1. Doing a Literature Review

2. Process Reading Searching Writing Thinking Background reading
Focused
Thinking
Organization
Common themes
Contrast and compare
Reading
Background reading
Critical reading
Writing
Note taking
Summarizing
Synthesis

3. Process (Reality) Reading: Background Writing: Notetaking Reading:
Critical
Thinking:
Organization
Searching:
Background
Writing:
Summarizing
Searching:
Focused
Thinking:
Common themes
Thinking:
Contrast and compare
Writing:
Synthesis

4. Process (Reality) Reading: Background Writing: Notetaking Reading:
Critical
Thinking:
Organization
Searching:
Background
Writing:
Summarizing
Searching:
Focused
Thinking:
Common themes
Thinking:
Contrast and compare
Writing:
Synthesis

5. Process (Reality) Reading: Background Writing: Notetaking Reading:
Critical
Thinking:
Organization
Searching:
Background
Writing:
Summarizing
Searching:
Focused
Thinking:
Common themes
Thinking:
Contrast and compare
Writing:
Synthesis

6. It’s messy… so

7. Choose something that interests you
Choosing a Topic
Choose something that interests you
Look at news stories to find something that is current
Canadian Newsstream
Factiva
Look at key journal editorials/news
Journal Citation Reports
Medicine, General
Multidisciplinary Sciences

8. Find out what information is available Do some background reading
Getting Started
Find out what information is available
Summon
Do some background reading
Find a review article
Use a database filter (Pubmed, Scopus, WoS)
Use review as a search term
Find a book
Look at the Table of Contents
Find an encyclopedia entry
Often provide background readings

9. Map your topic
Think of the landscape of your topic
Outline the various aspects/concepts/main ideas

10. An Example of Concept Mapping

11. or it might look like this...

12. Example: AIDS in Africa

13. Focus your topic
Pick one or two aspects to focus on
Go deeper into these areas
Develop a research question(s)

14. Example: AIDS in Africa
Malnutrition
What impact does AIDS have on malnutrition?
What is being done to combat this issue?
Are theses interventions effective?
What more can be done?
Poverty
What is the relationship between AIDS and poverty?
What other factors are involved?
What programs exist to tackle this problem?
Why do certain programs/interventions work and others not?
Orphans
How has AIDS affected children of parents with AIDS in Africa?

15. From concepts/main ideas to search terms PICO
Identify Search Terms
From concepts/main ideas to search terms
PICO
Population
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
Synonyms
Controlled vocabulary

16. Combining Search Terms
Boolean operators – AND, or, NOT
Phrase searching – “…”
Truncation - *
Proximity operators – N/x, NEARx

17. Example: AIDS in Africa
(AIDS or “acquired immune deficiency syndrome” or HIV)
(Africa or Sub-sahara* or Eastern or Burundi or ….)
(Child* or youth)
orphan*
(Malnutrition or “nutritional deficiency” or malnourishment)
(Poverty or “low income” or poor)
You may need to do separate searches for different aspects of your topic

18. Where to look
Think about who/what is interested in the topic
Think about what subject area might cover this topic

19. Example: AIDS in Africa
African governments
NGOs
AIDs researchers
Economists
Nutritionists

20. Subject Guide > Detailed Guide > Health
Where to look
Subject Guide > Detailed Guide > Health
Subject Guides > Quick Guides
Political Science
Economics
Public Policy
etc…
Government Information
Canadian – federal, provincial
International

21. Example: AIDS in Africa
WHO
IRIS Digital Library
Health Topics
PubMed
CINAHL
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
World Bank
Government Info
The World Bank is an IGO (inter-governmental organization) and is part of the UN system. NGOs normally do not have governments as members.

22. Data and Statistics Data Canada WHO United Nations OECD ODESI
UNdata
OECD
OECD.Stat
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

23. Keeping it all organized
Citation Management
Mendeley
Endnote
Zotero

24. Note Taking
Underline
Highlight
Take notes in your own words

25. Summary vs Synthesis Summary Synthesis A summary is a brief
statement of a
source(s)
In order to synthesize several sources you should first summarize each source individually
An integrated essay based on multiple sources
Based on evidence, not your opinion

26. What was the objective/hypothesis? How did they do it?
Summarize
Why did they bother?
Problem statement, rationale
What was the objective/hypothesis?
How did they do it?
What did they find?
So what?
Significance, implications
Relevance to your research topic?

27. Synthesize – organization
Sequential
Show progression of the field/topic….
Topical
Topic 1 with subtopics, topic 2 with subtopics….
Methodological
No other method has proven….
Theoretical
Contrast and compare theories….
origins of the Coral Triangle biodiversity

28. Identify Common Themes
Hypotheses
Populations studied
Theories
Methods
Outcomes

29. Contrast and Compare He said/she said
Do different studies agree or disagree
Do they agree on some things but disagree on others

30. Identify Gaps
What is missing?
What can be studied next?

31. Proofreading and editing
Write a draft
Let it sit
Look at it with fresh eyes
Ask your ____ to read it

32. Resources about lit reviews
Books
Writing literature reviews: A guide for student of the social and behavioral sciences
The literature review: A step-by-step guide fro students
Doing a literature review in nursing, health and social care
Doing your literature review: Traditional and systematic techniques
They say/I say: the moves that matter in academic writing
Online
Carleton
UofT
UBC

33. Need Help?
QUESTIONS?
Visit the library
Call Research Help Desk
x2735