Miss
Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach
Patricia Cronin, Frances Ryan, Michael Coughlan research literature on the topic being studied (Hart, 1998). Its goal is to bring the reader up-to-date with current literature on a topic and form the basis for another goal, such as the justification for future research in the area. A good literature review gathers information about a particular subject from many sources. It is well written and contains few if any personal biases. It should contain a clear search and selection strategy (Carnwell and Daly, 2001). Good structuring is essential to enhance the flow and readability of the review. Accurate use of terminology is important and jargon should be kept to a minimum. Referencing should be accurate throughout (Colling, 2003).
Abstract
Nowadays, most nurses, pre- and post-qualification, will be required to undertake a literature review at some point, either as part of a course of study, as a key step in the research process, or as part of clinical practice development or policy. For student nurses and novice researchers it is often seen as a difficult undertaking. It demands a complex range of skills, such as learning how to define topics for exploration, acquiring skills of literature searching and retrieval, developing the ability to analyse and synthesize data as well as becoming adept at writing and reporting, often within a limited time scale. The purpose of this article is to present a step-by-step guide to facilitate understanding by presenting the critical elements of the literature review process. While reference is made to different types of literature reviews, the focus is on the traditional or narrative review that is undertaken, usually either as an academic assignment or part of the research process. Key words: Analysis and synthesis searching n Writing a review n Types of literature reviews Traditional or narrative literature review
This type of review critiques and summarizes a body of
Patricia Cronin, Frances Ryan, Michael Coughlan research literature on the topic being studied (Hart, 1998). Its goal is to bring the reader up-to-date with current literature on a topic and form the basis for another goal, such as the justification for future research in the area. A good literature review gathers information about a particular subject from many sources. It is well written and contains few if any personal biases. It should contain a clear search and selection strategy (Carnwell and Daly, 2001). Good structuring is essential to enhance the flow and readability of the review. Accurate use of terminology is important and jargon should be kept to a minimum. Referencing should be accurate throughout (Colling, 2003).
Abstract
Nowadays, most nurses, pre- and post-qualification, will be required to undertake a literature review at some point, either as part of a course of study, as a key step in the research process, or as part of clinical practice development or policy. For student nurses and novice researchers it is often seen as a difficult undertaking. It demands a complex range of skills, such as learning how to define topics for exploration, acquiring skills of literature searching and retrieval, developing the ability to analyse and synthesize data as well as becoming adept at writing and reporting, often within a limited time scale. The purpose of this article is to present a step-by-step guide to facilitate understanding by presenting the critical elements of the literature review process. While reference is made to different types of literature reviews, the focus is on the traditional or narrative review that is undertaken, usually either as an academic assignment or part of the research process. Key words: Analysis and synthesis searching n Writing a review n Types of literature reviews Traditional or narrative literature review
This type of review critiques and summarizes a body of
References: The literature review should conclude with a full bibliographical list of all the books, journal articles, reports and other media, which were referred to in the work. Regardless of whether the review is part of a course of study or for publication, it is an essential part of the process that all sourced material is acknowledged. This means that every citation in the text must appear in the reference/bibliography and vice versa. Omissions or errors in referencing are very common and students often lose vital marks in assignment because of it. A useful strategy is to create a separate file for references and each time a publication is cited, it can be added to this list immediately. Some universities offer their students access to referencing systems, such as Endnote, and while they may initially appear difficult to learn they are worth the effort later in terms of ensuring the reference list is accurate. Remember, the reference list may be a useful source of literature for others who are interested in studying this topic (Coughlan et al, 2007), and, therefore, every effort should be made to ensure it is accurate. Beecroft C, Rees A, Booth A (2006) Finding the evidence. In: Gerrish K, Lacey A, eds. The Research Process in Nursing. 5th edn. Blackwell Publishing, Philadephia: 90–106 Beyea S, Nicholl L (1998) Writing an integrative review. AORN Journal 67(4): 877–80 Burns N, Grove SK (2007) Understanding Nursing Research – Building an EvidenceBased Practice. 4th edn. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis Carnwell R, Daly W (2001) Strategies for the construction of a critical review of the literature. Nurse Educ Pract 1: 57–63 Cohen G (1990) Memory. In: Roth I, ed. The Open University’s Introduction to Psychology.Volume 2. Milton Keynes, Lawrence Eribaum: 570–620 Colling J (2003) Demystifying the clinical nursing research process: the literature review. Urol Nurs 23(4): 297–9 Coughlan M, Cronin P, Ryan F (2007) Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 1: quantitative research. Br J Nurs 16(11): 658–63 Ely C, Scott I (2007) Essential Study Skills for Nursing. Elsevier, Edinburgh Hart C (1998) Doing a Literature Review. Sage Publications, London Hek G, Langton H (2000) Systematically searching and reviewing literature. Nurse Res 7(3): 40–57 Hek G, Moule P (2006) Making Sense of Research: An Introduction for Health and Social Care Practitioners. 3rd edn. Sage Publications, London Hendry C, Farley A (1998) Reviewing the literature: a guide for students. Nurs Stand 12(44): 46–8 Newell R, Burnard P (2006) Research for Evidence-Based Practice. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford Paniagua H (2002) Planning research: methods and ethics. Practice Nursing 13(1): 22–5 Parahoo K (2006) Nursing Research – principles, process and issues. 2nd edn. Palgrave, Houndsmill Patrick LJ, Munro S (2004) The literature review: demystifying the literature search. Diabetes Educ 30(1): 30–8 Polit DF, Beck CT (2004) Nursing Research: principles and methods. 7th edn. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia Polit D, Beck C (2006) Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilization. 6th edn. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia Timmins F, McCabe C (2005) How to conduct an effective literature review. Nurs Stand 20(11): 41–7 Younger P (2004) Using the internet to conduct a literature search. Nurs Stand 19(6): 45–51 KEY POINTS n Undertaking a literature review is a key feature in many courses of study, an essential step in the research process, and is fundamental in the development of clinical practice and policy. n Types of literature reviews include narrative or traditional; systematic review; meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. n Undertaking a literature review includes identification of a topic of interest, searching and retrieving the appropriate literature, analysing and synthesizing the findings and writing a report. n A structured step-by-step approach facilitates the production of a comprehensive and informed literature review. Conclusion A literature review is central to the research process and can help refine a research question through determining inconsistencies in a body of knowledge. Similarly, it can help inspire new research innovations and ideas while creating greater understanding about a topic. It can enable a novice British Journal of Nursing, 2008, Vol 17, No 1 43