Literature review

1. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 1
LITERATURE REVIEW

2. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 2
What is Literature Review?
An extensive search of the information available on a topic which results in a list of
references to books, periodicals, and other materials on the topic
Literature includes:
-Books ( printed or e-books)
- Journals
- Research reports
-Institutional publications
- Govt. publications
-Various NGO’s/ INGO’s publications
- Internet (Online resources)
- Intranet (Offline resources)

3. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 3
Source of Literature
Primary Sources
• Primary resources contain first-hand information, meaning that you
are reading the author’s own account on a specific topic or event that
s/he participated in.
• Examples of primary sources are :
Original documents such as diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews,
records, eyewitness accounts, autobiographies
Empirical scholarly works such as research articles, clinical reports, case
studies, dissertations
Creative works such as poetry, music, video, photography

4. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 4
• Secondary sources describe, summarize, or discuss information or
details originally presented in another source; meaning the author, in
most cases, did not participate in the event.
• This type of source is written for a broad audience and will include
definitions of discipline specific terms, history relating to the topic,
significant theories and principles, and summaries of major
studies/events as related to the topic.
• Examples of a secondary source are: Publications such as textbooks,
magazine articles, book reviews, commentaries, encyclopedias,
almanacs
Source of Literature

5. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 5
• Internet searching for the purpose of academic business and others
• Pubmed searching exclusively for medical literature
• Search should be exhaustive with all parts covered
• Date should preferably be 5-10 years depending on the topic
• A thorough review should include primary and secondary sources
Means of Search

6. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 6
• To Review theory
• To define Problem statement
• To improve self knowledge
• To Know methodology.
• To assess need of problem
• To support on tools, methods, findings, data collection
• To review what was done in past
• To generate Idea
Why search literature

7. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 7
• PubMed: A service of the National Library of Medicine, provides
access to MEDLINE citations back to the mid-1960s to present.
• PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides
access to over 12 million MEDLINE citations back to the mid-1960's
and additional life science journals.
• Pub Med includes links to many sites providing full text articles and
other related resources.
• Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?otool=uiclib
Databases for Medical Searches

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 8
How to search in PubMed?
• Use ‘Title/ Abstract’ in search builder, under Advanced Search tab in
Pubmed
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 9

10. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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• Use knowledge, logic and creativity
• Start with good Research Question
• Population
• Determinant/ Exposure
• Outcome
Does renal impairment increase mortality risk in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?
• Have several terms & synonyms for all
• Be aware: UK / US spelling
Search Techniques in Pubmed

11. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 11
Search Techniques in Pubmed
• Search #1: Population OR synonyms
• Search #2: Determinant OR synonyms
• Search #3: Outcome OR synonyms
• Search #4: Combine #1, #2 and #3
• Population (#1) AND Determinant (#2) AND Outcome (#3)

12. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 12
Research Question
• Does renal impairment increase mortality risk in Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus?
• Population: Type 2 DM
• Determinant: Renal impairment
• Outcome: Mortality

13. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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14. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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15. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 15
Search Techniques in Pubmed
AND

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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OR

17. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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18. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 18
OR
OR
OR

19. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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20. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 20
OR

21. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 21

22. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 22
AND AND

23. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 23

24. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 24

25. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
28/01/2024 25
• Google Scholar: Google Scholar is widely used by researchers,
students, and academics for literature reviews, finding academic
papers, tracking citations, and staying updated on the latest research
in their respective fields. It complements other academic databases
and search engines, providing a user-friendly and accessible platform
for academic discovery
• Link:https://scholar.google.com/
Databases for Medical Searches

26. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Databases for Medical Searches
• CINAHL Plus with Full Text CINAHL covers literature related to nursing
and allied health.
• The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) database
provides authoritative coverage of the literature related to nursing
and allied health.
• Link: https://health.ebsco.com/products/cinahl-plus-with-full-text

27. Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Databases for Medical Searches
• EMBASE : Excerpta Medica Database A good alternative (or
supplement) to PubMed; especially strong in international research
and drug & disease coverage.
• Its has been in existence from 1974 to present.
• EMBASE is an abstract and indexing database in biomedicine which
also excels in its coverage of pharmaceutical research. It currently
contains more than 15 million records from Excerpta Medica
Database (1974 to present) and selected Medline records (1966-
present). Currently the Library does not own the archives of Embase
from 1947 to 1973
• Link: https://www.embase.com/login

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Databases for Medical Searches
• TOXNET is a publicly available portal to materials on toxicology,
hazardous chemicals, and biohazards. The National Library of
Medicine provides access to TOXNET
• Link: https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Databases for Medical Searches
• KNUST Repositories: This platform showcases the intellectual output from the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Link: http://ir.knust.edu.gh/
• NDLTD: Networked Digital Library of Thesis and Dissertation
• DEEP: Electronic Thesis Online service
• National ETD Portal (South African Defence Theses)
• DiVA: Theses from Scandinavian countries.
• HINARI from WHO

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Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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