This study aimed to understand what the literature has been approaching regarding public sector innovation and which measurement practices have been used, in addition to seeking research opportunities. The process was guided by the ProKnow-C instrument, a process of selection and critical analysis of the literature which allowed the selection of 33 articles. In general, it was found that: (i) the meaning of what innovation is has changed over the years; (ii) although there are attempts to evaluate these innovations, they are still incipient, especially in defining what is being considered as an innovation, which qualitative scale best represents what innovation is, how to transform this qualitative (ordinal) scale into a mathematical scale (cardinal); (iii) the evaluation has been promoted by the adoption of methods from the private sector, which are considered inappropriate for the public sector, since they make use of successes interpreted in organizations with divergent contexts. The results of the study make it possible to form, on the basis of institutional situational perception and needs, an instrument that meets the properties of measurement and determine the direction of managerial activity.