1. 1Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Chapter 6
Review of Relevant Literature

2. 2Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
What is a Literature Review?
 An organized written presentation of what you
find when you review the literature.
 Literature review in a research report should:
 Summarize current empirical and theoretical
knowledge about a research problem
 Include what is known and not known
 Provide a basis for the study conducted

3. 3Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Purposes of Reviewing the
Literature
 Writing a course paper
 Examining the strength of the evidence
 Developing a research proposal

4. 4Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Practical Considerations
 Type of literature
 Time
 Number of articles
 Process of reading and stages of a literature
review

5. 5Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Types of Literature
 Empirical literature: relevant studies
 Theoretical literature: concept analyses,
theories, and models that support the
research purpose
 Seminal, landmark, serials, periodicals,
monographs, ebooks, government reports,
position papers, thesis, dissertation
 Primary vs. secondary sources

6. 6Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Searching
 Develop a search plan
 Record the name, date, search terms, search strategy,
number and type of articles found, estimate proportion of
citations retrieved of relevant articles
 Databases to search
 Bibliographic database using disciplines
 Search strategies
 Keywords, authors, complex searches, Boolean operators,
locational operators, positional operators, limiting,
systematic recording, software for citations, saved searches

7. 7Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Reading and Critiquing Research
 Skimming sources
 Comprehending sources
 Analyzing sources
 Synthesizing sources

8. 8Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Writing the Review of Literature
 Writing suggestions
 Paraphrase
 Organization
 Introduction
 Theoretical
 Empirical
 Summary
 Refine and check references

9. 9Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Current Topics for Research in
the 21st Century
 Quantitative, qualitative, and outcomes
research focus
 Goal: evidence-based practice
 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) guidelines and priorities
 www.ahrq.gov
 National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
priorities
 www.ninr.nih.gov

10. 9Copyright © 2013, 2009, 2005, 2001, 1997 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
Current Topics for Research in
the 21st Century
 Quantitative, qualitative, and outcomes
research focus
 Goal: evidence-based practice
 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) guidelines and priorities
 www.ahrq.gov
 National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
priorities
 www.ninr.nih.gov