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Literature Review

This research guide will help you research, compile, and understand the elements required for a literature review.

Systematic vs Literature

Systematic reviews and literature reviews are commonly confused. The main difference between the two is that systematic reviews answer a focused question whereas literature reviews contextualize a topic.

Systematic Review 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

Kysh, Lynn (2013): Difference between a systematic review and a literature review. Available at: https://figshare.com/articles/Difference_between_a_systematic_review_and_a_literature_review/766364

 

New More Help with Writing?

Another Writing Tip!

 Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

  • How are they organizing their ideas?
  • What methods have they used to study the problem?
  • What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
  • What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
  • How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?

When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.

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