Dissertation Support: Preparing your literature review

Scribbr (2020) How to write a literature review: 3 minute step-by-step guide.  Available at: https://youtu.be/zIYC6zG265E (Accessed: 29 June 2021).

A literature review is a formal search and discussion of the literature published on a topic.  Such reviews have different purposes, some providing an overview as a learning exercise.  Most literature reviews are related to research activity, focus on scholarly and research publications and how this evidence relates to a specific research question or hypothesis.

Machi and McEvoy (2016, p.23) consider the review process as a critical thinking activity:

1. Select a topic (Recognize and define a problem);
2. Develop tools of argumentation (Create a process for solving the problem);
3. Search the literature (Collect and compile information);
4. Survey the literature (Discover the evidence and build the argument);
5. Critique the literature (Draw conclusions);
6. Write the thesis (Communicate and evaluate the conclusions).

Machi, L.A. and McEvoy, B.T. (2016) The literature review: six steps to success. London; Corwin.

Leite, D., Padilha, M., and Cecatti, J. G. (2019) 'Approaching literature review for academic purposes: The Literature Review Checklist', Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 74, e1403. https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2019/e1403

Research Shorts (2017) Conducting a systematic literature review. Available: https://youtu.be/WUErib-fXV0 (Accessed: 13 September 2021).

This video introduces the steps involved in a systematic literature review and demonstrates the differences with a standard literature review.

The exact nature of your research will not be determined until after the literature review.  However, the review should be conducted with a certain degree of structure.  In many cases, your supervisor will expect to see a preliminary search strategy before you proceed with your review. 

So, what does a search strategy involve?

• Themes and keywords:
  • Which themes are you including? 
  • Which are the principal key words or search terms for each theme? 
  • Are there obvious alternative search terms that should be included?  For example, 'international' could also be described as 'global' or 'worldwide'.
• Item types:
  • Which types of material are you including in your review?  This will vary according to the level of study and subject but could be restricted to research articles or encompass policy papers, textbooks, reports, conference presentations, blogs and more.  If in doubt, see the listing in Finding Sources
• Resources:
  • Which search resources are you going to use to find the relevant literature?  Options include bibliographic databases and Google Scholar (journal and research papers); the library's OneSearch (books, exemplars and more), Google or other general search engines (policy papers, blogs ...).
• Additional selection criteria:
  • Which other factors will determine your selection of individual items?  For example:
    • Does a specific date range for publication apply? 
    • Are you only interested in a specific scenario or environment?
    • Are you focusing on (for example) a specific population, product or genre?

Remember the restricted nature of your assignment and timescale when making such decisions.  Manageability is an acceptable justification for applying restrictions. 

Systematic literature reviews aim to generate a comprehensive overview of the literature published on a topic and relate this knowledge to a specific research question. 

The main principles are to be methodical, consistent and apparent

Usually, 6 steps are taken to complete a review.  The depth of treatment at each stage depends on the nature of the review and level of study.

1. Explore the literature to ensure validity of the research question/topic and confirm your search strategy.
2. Run your search noting numbers of results. 
3. Screen studies for eligibility and complete a PRISMA flowchart to note the numbers at each stage.
   1. The starting number for the PRISMA flow chart is the combined number of search results, i.e. the no. of results from database 1 + no. from database 2 etc.
   2. Next, remove any duplicate entries. Note the number of items remaining.
   3. Add entries for the number of items removed as you apply your selection criteria.
   4. The final entry is the number of items to be reviewed.
4. Extract the data - assess the quality of research of individual items and note the evidence found.
5. Analyse the data - consider the evidence and themes in relation to your question.
6. Present your findings in a transparent manner.

A small selection of library titles to help with your literature review:

The team of Academic Librarians are here to help you with your projects.  

Make an appointment, tell us about your project and past searching experiences and we'll hep you devise the best search strategy to find the research and other materials that you need.