1.
The Literature Review
Kristy Padron, MLIS
Instruction and Engagement Librarian
kpadron@fau.edu
Sept. 2018

2.
What will we be learning today?
• Define “the literature” within
broader disciplines.
• Describe the purpose of
literature reviews.
• Distinguish various types of
reviews, their purposes, and
their characteristics.
• Illustrate the steps of a
literature review.
Source: MariSmithPix at Pixabay.com; Permission by CC0

3.
What is the literature?
Image credit: by Pixabay.com.
Permission by CC0; altered by K.
Padron.

4.
What is the literature?
A body of work that has been
distributed, written, or published on a
given topic or concept.
Can be in multiple formats, depending
on the academic subject or discipline.
Various intents: inform, support,
persuade, update, or dispute
“Banyan Tree.”
Photo credit: by Robert Macdonald. Permission by CC BY-NC-ND
2.0. No alteration made to image.

5.
What is the literature?
“Banyan Tree.”
Photo credit: by Robert Macdonald. Permission by CC BY-NC-ND
2.0. No alteration made to image.
The literature consists of the following:
Major works: key or seminal
publications on a topic
Other works or publications that build
upon or respond to the major works.
The literature is a continuously evolving
network of scholarly works that interact
with each other.

6.
What is the literature?
Literature generally falls into one of three
categories:
1. Primary sources: first-hand accounts of
events, practices, or conditions being
researched.
It also includes many original, creative works
or artifacts.
Caliban’s Rebellion (2008)
Image credit: Shehal Joseph at Flickr.com. Permission by CC by 2.0

7.
What is the literature?
Humanities:
 Creative works (original literature, fiction or
non-fiction, poetry, film, performances)
 Music scores handwritten by the composer(s)
 Diaries
 Regalia or original artifacts
 Magazine or newspaper articles
 Autobiographies
 Memoirs
 Oral histories
 Field notes
 Raw data
 Statues and laws
Sciences / Health Sciences:
 Original research (articles, reports, pre-prints)
 Conference papers
 Dissertations & theses
 Interviews
 Patents & inventions
 Technical reports
 Lab notebooks
 Raw data
Primary Source Examples:
Social sciences tend to use a combination from these
broad disciplines.
Image credits: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

8.
What is the literature?
2. Secondary sources: sources
that discuss, study, or
comment on information
from primary sources.

9.
Sciences / Health Sciences:
 Literature reviews
 Data analysis or refined compilations
 Reviews (systematic or meta-analysis)
 Opinion pieces
 Letters to the editor
 Articles in trade journals
(non-research)
 Textbooks and books
What is the literature?
Secondary Source Examples:
Social sciences tend to use a combination from these broad disciplines.
Humanities:
 Biographies
 Literary criticism
 Monographs written about a topic
 Reviews on creative
works
 Music scores that
have been published
or changed.
 Bibliographies
 Law reviews
 Journal articles
(criticism and
interpretation)

10.
3. Tertiary sources: sources that utilize and distill
information from primary and secondary sources.
Reference works
such as:
• Handbooks
• Standards
• Almanacs
• Encyclopedias
• Manuals
• Pathfinders
(LibGuides)
What is “the literature?”
Encyclopedia
of Caribbean
Theater
By C. Ocean
Handbook of
Spiders from
Around the World
By A.N. Arach-Nid

11.
What is the literature review?
 The process of identifying, locating,
examining, and synthesizing
scholarly information and
publications on a particular topic.
 One of the first things done by any
student or scholar who plans to
pursue new knowledge or do
research in most subject areas.
 The literature review establishes
the base upon which any new work
stands.
“Watching the skyline.”
Photo credit: by Peter F. on Flicker.com. Permission by CC BY 2.0.

12.
What is the literature review?
A literature review develops an understanding of
a topic in four different directions:
1. Research theory and philosophy
• Establish intellectual content
• Define a concept
2. History of development
• Gain background to present history
3. Latest research and development
• Identify current thinking, issues, and arguments
• Detect a knowledge gap
4. Research methods
• Discern techniques and instrumentation
Theory
History
Research
Methods
Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0; altered by K. Padron.

13.
What is the literature review?
The literature review is not…
 …an annotated bibliography or
laundry list of articles.
 …a linear process; earlier steps
may need to be revisited because
of new or additional information
found.
 …an optional step when
beginning research or exploring a
topic.
Photo credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

14.
What are uses of the literature review?
 Assignments, theses, and
dissertations
 Background for original research,
criticism and interpretation, or
new creations
 Grant proposals
 Evidence-based practice
Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

15.
Types of Literature Reviews
Reviews are not necessarily standard by design or
definition.
Main differences:
 Discipline norms: one for history would be
different than for medicine.
 Purpose and scope
 Rigor: Selection and appraisal
 Some disciplines have standards (PRISMA in health care)
 The use of pre-established criteria
 Organization
 Topical or narrative (by subject or theme)
 Chronological
 Geographical (variations in research methodology by country
or region; where things occur)
Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

16.
Types of Literature Reviews
Type of Review Summary Definition
Scoping review
(Example)
How much is out
there?
• Preliminary assessment of size and scope of available literature.
• Identify the extent and nature of past and current research.
State-of-the-art
or science
(Example)
What is new or
current?
• Focus on current research and knowledge.
• May offer new perspectives or identify areas for further research.
Literature review
(a.k.a. narrative
review)
(Example)
What is out there
and what are its
attributes?
• Generic term.
• An examination of past and/or current publications.
• May cover a range of subjects with varying levels of completeness
and comprehensiveness.

17.
Types of Literature Reviews
Type of Review Summary Definition
Critical review
(Example)
What are valuable
works on this topic,
and why? Where
can these points
lead?
• A critical evaluation of extensively researched literature selected
for its contribution to the field or understanding of concept..
• Describes degree of analysis with the hopes of deriving new
theory.
Systematic review
(Example)
What is out there
on this particular
concept with these
pre-established
conditions?
• Searching for literature and selecting based on pre-established
criteria (subjects, study design, methodology, outcomes, year of
publication).
• Summarizing what is found (or summarizing the evidence).
Meta-Analysis
(Example)
What are the
results when data
from similar
studies are pooled?
• Searching for literature and selecting based on pre-established
criteria (subjects, study design, methodology, outcomes, year of
publication).
• Follows a standard of reporting (e.g., PRISMA).
• Combines the data of multiples studies to improve estimates
and/or to resolve uncertainties when individual studies disagree.

18.
Activity: Which review is (probably) best?
Scenario 1: A nurse professor is applying for an NIH grant
and needs strong support and evidence for her proposal.
Scenario 2: A student wants to see how much has been
published on the 1923 Rosewood (Florida) Massacre.
Scenario 3: A civil engineering professor wants current
standards for concrete in order to build roads.
Scenario 4: A T.A. is looking for studies on how the justice
system handles young adults convicted of non-violent offenses.
Image credits: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.
Type of Review
Scoping review
(Example)
State-of-the-art
or science
(Example)
Literature review
(a.k.a. narrative
review)
(Example)
Critical review
(Example)
Systematic review
(Example)
Meta-Analysis
(Example)

19.
Activity: Which review is (probably) best?
Scenario 1: A nurse professor is applying for an NIH grant
and needs strong support and evidence for her proposal.
Scenario 2: A student wants to see how much has been
published on the 1923 Rosewood (Florida) Massacre.
Scenario 3: A civil engineering professor wants current
standards for concrete in order to build roads.
Scenario 4: A T.A. is looking for studies on how the justice
system handles young adults convicted of non-violent offenses.
Most likely a systematic review.
Most likely a scoping review.
Most likely a state-of-the-science review.
Most likely a literature review.
Image credits: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.
Type of Review
Scoping review
(Example)
State-of-the-art
or science
(Example)
Literature review
(a.k.a. narrative
review)
(Example)
Critical review
(Example)
Systematic review
(Example)
Meta-Analysis
(Example)

20.
How do I start a literature review?
1. Explore, select, then focus on a topic.
Look at “recommendations for further
research” in the conclusion of research
articles.
Use this to formulate your research
question and goal or objective of the
review.
(Generally for a systematic review)
Determine the pre-established criteria. Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

21.
How do I start a literature review?
2. Gather relevant documents and information.
 Identify sources of information for your topic and field: library and information
resources, organizations, special collections or archives, etc.
 Familiarize yourself with your organization’s library or information services,
including interlibrary loan or document delivery.
 Read other literature reviews or review articles if they are available on a topic.
 Utilize chain searching to find additional documents:
 Also known as pearl mining/ growing, citation analysis, reference searching, or citation
mining.
 Backward searching: exploring the references used in key studies.
 Forward searching: reviewing the articles that cite a particular study, or subsequent
research that uses a particular article.
 Can be done on first- and second-generation bases (and also third).

22.
How do I start a literature review?
3. Organize documents and information.
This will depend on preferences based on your
workflow, available technology, and working
solo or with others.
 Use citation management software (EndNote,
RefWorks, etc.).
 Identify other means of saving documents based on
your needs and workflow (Google Docs, DropBox,
etc.).
 Use a qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) as
needed for content analysis.
 Examples: Atlas.TI (available through FAU
Virtual Apps), MAXQDA, Nvivo
 Organize what is found for further exploration
(literature review matrix).
Image credits: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.
Organize!

23.
Citations Theoretical/
Conceptual
Framework
Research
Question(s)/
Hypotheses
Methodology Analysis &
Results
Conclusions Implications
for Future
Research
Implications
for Practice
Marley, K.M.
(July 2017)
“Potential of
Spider Silk in
Biomaterials”
Jnl. of
Experimental
Biomaterials
Review of
research
articles on
spider silk use
as
biomaterials
Spider silk has
many
potential uses
as
biomaterials,
particularly
wound and
incision care
IDs research
articles from last
10 years that
were done in a
lab; reviews 7
articles that fell
within criteria
N/A Spider silk may
be a better
biomaterial for
wounds and
incisions than
synthetic
materials.
More research
needs to be
done on uses
of spider silk
for wound and
incision care
Patients may
have faster
and more
thorough
recovery than
if synthetic
materials were
used.
Article 2
Article 3
How do I start a literature review?
The Literature Review Matrix
 The categories can be changed to focus on the needs of the assignment or norms of the
discipline.

24.
How do I start a literature review?
4. Summarize, compare, and critically evaluate relevant literature.
 Identify major themes and concepts.
 Highlight important papers.
 Determine what is important, out of scope, or disputed.
 Discern the research premise, design, and methodology utilized.
 Review described limitations of study or recommendations for future research.
 Identify critical gaps (within a given study as well as the overall body of
knowledge), disagreements, and anomalies.
 Discover relationships between sources (backward and forward searching of
cited references).
5. Provide a synthesis and overview of the literature; can be organized by themes
or chronologically.

25.
What are some steps in writing the literature
review?
1. Develop and then present an
understanding of the literature.
2. Organize the literature review on
the concepts and relationships
found.
3. Discuss what has been published
on the topic and include ideas and
conclusions.
4. Draft paper, proof-read, and revise;
include a bibliography.
Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

26.
Where can I start my search?
 Your library (FAU Libraries).
 OneSearch & Subject-Specific Databases.
 Web of Science.
 ProQuest Dissertations.
 LibGuides: subject and topic-specific information
sources.
 Google Scholar: identifies open access
publications, collections from organizations
and academic institutions, and gray literature.
 Other sources of specialized information for
your subject or format (e.g., patents, art,
music, special collections, government
documents, etc.). Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.

27.
When can I stop?
Consider the following:
• Searches were done using standard
information sources for your subject (e.g.,
PsycInfo for psychology) and general library
resources (OneSearch).
• Amount of time spent and strategy used in
your searches.
• Amount and quality of articles/ evidence.
• Repetition of results with various searches.
• Being able to identify seminal works and
authorities on topic.
• Feedback to your search from advisor,
colleagues, etc.
Image credit: by Pixabay.com. Permission by CC0.
?

28.
Where are some resources for writing a
literature review?
 Purdue OWL - Literature Reviews
 General literature reviews:
Everett, E. L. (2013). Doing your master’s dissertation: From start to finish.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Walliman, N. (2011). Research methods: The basics. London: Routledge.
 Social & Behavioral Sciences:
Galvan, J. L. (1999). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the
social and behavioral sciences. Los Angeles: Pyrczak.
 Nursing & Health Sciences:
Coughlan, M., Cronin, P., & Ryan, F. (2013). Doing a literature review in nursing,
health, and social care. Los Angeles: Sage.

29.
For additional information, contact the FAU
Libraries:
 Contact or visit your campus library.
 Library Service Desk
 Ask a Librarian (Chat, text, or email):
www.askalibrarian.org/fau
 Research Consultations:
tinyurl.com/consult-orient