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Literature Reviews

Guide on conducting and writing a literature review

Selecting a Topic

  • Write your topic in the form of a question.
  • Brainstorm keywords and related terms.
  • Find background information on your topic using subject encyclopedias or handbooks. 
  • Are you finding additional terms or subject headings related to your search? Jot down some of these terms and revise your search terms as necessary.
  • Scan the articles with a critical eye.   Ask who, what, when, where, why?  An excellent resource for analyzing references is Critically Analyzing Information Sources by the Cornell University Libraries
  • Is your topic researchable?  Are you finding enough articles?  If not, revise your search or topic and begin the process again.

Google Scholar

 Google Scholar Logo is a multidisciplinary database that indexes books, academic journals, research papers, dissertations, abstracts and articles from professional societies, academic publishers, universities and scholarly organizations.    

TIP:  If you are searching this resource off campus, click Scholar Preferences and go to the library link section and find Walsh and OhioLINK.  Save your preferences. Your results will show items that are available. Many libraries have set up links to Google Scholar. 

NEVER  pay for articles, you may request them via Interlibrary Loan.

Google Scholar Search

Selecting Articles For Your Review

  • Combine your topic with such terms as “literature review” OR “empirical study”.  (In some databases you can narrow your search to literature reviews, qualitative studies, empirical studies, etc.)
     
  • Are there key authors or studies that have been cited numerous times related to your topic?
     
  • A resource to use while you are selecting materials is The Literature Review:  A Few Tips on Conducting It by the University of Toronto Libraries:
  1. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review helps todefine?
  2. What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative research (e.g. on the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g., studies )?
  3.  What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g., nursing psychology, sociology, medicine)?
  4. How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material? Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper?
  5. Have I critically analysed the literature I use? Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses?
  6. Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?
  7. Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?

From  The University of Toronto, Canada  Writing Centre <http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html>  

 

NOTE:  Use the best articles regardless of whether they are full text. Articles may be available in print at the Library or you may get them from other libraries by requesting them via Interlibary Loan.