as enable cross-country comparisons that can inform the selection of dissertation topics for professors and improve student supervision.

Adhering to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines and incorporating Arksey & O'Malley's framework, this scoping review examined key aspects of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) from Iran and other nations, focusing on the quantity of ETDs, relevant ministries, temporal trends, departments, academic levels, target demographics, and keywords.

This study encompassed 7 Iranian ETDs and 8 international ETDs in English, spanning from 2019 to 2023. A comparative analysis revealed distinct differences: Iranian ETDs lacked contributions from the ICT Innovation and Humanities and Social Sciences, whereas Health Sciences departments demonstrated notable activity. Internationally, such activity was absent. Additionally, the study location's name emerged as a prevalent keyword within Iranian ETDs. Most ETDs, regardless of origin, did not specify particular pedestrian target populations.

The findings highlight the necessity for increased interdisciplinary collaboration in formulating theses and dissertations projects, particularly in Iran.