Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly expected to demonstrate the relevance and impact of the knowledge they produce. Knowledge sharing between academics and practitioners is central to this, as universities are tasked not only with generating knowledge but also with contributing to and disseminating it beyond the campus. In this study, we define academic-practitioner knowledge sharing as the formal and informal exchange of knowledge supporting teaching, research, and societal impact. Evidence shows that such sharing enhances teaching, research effectiveness, innovation, and organisational learning (Fullwood et al., 2013). Concurrently, HEIs are encouraged to engage external partners and support social and economic development. These trends have heightened scholarly interest in how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied across academic and practice contexts (Al-Kurdi et al., 2018). Yet, conceptualisations of these processes vary across institutions and disciplines, particularly in settings with differing resource capacities. In recent years, extensive research has examined knowledge sharing processes, with an emphasis on organisational, technological, and personal factors (Fullwood et al., 2013). Although the results of these studies have offered important insights, they tend to focus on single factors of knowledge sharing and often do not critically examine the Among the reviewed theories, communities of practice emerged as particularly relevant, emphasising informal collaboration, peer-based learning, and practice-oriented knowledge sharing, aligning closely with how resource-constrained institutions operate. The study, therefore, concludes that knowledge-sharing theories are context-dependent, and their uncritical application across institutions may obscure important local dynamics. By highlighting the limitations of existing frameworks, this review identifies theoretical lenses better suited to guide research and practice in resource-constrained higher education contexts.