Literature Review

Definition

High-level overview of primary research on a focused question that identifies, selects, synthesizes, and appraises all high quality research evidence relevant to that question.

Goals

• Answer a focused clinical question
• Eliminate bias

Components

• Pre-scientific eligibility criteria
• Systematic search strategy
• Assessment of the validity of findings
• Interpretation and presentation of results
• Reference list

Number of Authors

Three or more

Timeline

• Months to years
• Average eighteen months

Requirements

• Thorough knowledge of topic
• Perform searches of all relevant databases
• Statistical analysis resources (for meta-analysis)

Value

• Connects practicing clinicians to high quality evidence
• Supports evidence-based practice

Definition

Qualitatively summarizes evidence on a topic using informal or subjective methods to collect and interpret studies.

Goals

Provide summary or overview of topic

Question

Can be a general topic or specific question

Components

• Introduction
• Methods
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Reference List

Number of Authors

One or more

Timeline

Weeks to months

Requirements

• Understanding of topic
• Perform searches of one or more databases

Value

Provides summary of literature on a topic