Literature Review: Search: Getting started

 A literature review is a descriptive or analytical summary of the existing material relating to some topic or area of study. The term also refers to the process of producing such a review. (SAGE Research Methods) 

Sources: (see Further Reading & Resources tab)

1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by a central research question.  Remember, it is not a collection of loosely related studies in a field but instead represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analysed by you in a synthesized way.

Tips:

• Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable? 
• Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later. 
• If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your supervisor.

2. Decide on the scope of your review.

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover?

Tip:        This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search.  Remember to include comprehensive databases such as Scopus and ProQuestDissertations & Theses, if you need to.

Where to find databases:

• Find Databases by Subject
• UNE Databases categorized by discipline
• Find Databases via Subject Guides

Librarians create subject guides for each discipline taught at UNE. Take advantage of their expertise and see what discipline-specific search strategies they recommend.

4. Conduct your searches and find the literature. Keep track of your searches!

• Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time. 
• Write down the searches you conduct in each database so that you may duplicate them if you need to later (or avoid dead-end searches that you'd forgotten you'd already tried). 
• Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others. 
• Ask your supervisor or a scholar in the field if you are missing any key works in the field. 
• Use EndNote to keep track of your research citations. See the EndNote Tutorial if you need help.

5. Review the literature.

Some questions to help you analyse the research:

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover? 
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings? 
• What were the research methodologies? Analyse its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise? 
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is? How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited?; if so, how has it been analysed?

Tips:     

• Again, review the abstracts carefully. 
• Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.

There are many different representations of the literature review process. The model above - synthesised from a number of different sources - represents some of the typical steps.