Conducting a literature review Basics on writing a literature review in the health and medical sciences

What we will cover  What is a literature review?  Why do a literature review?  How to structure a literature review  How to get started  Tips for writing a literature review  Places to get further help

What is a literature review?  A literature review is a survey of research articles, books and other information resources related to a particular topic.  A thorough literature review can be a process to identify gaps in research. This can be a justification for a research proposal for more in-depth investigation.

Why do a literature review?  To demonstrate your ability to seek, retrieve, evaluate and summarize the scholarly and research literature on a particular topic  To familiarize yourself on a given topic and become better informed on the discussions  To identify any gaps in the research

How to structure a literature review  Introduction Overview and objectives  Methods Search strategy and rational for article inclusion  Discussion Broken into themes that appear in the papers  Conclusion  Reference List

How to get started  Define a topic  Conduct a literature search  Evaluate the articles you retrieve, otherwise known as critically appraising your articles  Analyze the articles Look for common themes, agreements/oppositions

Tips for writing a literature review  Structure review with headings to make it easier for the reader to follow  Identify any points of discussion where there are overriding agreements or disagreements  Identify if further research is required on the topic

Biggest tip on writing a literature review  A literature review is different than a book review. Do not just report what the articles say, but discuss an article’s content in relation to other articles chosen for the review. Revolve this discussion over the comparison of findings and similarities and/or differences.

Places to go for further help  Librarians and course supervisors  Aveyard, H. (2014). Doing a literature review in health and social care: A practical guide (3 rd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.