Health & Biomedical Research: Getting Started

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a review and discussion of the current published literature on a topic. It summarizes, synthesizes, and evaluates the literature in context to the research question at hand.

• Literature reviews can be a part of a scholarly article, usually the Introduction, or a stand alone paper
• The comprehensiveness of a literature review is often determined by the journal, author, or assignment
• Compared to other types of papers, a literature review can usually be completed in a relatively short amount of time

How do I Conduct a Literature Review?

1. Formulate a well-defined research question
   • Use a research question framework, like *PICO, to craft the research question 
2. Identify and search relevant literature sources (i.e., databases)
   • Select sources form the Library's Databases page 
3. Identify search terms that describe the main points of the question/topic
   • Learn basic database logic so you can connect search terms appropriately and optimize search performance
4. Consider defining inclusion and exclusion criteria for search results (e.g., article type, publication date, etc.)
5. Execute searches across multiple sources; refine results using a database's built-in filters 
6. Use a reference manager, like EndNote or Zotero to collect search results in a central location
7. Screen results for inclusion/exclusion 
8. Read and take notes; make note of themes, knowledge gaps, and key findings 
9. Synthesize the research
   • Get writing and editing help from the Library 

*PICO is an acronym: Patient, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome. It identifies the information required for a focused research question.