Conducting a literature review is an essential step in academic research, but it can also be one of the

most challenging tasks. It requires extensive reading, critical analysis, and synthesis of existing
literature on a particular topic. Many students and researchers struggle with the process, often feeling
overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available and unsure of where to begin.

To help alleviate some of the stress associated with writing a literature review, it's important to break
the process down into manageable steps. Here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Define your research question: Before diving into the literature, it's crucial to have a clear
understanding of what you're looking for. Define your research question or thesis statement
to guide your search.
2. Conduct comprehensive searches: Use academic databases, library catalogs, and search
engines to locate relevant sources. Be sure to use a combination of keywords and Boolean
operators to narrow down your results.
3. Evaluate the sources: Not all sources are created equal. Take the time to critically evaluate
each source for its relevance, reliability, and validity. Consider the author's credentials, the
publication date, and the methodology used.
4. Organize your findings: As you read through the literature, take notes and organize your
findings according to themes or categories. This will help you identify patterns and gaps in
the existing research.
5. Synthesize the literature: Once you've gathered all your sources, it's time to synthesize the
information into a coherent narrative. Identify the key themes and debates in the literature
and discuss how they relate to your research question.

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Incoherent: Writing a review that’s absolutely incoherent and lack of flow in your arguments. An
example of how SPICE factors can be used to develop a research question is given below. Carefully
select sources that will provide current and credible information on your topic. You should never cite
a source that you haven’t read. In contrast to the non-systematic process, the systematic review is
done in a formal and meticulous manner. Ask a classmate to read your question or hypothesis and
explain to you what the research will be. Mell Bolen, BCA 2009 Conference Chair Pat Willer
University of South Carolina Content Chair Deb Pierce Northern Illinois University Conference
Chair Designate. NIH funding mechanisms Understanding the new NIH format and review criteria.
A recent blog posting in Science ( Pain, 2016 ) provides several tips from researchers and graduate
students on how to effectively read these papers. This can be accomplished by first identifying any
underlying themes. The steps must be well defined and followed to the letter to reduce the possibility
of errors in the execution of the review. Nova has also worked as a technical and scientific writer.
Video Capsule Enteroscopy in the Diagnosis of Celiac Disease: A multicenter Study. Steps for the
systematic review We can summarize the stages of a literature review into three phases: Planning the
Review, Conducting the Review, and Reporting the Review. Despite these similarities, there are
significant differences between traditional literature reviews and systematic literature reviews: 1.
Demonstrates your familiarity with existing knowledge in the field Directs readers to other literature
of interest. Rather than examining the topic itself, historiography is the study of how historical topics
have been examined over time by other historians. So, they look for experts who can offer a sample
research proposal from which college can get an idea of framing their own research work. Search the
literature Toggle Dropdown Searching article databases - video Finding the article full-text Citation
chaining When to stop searching 4. Addresses Research Gaps: Identifies areas where more
knowledge is needed, guiding your contributions. For example, some scholars have examined the
social aspects of a topic while others have explored its economic aspects. Quality assessment is
widely used in healthcare reviews. Their objective is to synthesize evidence through meta-analysis, a
type of SLR that employs statistical analyses. Gilard M 1, Arnaud B 2, Cornily JC 1, Le Gal G 3,
Lacut K 3, Le Calvez G 2, Mansourati J 1, Mottier D 2, Abgrall JF 2, Boschat J 1. Varied methods
can be used for assessing critical thinking. Chapter Two: Literature Review. 2.1 Language
competence and performance. The researcher will conduct a literature review to identify other
research that relates to the research question. What are your objectives Why is your study important
How are you going to do it. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment below that we’ll
be happy to answer. A good review places a research project in a context and demonstrates its
relevance by making connections to a body of knowledge.
Similarly, a theoretical framework is essential as it guides your project. So, they look for experts who
can offer a sample research proposal from which college can get an idea of framing their own
research work. Using student-created research has a number of drawbacks: 1) they are frequently
unpublished and only available through interlibrary loan; 2) the student conducting the research may
not be a seasoned researcher. Include information on the thesis, perspective, historical approach,
arguments, sources, and methodology. In summary, while both traditional literature reviews and
systematic literature reviews share the goal of reviewing and analyzing existing literature, systematic
reviews are characterized by a more rigorous and structured methodology, while traditional reviews
may be less formal and systematic in their approach. Also note when your sources were published
and if any important social, political, or economic events occurred at roughly the same time.
Addresses Research Gaps: Identifies areas where more knowledge is needed, guiding your
contributions. Rather than examining the topic itself, historiography is the study of how historical
topics have been examined over time by other historians. Today ’ s Workshop What are your needs
and questions. Specialized magazines (for example, business magazines for management students)
may be more useful. Explain why this has been the case and how these approaches enhance or limit
current understandings of the topic. A literature review typically involves searching for and
reviewing academic articles, books, conference papers, and other scholarly sources related to the
chosen topic. While a single source may only appear once in an annotated Works Cited list, it may be
mentioned multiple times in a Lit Review, depending on its significance in the area or its relationship
to other sources. Stat-Transfer. Use STAT-TRANSFER to convert data. Click on. The library runs
workshops for introducing you to using Mendeley, including how to import references and manage
them. The research process usually begins with a research question. It is a great website that is FULL
of tips and tricks for writing, including a PhD thesis-at-a-glance template and a checklist, helping
you make sure you haven’t missed a thing. See how this publication links up with what's already out
there. Make sure that you let your work put its best foot forward (metaphorically) by making it look
its best. You should also elucidate the research connected to these variables. Traditional literature
reviews may have more flexibility in source selection. 3. Explicit Search Strategy: Systematic reviews
have an explicit and well-documented search strategy that outlines the databases, keywords, and
search terms used to identify relevant studies. Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Lecture 3.
Intro. Gilard M 1, Arnaud B 2, Cornily JC 1, Le Gal G 3, Lacut K 3, Le Calvez G 2, Mansourati J 1,
Mottier D 2, Abgrall JF 2, Boschat J 1. From here, identify the purpose or thesis for your topic. For
this, the approach to be used is to answer each of the research questions with the information
contained in these studies. Embedded literature reviews must discuss the connections between the
sources you used for your research and also make connections between your work and these sources.
Quality assessment is widely used in healthcare reviews. Methodological Approach This approach
centers on the research methods employed in various studies related to your topic. Our products
include academic papers of varying complexity and other personalized services, along with research
materials for assistance purposes only. She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online
content plans that engage and resonate with audiences.
The most common problems encountered in literature reviews are Developing hypotheses about
populations that you have no hope of randomly sampling from given your time and resource
limitations. Traditional literature reviews may be less systematic and structured. 2. Inclusion and
Exclusion Criteria: Systematic literature reviews often establish strict inclusion and exclusion criteria
to select studies, aiming for a more objective and standardized approach. There's just so much out
there, and it's easy to feel lost. Repeat the planning steps as many times as necessary to be sure.
Such as, observe classroom behavior or reaction to a specific type of treatment. Don't worry! This
blog is your guide for writing a literature review. The library runs workshops for introducing you to
using Mendeley, including how to import references and manage them. Plagiarism: Including
references without any citation, using the author’s exact phrases without making any changes, using
quotes to denote that the words belong to someone else but not giving credits to them. Along with
preventing it, a literature review also underlines the things that can be taken up for research.
Different areas of your study may be divided into subsections that focus on specific aspects of your
topic. Nova has a passion for writing that engages and informs her readers. Or, in Education: what is
media literacy and why is it significant to education sciences. The Lit Review should include the
most relevant related studies and demonstrate an understanding of both key past research and
practices in the subject and promising current research and practices. This helps create a coherent
narrative and highlights the connections between different works. The review of the literature is
defined as a broad, comprehensive, in-depth, systematic, and critical review of scholarly
publications, unpublished scholarly print materials, audiovisual materials, and personal
communications. An interesting approach for when we have a large amount of primary studies is to
have a researcher to extract data and another to check the data that has already been extracted. On
the other hand, inductive logic means, you ought to apply facts to arrive at a theory based on
observations. This lays a solid basis for the rest of your paper. Incoherent: Writing a review that’s
absolutely incoherent and lack of flow in your arguments. This was in response to the library
becoming more technologically advanced by offering information technology services and
multimedia services within the context of new undergraduate degrees being offered at the university
(Kealy, 2009: 573). This ensures that prior research is acknowledged and credited. 6. Critical
Analysis: In both cases, critical analysis is essential. Determine The Purposes For The Literature
Review Recognize The Need For Becoming Familiar With The Library's Services Distinguish
Between Primary And Secondary Sources In Research Literature Recognize The Importance Of
Grey Literature. It determines that variables that ought to be measured, the relationships that you
want to establish between them. An example of how SPICE factors can be used to develop a
research question is given below. Talk about the main points, give your thoughts, and point out any
gaps in what's already known. Example: If reviewing literature on climate change, themes could
include the impact on ecosystems, societal responses, and mitigation strategies. You need not have a
theoretical framework only when you are testing a theory, you can have them for all sorts of studies
including qualitative, quantitative etc. Demonstrates your familiarity with existing knowledge in the
field Directs readers to other literature of interest. Question: You must state a question based on
your comprehensive understanding of all studies; it can act as a starting point for your research. Give
it a Once-Over Find out what's good and not-so-good about the research.
A literature review typically involves searching for and reviewing academic articles, books,
conference papers, and other scholarly sources related to the chosen topic. In other words, a research
article uses expert sources as support for your thesis, whereas a Literature Review discusses the
sources. Five Components. 1. Statement or the Nature of the Problem 2. You can categorise them
chronologically, by publication, by methods or themes. Every Tuesday and Thursday at the Research
Commons. If you are worried about whether you are conducting a complete search of all the
literature or not, make an appointment with your Faculty Librarian who can show you some very
useful tips on how to modify your searches so that you waste less time, get more effective results
and overall, cause less frustration for yourself. Example: In a review of psychological studies on
memory, sections could be organized around cognitive, behavioral, and neuroscientific theories. You
may start by defining inclusion parameters (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative studies, date published,
location of study, etc.). You should also record keywords to search for your topic and build search
strings that will help you find sources (e.g., exercise AND mental health AND adolescents). What
factors might influence the extent of parental involvement?” ( Early Childhood Longitudinal
Program, 2011 ). There's just so much out there, and it's easy to feel lost. Incoherent: Writing a
review that’s absolutely incoherent and lack of flow in your arguments. Research process. Topic
should be: Appealing Interesting Manageable Beneficial BUT not controversial or theory-generating
PHRASING. Identify the most important research that has already been done in the area.
Historiography is the method of doing historical research or of gathering and analyzing historical
evidence. Because books take longer to publish than journal articles, they are typically out of date.
Thematic Organization Group related studies by themes rather than chronology. Summary: Write a
brief summary of the things that are present and otherwise. Better Analysis: Since your framework
will determine the methods that you need to adopt to measure the variables of your research, you will
end up analysing better. Keeping these notes will help you avoid this nightmare in the future. An
annotated Works Cited list, on the other hand, is just an alphabetized list of sources with summaries
and evaluations (annotations). These are useful, particularly for current information. This is
understandable for it determines how the project must move forward. Once defined in the planning
phase, these issues cannot be changed in the following phases. Whether the topic is assigned, chosen
from a list of possible options, or (most likely) developed on your own, a good way to begin your
thinking is to take a general issue or subject and formulate it into a question. Researchers can use this
information to refine their own arguments and theories. 6. Citing Relevant Sources: A literature
review ensures that researchers appropriately cite and reference the relevant sources in their field. To
create your topic, consult with your supervisor. Clarity and Conciseness Write with clarity and
conciseness. Offers Methodological Guidance: Helps choose appropriate research methods for
quality outcomes. What is a Literature Review?. “. a literature review uses as its database reports of
primary or original scholarship, and does not report new primary scholarship itself.”. Address how
your approach to the topic reinforces or rejects previous approaches as well as how your work
contributes to the larger body of knowledge on your topic.
She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online content plans that engage and resonate
with audiences. Picture of you as a scientist Your accomplishments and plans Your approach The
significance of your work. Writing the Systematic Literature Review Once the questions have been
answered, the literature review should now be documented. This lays a solid basis for the rest of
your paper. Variables: Explain in detail about the variables and the relationship between them. Fifth,
situate your own research within the current literature in your field. Theoretical Approach This
approach focuses on organizing your review around different theoretical frameworks or perspectives
relevant to your topic. Selected approach determines the research design to be followed. A search
strategy helps prevent that, by using punctuation and keywords to make the database understand
exactly what you want. The purpose of the Lit Review is to present a survey of the most relevant
and noteworthy published work that relates to your research, rather than a synopsis of all published
work that related to your topic. Example of digital libraries: Google Scholar, Citeseer Library,
Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Scielo, CAPES Journal Portal, BVS, etc. A recent blog posting in
Science ( Pain, 2016 ) provides several tips from researchers and graduate students on how to
effectively read these papers. Thematic Approach This approach categorizes your review based on
themes or key concepts related to your topic. Now equipped with the essential steps to start your
literature review, you're set on the right path. Select primary studies: At this stage you will have to
select which studies will be considered in your review. This ensures that prior research is
acknowledged and credited. 6. Critical Analysis: In both cases, critical analysis is essential. SLRs
may be quantitative (by only reviewing quantitative studies), qualitative (by only reviewing
qualitative studies), or mixed methods (by reviewing both quantitative and qualitative studies).
Rather than examining the topic itself, historiography is the study of how historical topics have been
examined over time by other historians. Understanding the Current State of Knowledge: A literature
review helps researchers gain a deep understanding of what has already been studied and published
in their area of interest. In this way, the bibliography is the window to the author and the paper. An
easier way is just to drop us a message on our Live ChatBox on the bottom right of the page. You
will find yourself writing and rewriting as you evaluate what you have written. Be sure to meet with
a reference librarian if you are unsure how to create an effective search strategy. Embedded literature
reviews are usually placed near the beginning of your essay in order to provide your reader with
important context as well as to situate your work within the wider body of research on your topic.
Specify the time frame, key themes, and relevant studies to focus your research. Does it agree with
what we already know, add new info, or challenge what we thought. While this is useful for
demonstrating how theories evolve, make sure to include your own interpretation of trends, turning
points, or disagreements, demonstrating how they contributed shape where the subject is headed. We
are a strong believer in academic integrity and have a “zero tolerance policy” on plagiarism. Video
Capsule Enteroscopy in the Diagnosis of Celiac Disease: A multicenter Study. This will help the
reader get a sense of what the project is about.
Based on what you find, you may decide to alter your question in some way before going too far
along a path that perhaps has already been well-covered by other scholars. Think about why this is
important for your research. A word plugin allows you to insert a formatted citation from your
references while writing your document. First, consult the most reputable sources and then read
significant theories and landmark studies. The library runs workshops for introducing you to using
Mendeley, including how to import references and manage them. Does it agree with what we already
know, add new info, or challenge what we thought. Validate the protocol A fundamental step that
must be done with the help of the advisor or specialist in the area. Sources not directly cited in the
Lit Review should not be listed in the Works Cited list. When you reach the point of having written
all your paragraphs, you can revisit the whole section and make the words tie in together more.
Importance: It is necessary to write about the significance of your topic and the contribution it will
make to the concerned field. Using relevant keywords and phrases in your search is essential,
experimenting with diverse combinations for a thorough collection of relevant sources. SURVEY
RESEARCH. Two approaches to collect primary data. 1. Observe ? conditions, behavior, events,
people, or processes 2. Is it trying to build on many previous studies, or is it identifying the gaps in
previous studies, or is it doing both. Utilize reputable academic databases for literature searches like
Google Scholar or your university's library resources. Traditional reviews may not provide as much
detail about their search methods. 4. Quantitative Analysis: Systematic reviews often include a
quantitative analysis, such as meta-analysis, to statistically synthesize the findings of multiple studies.
Planning the Literature Review The planning phase must be carried out with great care, as any
mistakes that happen will impact the other phases and your review may be totally compromised. In
this context, the question arises: how will I know what to write and which sections and subsections I
should consider. Depending on your topic of study, their published findings can be a valuable source
of knowledge. The expansion of knowledge; The discovery of truth; and To make prediction. You
should chase down and use the reference if the reference author links to another source whose
thoughts are relevant or fascinating. Additional Resources References Appendix Answer Key
Literature Review Example for Education Literature Review Example for Nursing References (By
Chapter) Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Image
Attributions (By Chapter) Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 8 About the Authors Accessibility Assessment A note from the Rebus Community Webbook
Checklist Review Statement Version History. It is important to simulate the protocol execution,
which will help to find possible errors in each of the steps. Nothing irrelevant. Assess the “goodness”
of measuring instrument. Many people would prefer to sit down and read an article than sit down
and craft what they have already read. Make sure that you let your work put its best foot forward
(metaphorically) by making it look its best. Using student-created research has a number of
drawbacks: 1) they are frequently unpublished and only available through interlibrary loan; 2) the
student conducting the research may not be a seasoned researcher. Toggle Dropdown Literature
Reviews: A Recap Reading Journal Articles Does it describe a Literature Review? 1. Introduce
proposed research Provide background and explain rationale for study. Furthermore, they provide
information on which researchers are active in specific fields, which can be useful for tracking down
their other work. You should never cite a source that you haven’t read.
Search strategies can be used individually or in combination. By assessing the existing literature,
researchers can determine what has already been studied and where new research contributions can
be made. 4. Contribute to Research Context: Both types of reviews help contextualize research
within the broader academic conversation. Magazines aimed at a wide audience, such as Time, Us,
and National Enquirer, will not provide you with the information you require. Due to this
thoroughness, one of the advantages of a systematic review of the literature is that it allows other
researchers to make future updates to the review, if they follow the same set of steps established in
the protocol. Understand the process of analysis Essential Characteristic of a Researcher. Writing a
research proposal is not an easy task for them. The library also offers a workshop called “ Improving
your literature search strategy.”. Research Process. Today’s Topic is. Scientific Research. The purpose
of the Lit Review is to present a survey of the most relevant and noteworthy published work that
relates to your research, rather than a synopsis of all published work that related to your topic. These
themes will also be used as the headings for your Matrix, which will be discussed in detail in Section
B: Planning and Researching. In addition, you can talk about how and why the different sources
choose particular methodologies, such as whether the source is sociological, cultural, or historical. A
literature review also helps distinguish what research has been done and identify what aspects of the
topic need further research. Variables: Explain in detail about the variables and the relationship
between them. Once defined in the planning phase, these issues cannot be changed in the following
phases. Picture of you as a scientist Your accomplishments and plans Your approach The significance
of your work. The research process usually begins with a research question. A recent blog posting in
Science ( Pain, 2016 ) provides several tips from researchers and graduate students on how to
effectively read these papers. The Lit Review is primarily concerned with sources, while the paper’s
body is concerned with the topic you are researching. Traditional reviews may rely more on
qualitative synthesis. It is not a good idea to aim to cover everything pertaining to a single topic.
Here is how to write a good literature review: Step 1: Search Relevant Literature Start by searching
for scholarly sources that you will cite in your paper that are closely related to your research topic. In
this way, you will have to elaborate your search strings according to each of the libraries. Kelly
Edwards, PhD Associate Professor, Bioethics School of Medicine School of Public Health. It
deserves capitals, because it is truly one of the beasts of academic writing. Senior Design Fall, 2004
Prof. Michael A. Mackey. Proposal Writing. What is the point? Use a clear writing style Get the
correct format Put all the bits in place Leave enough time to polish the document. For this, we apply
inclusion and exclusion criteria defined in the protocol to obtain the final list of primary studies that
will be considered in the review. SLRs differ from stand-alone literature reviews because they follow
a rigorous review protocol that is objective and comprehensive so other researchers may replicate the
work. The following are the main sections and subsections of a Literature Review: Introduction
Related works Planning the review Identification of the topic to be researched Specifying Research
Questions Construction and development of the protocol Protocol evaluation Conducting the review
Search identification Selection of primary studies Evaluation of studies. Careful planning will also
help you to provide insightful analysis. If you are worried about whether you are conducting a
complete search of all the literature or not, make an appointment with your Faculty Librarian who
can show you some very useful tips on how to modify your searches so that you waste less time, get
more effective results and overall, cause less frustration for yourself.