it describes the principles of literature review and the step wise procedure for performing the LR in healthcare sector.

1. Researching your dissertation:
finding material and making
connections
ric Licence
Chris Bradford and Sam Johnson
(Academic Support Librarians)

2. I’m confident finding material for my
dissertation
12
0%
0%
0% 1. Yes
2. No
3. Up-to-a-point

3. What is a literature review?
• Fink (2005) “systematic, explicit and reproducible method for
identifying, evaluating and synthesising the existing body or
completed work produced by researchers, scholars and
practitioners”
• Hart (1998) “the selection of available documents…on the
topic…written from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain
aims or express certain views on the topic and how it is to be
investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents
in the relation to the research being proposed”

4. Analyse your question
• Be clear what it is you are researching
– What different concepts are involved?
– What terms may describe these concepts?
– List your terms (keywords) by concept
• Dictionaries/Encyclopedias/Philosophers Index
– International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioural
Sciences
– Encyclopedia of Political Theory
– Oxford Reference Online
– Cambridge Histories Online

5. Identify your literature
• Varies according to information you require
– Original documentation MRC
• e.g. minutes, reports, correspondence
– Scholarly analysis and research catalogues, databases
• e.g. books, journal articles, conference papers
– Facts and figures UK Data Service/National
Statistics/DataStream
• e.g. official publications and statistics
– Popular commentary and analysis Factiva
• e.g. news reports, political magazines, weblogs, twitter

6. The Literature
Journal articles
Books
Reports
Newspapers
Working papers

7. Books on a topic
Database

8. Articles on a topic
• Abstracting and full-text journal databases
• Broader and more focused subject coverage than
full-text services (and Google Scholar)
– Key abstracting databases organised by subject
on the Library web pages
– Or, via links from the catalogue or Encore

9. Indexing/abstracting databases
• Specialist subject focus
• Broad coverage of scholarly materials in
discipline
• High search flexibility and control
• Transferable search principles/techniques
• Similar functionality
– Search Select Save/print/email

10. Worldwide Political Science
Abstracts

11. Web of Knowledge
http://screencast.com/t/n6KfxFloe4E
http://screencast.com/t/n6KfxFloe4E

12. Citation data

13. How many words does the average
user put in a search statement?
1 2 3
0%
0%
0%
1. 2
2. 3
3. 14
Nicholas (1998:p131) “Typically one –third of users enter one word in their search
statements, about the same proportion two words and the remaining third three words or
more. Just under half of all users employ just a single search during a session or visit and
just under a quarter undertake two”
Looking at Science Direct – 35% 2-4 Searches being undertaken
9% 5-10 searches being undertaken
1% Over 10 searches
12

14. keywords
Catalogue record
Journal Index
Journal article - record

15. Search planning
• Pre-planning makes for better searching
– Look at database help and search tips
– Identify and list your conceptual keywords
– Use these keywords to build and refine search
– Refine your search incorporating
descriptors/key-words/limiters from the
database

16. Limiting your search
horizons
Picture by CaptPiper, reproduced under the terms of
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0
Generic Licence.

17. Too many results?

18. Too many results...?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%
0%
0%
1. Limit to title field
2. Restrict the year
3. Restrict the type of
publication
4. Increase precision of
search terms
15

19. Too few results?
• To increase recall of search:
– Use broader terms to express concepts
– Add alternative search terms (OR)
– Try another database

20. Statistics on a topic
• Ask: who would produce the data you want?
– National statistical agencies? International
organisations? Trade bodies? Other?
• ESDS database (http://www.esds.ac.uk/)
• Extensive UK, IMF, OECD and World Bank datasets
• Registration (free!) required
• See Statistics subject page for access

21. Output – EndNote Web
• Keep records of your searches and results
– Database alerts and saved searches
• Organise and manage resources you read
– Bibliographic reference management software
• EndNote or EndNoteWeb

22. Staying up-to-date
Database search alerts

23. http://zetoc.ac.uk
Staying up-to-date with Zetoc

24. What do I do a journal article I want is
not in stock?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%
0%
0%
1. Give up and look for
something else.
2. See if the article is
available in another
format
3. Use Article Reach
4. Use Document
Supply
12

25. Article Reach
Note –average request takes 27hours

26. Document Supply

27. SCONUL Access Scheme

28. Question your research
needs
• Review your progress periodically
• New ideas, concepts, events, people,
countries and authors to (re)search
• Trace material from book/journal references

29. Questions?

30. Questions?
Picture by g - s - h, reproduced under the terms of
Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0
Generic Licence

31. Further help
• One-to-one support from Academic Support
Librarian
• EndNote Web Training

32. References
• BIGGAM, J. (2011). Succeeding with your master's dissertation a step-by-step handbook.
Maidenhead, Open University Press.
• BOOTH, A., PAPAIOANNOU, D., & SUTTON, A. (2012). Systematic approaches to a successful
literature review. London, Sage.
• HART, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination.
London, Sage Publications.
• NICHOLAS, D. (2009). Digital consumers: reshaping the information professions. London,
Facet Publishing.
• OLIVER, P. (2012). Succeeding with your literature review: a handbook for students.
Maidenhead, Open University Press.
• RIDLEY, D. (2012). The literature review: a step-by-step guide for students. London, SAGE.