Focused literature review on accreditation and quality assurance: insights and future research agenda

Purpose Accreditation, a proven quality strategy, can help educational institutions at all levels in attaining Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4). The purpose of this study, therefore, is to gain insights from the literature on accreditation and quality assurance and understand the focus areas of existing research. The study also aims at finding out research gaps that would serve as future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach A focused literature review methodology was adopted. Based on the search terms “accreditation and quality assurance”, 54 literature items were finally selected for review from standard databases like Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Findings Five overarching focus dimensions emerged from the focused review. These were overview studies, accreditation system-based studies, the role of accreditation in quality assurance, the impact of accreditation on quality assurance and other studies. Major gaps in reviews were also found. Originality/value The study provides valuable theoretical and practical insights about accreditation and quality assurance and also lays the road map for future research to address the research gaps.