Literature reviews
The writing of a literature review is an essential part of academic work. Most undergraduate students will need to undertake one as part of their final year dissertation or independent project. For most this will take the form of a traditional review which requires you to select appropriate literature to position your topic in its wider field and justify your research choices. For others, particularly those in health sciences, a systematic review is needed which has a completely different methodology with specific criteria for including and excluding material. Sometimes, a stand-alone literature review is set as an independent assignment. Whichever type of review you need to undertake, this guide should help.
Literature Review Workshops (NOT systematic) Trimester 1 only
External literature reviewing resources
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Literature reviewsUseful information from the Royal Literary Fund.
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Avoiding the laundry list literature reviewBlog post from the brilliant Pat Thompson. Aimed at postgraduates but this is great advice for undergraduates too.
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Synthesize E-LectureHandouts from the Harvard University E-lecture on synthesizing in literature reviews
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Conducting a Literature Review: SynthesizeFrom Central Michigan University - includes downloadable matrix
Related books and eBooks from our collection
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Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care [eBook] by This popular book demystifies literature reviewing and answers the questions students have about how to tackle the process.ISBN: 9780335263080Publication Date: 2014-01-01 -
Doing a Literature Review [print book] by ′This book can provide an excellent framework for bolstering what is often an experiential process - doing a literature review. It is best seen alongside the supervisor, as a guide, through the multidimensional sea of academic literature′ - British Educational Research Journal Reviewing the literature for a research project can seem a daunting, even overwhelming task. New researchers, in particular, wonder: Where do I start? What do I do? How do I do it? This text offers students across the social sciences and humanities a practical and comprehensive guide to writing a literature review. Chris Hart offers invaluable advice on how to: search out existing knowledge on a topic; analyse arguments and ideas; map ideas, arguments and perspectives; produce a literature review; and construct a case for investigating a topic.Doing a Literature Review contains examples of how to cite references, structure a research proposal and present a Master′s thesis. It is published as a Set Book for The Open University Postgraduate Foundation Module (D820) The Challenge of the Social Sciences. `I have been waiting for this book for five years. It sets out a number of important dimensions involved in the process of literature review and by clear signposting, diagrams, and examples will help the student to carry out her or his review more systematically. Learning how to carry out a literature review has always entailed the experiential. While this is a the best way of learning, it is only so providing that learning actually takes place during the experience (or by reflection afterwards). This book makes explicit those dimensions which could remain implicit or even missed by the student as they wade through all those books, papers, articles, and print-outs′ - Kevin Maguire, Nottingham Trent University SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!ISBN: 0761959750Publication Date: 1999-03-01 -
Doing a Systematic Review [print book] by Written in a friendly, accessible style by an expert team of authors with years of experience in both conducting and supervising systematic reviews, this is the perfect guide to using systematic review methodology in a research project. It provides clear answers to all review-related questions, including: How do I formulate an appropriate review question? What's the best way to manage my review? How do I develop my search strategy? How do I get started with data extraction? How do I assess the quality of a study? How can I analyse and synthesize my data? How should I write up the discussion and conclusion sections of my dissertation or thesis?ISBN: 9781473967007Publication Date: 2017-11-23 -
Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and systematic techniques [print book] by The literature review is a compulsory part of research and, increasingly, may form the whole of a student research project. This highly accessible book guides students through the production of either a traditional or a systematic literature review, clearly explaining the difference between the two types of review, the advantages and disadvantages of both, and the skills needed. It gives practical advice on reading and organizing relevant literature and critically assessing the reviewed field. Contents include:Using libraries and the internetNote makingPresentationCritical analysisReferencing, plagiarism and copyrightThis book will be relevant to students from any discipline. It includes contributions from both a professor and a librarian, each offering expert advice on either the creation and assessment of literature reviews or the process of searching for information. It is also highlights the increasing importance of the systematic review for many disciplines and presents the specific challenges which it brings. ISBN: 9781848601543Publication Date: 2011-03-14 -
How to do a systematic literature review in nursing: a step-by-step guide [print book] by This is a step-by-step guide to doing a literature review in nursing, or related healthcare professions, that takes you through every step of the process from start to finish.
From writing your review question to writing up your review, this practical book is the perfect workbook companion if you are doing your first literature review for study or clinical practice improvement.ISBN: 9780335263806Publication Date: 2016-05-19 -
The Literature Review [eBook]. by From daunting to doable in six steps. The process of literature search and composing a formal literature review can be intimidating. But masters and doctoral candidates in Education and related fields have found academic argumentation to be seamlessly intuitive with the six-step process pioneered by this book. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including: A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy's process. Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter, prompting readers to direct metacognitive activities. Links to online guides and resources. Expanded examples illustrating theoretical concepts.ISBN: 9781506336244Publication Date: 2016-06-09 -
The Literature Review [print book] by From daunting to doable in six steps. The process of literature search and composing a formal literature review can be intimidating. But masters and doctoral candidates in Education and related fields have found academic argumentation to be seamlessly intuitive with the six-step process pioneered by this book. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including: A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy's process. Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter, prompting readers to direct metacognitive activities. Links to online guides and resources. Expanded examples illustrating theoretical concepts.ISBN: 9781506336244Publication Date: 2016-06-09
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The Literature Review [print book] by This Second Edition of Diana Ridley's bestselling guide to the literature review provides a step-by-step guide to conducting a literature search and literature review, and guides the reader in how to write up a literature review as part of a PhD thesis or Masters dissertation.Ridley outlines practical strategies for reading and note taking, and guides the reader on how to conduct a systematic search of the available literature, and uses cases and examples throughout to demonstrate best practice in writing and presenting the review.New to this edition are examples drawn from a wide range of disciplines, a new chapter on conducting a systematic review, increased coverage of issues of evaluating quality and conducting reviews using online sources and online literature and enhanced guidance in dealing with copyright and permissions issues.This book also comes with a companion website containing a wide range of examples of successful literature reviews from a wide range of academic disciplines.ISBN: 9781446201435Publication Date: 2012-07-31 -
Succeeding with Your Literature Review: a Handbook for Students [eBook] by "An excellent and accessible text that will help all students and scholars to develop a strong review and enable them to outline and analyse the key ideas for their study. The structure of the book is really well thought out and the chapters are written in a way which readers will find helpful and easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book to research students." Professor Mark Brundrett, Liverpool John Moores University, UK This step-by-step handbook provides comprehensive and practical guidance on the process of researching a range of relevant literature on a subject, as well as planning and writing a literature review. The book takes a student friendly approach to offer complete novices a simple review of a process which is often central to producing a research study. Succeeding with your Literature Review will enable you to: Design a literature review which is related to the main facets of a research project Conduct a logically-planned search for relevant literature Determine which literature is most suited to inclusion in your study Analyse the literature, drawing comparisons and connections where appropriate Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of relevant literature Write logically and rationally about the key features of literature Write a literature review in a sound academic style Understand how to relate a literature review to other elements of your study or dissertation Written by an author with extensive experience of supervising and examining undergraduate, Masters and doctoral dissertations, this book covers the latest trends, such as: RSS feeds, wikis, grey literature, blogs and forms of open access publishing. The book also includes examples of common pitfalls, good practice, key terms and questions to reinforce student learning and reflection. Succeeding with your Literature Review is relevant in all subject areas and is essential reading for third year undergraduate and postgraduate students.ISBN: 0335243681Publication Date: 2012-02-01 -
Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review [print book] by Showing you how to take a structured and organized approach to a wide range of literature review types, this book helps you to choose which approach is right for your research. Packed with constructive tools, examples, case studies and hands-on exercises, the book covers the full range of literature review techniques.New to This Edition: Full re-organization takes you step-by-step through the process from beginning to end New chapter showing you how to choose the right method for your project Practical guidance on integrating qualitative and quantitative data New coverage of rapid reviews Comprehensive inclusion of literature review tools, including concept analysis, scoping and mappingWith an emphasis on the practical skills, this guide is essential for any student or researcher needing to get from first steps to a successful literature review.ISBN: 9781473912465Publication Date: 2016-08-15
