Identifying a research agenda for postgraduate taught education in the UK - lessons from a machine learning facilitated systematic scoping review

Aug 2, 2026

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This study describes and evaluates research on the UK Postgraduate Taught (PGT) sector from January 2008 to October 2019, addressing an often-overlooked area within higher education. A systematised scoping review uses an innovative machine learning approach to screen literature, reducing 9,814 initially relevant records to 693 for analysis. The method cuts review time without compromising accuracy, while results highlight dominance of professional education programmes and PGT as a context rather than a focus, plus substantial ‘scholarship of teaching’ activity. It also proposes areas for future research and offers a reproducible methodology for comparable reviews in education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background and study aim

Scope of the scoping review

Methods

Machine learning facilitated screening

Findings

Research focus and topic distribution

Comparative and large-scale studies

Scholarship of teaching

Oxford Review of Education ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: [https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/core20](https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/core20) Identifying a research agenda for postgraduate taught education in the UK: lessons from a machine learning facilitated systematic scoping review Gale Macleod, Marshall Dozier, Rosa Marvell, Gerri Matthews-Smith, Malcolm R. Macleod & Jing Liao To cite this article: Gale Macleod, Marshall Dozier, Rosa Marvell, Gerri Matthews-Smith, Malcolm R. Macleod & Jing Liao (2023): Identifying a research agenda for postgraduate taught education in the UK: lessons from a machine learning facilitated systematic scoping review, Oxford Review of Education, DOI: 10. 1080/03054985 .2023.2203376 To link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2023.2203376](https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2023.2203376) © 2023 The Author(s) . Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. | View supplementary material | | --- | | Published online: 30 May 2023. | | Submit your article to this journal | | View related articles | | View Crossmark data | Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=core20](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=core20) OXFORD REVIEW OF EDUCATION [https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2023.2203376](https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2023.2203376) Identifying a research agenda for postgraduate taught education in the UK: lessons from a machine learning facilitated systematic scoping review Gale Macleod a, Marshall Dozier b, Rosa Marvell c, Gerri Matthews-Smith d, Malcolm R. Macleod e and Jing Liao e aMoray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; bCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; cDepartment of Sociology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK; dBusiness School, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK; eCentre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK ABSTRACT This research aimed to describe and evaluate research on the Postgraduate Taught (PGT) sector in the UK from January 2008 to October 2019. The focus on PGT allowed a detailed analysis of an often overlooked part of the HE sector. Methodologically, the research is original in its use of an innovative machine learning approach to a systematic scoping review. The review scrutinised subject areas, topics studied and methodological approaches taken. Initial searches found 9,814 potentially relevant studies which were reduced to 693 for analysis. The machine learning approach was successful in reducing time without compromising accuracy. We conclude that this methodological approach is appropriate for similar reviews within education. Findings showa dominance of research into professional education programmes; a majority of research with PGT as the context rather than focus; a small number of comparative and large-scale studies; and substantial research categorised as ‘scholarship of teaching’. While further research is required to ascertain if the findings are transferable to other national contexts, this study provides a reproducible methodology and identifies areas for future research to examine. KEYWORDS Postgraduate taught; Master’s; systematic review; machine learning Introduction In 2019, the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) Postgraduate Taught (PGT) working group decided that 10 years on from the Universities UK report highlighting a gap in knowledge about the PGT sector (Boorman & Ramsden, 2009), and from the end of the main funding from the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP), it was time to take stock of what we know about UK PGT education. The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the research carried out over this 10-year period. This paper reports findings of the resulting systematised scoping review which

FAQs

What period and scope does the study cover for UK postgraduate taught education research?

The study covers research on the UK Postgraduate Taught (PGT) sector from January 2008 to October 2019, including studies where other national contexts were also examined.

How does the research use machine learning in the scoping review process?

It applies a machine learning approach to facilitate systematic scoping, narrowing 9,814 potentially relevant studies down to 693 for analysis while reducing time without loss of accuracy.

What major patterns does the review find in the PGT research literature?

Findings indicate strong emphasis on professional education programmes, most studies treat PGT as context rather than focus, relatively few comparative and large-scale studies, and a substantial share categorized as “scholarship of teaching”.

Aug 2, 2026

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