Literature Review Guide
Conduct comprehensive, systematic literature reviews using academic databases.
When to Use
- Conducting systematic literature reviews
- Synthesizing research on a topic
- Writing literature review sections
- Identifying research gaps
- Building bibliographies
Core Workflow
Phase 1: Planning
- Define Research Question (PICO framework for clinical)
- Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
- Establish Scope
- Review type: narrative, systematic, scoping - Time period, geographic scope - Study types to include
- Develop Search Strategy
- Key terms and synonyms - Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) - Database-specific syntax
Phase 2: Searching
Key Databases:
| Database | Coverage |
|---|---|
| PubMed | Biomedical, life sciences |
| arXiv | Physics, CS, math preprints |
| Semantic Scholar | Broad academic |
| Google Scholar | Broad coverage |
| Web of Science | Multidisciplinary |
Search Strategy Template:
(term1 OR synonym1) AND (term2 OR synonym2) AND (term3)Phase 3: Screening
- Title/Abstract Screening
- Apply inclusion/exclusion criteria - Track reasons for exclusion
- Full-Text Review
- Assess eligibility - Extract key data
Phase 4: Synthesis
Organize Thematically:
## Theme 1: [Topic]
- Finding A (Author, Year)
- Finding B (Author, Year)
- Synthesis and gaps
## Theme 2: [Topic]
...Comparison Table:
| Study | Methods | Sample | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author 2023 | RCT | n=100 | Finding X |
| Author 2022 | Cohort | n=500 | Finding Y |
Phase 5: Writing
Structure:
- Introduction (scope, objectives)
- Methods (search strategy, criteria)
- Results (thematic synthesis)
- Discussion (gaps, future directions)
- Conclusion
Citation Management
Citation Styles
**APA 7:**
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title. Journal, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxx
**Nature:**
Author, A. A. & Author, B. B. Title. Journal Volume, pages (Year).
**Vancouver:**
Author AA, Author BB. Title. Journal. Year;Volume(Issue):pages.Tools
- Zotero (free, open source)
- Mendeley (free)
- EndNote (institutional)
Quality Assessment
For RCTs: Cochrane Risk of Bias tool For Observational: Newcastle-Ottawa Scale For Qualitative: CASP checklist
PRISMA Flow Diagram
Records identified (n=X)
↓
Duplicates removed (n=X)
↓
Records screened (n=X)
↓
Records excluded (n=X)
↓
Full-text assessed (n=X)
↓
Studies included (n=X)Best Practices
- Document everything - reproducibility
- Use multiple databases - comprehensive coverage
- Two reviewers - reduce bias (when possible)
- Pre-register protocol - transparency
- Update searches - before publication
Common Pitfalls
- Publication bias (positive results overrepresented)
- Language bias (English-only searches)
- Citation bias (citing famous papers)
- Not updating searches before submission
Resources
- PRISMA Guidelines: http://prisma-statement.org/
- Cochrane Handbook: https://training.cochrane.org/handbook
- PROSPERO (protocol registration): https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/