Stages to Literature Review:
Topic
- What is the research topic? (see the Topic tab to learn more)
- What are its component issues?
Search Strategy (see the Search Strategy tab)
- Identify all possible key words, synonyms, MeSH Terms
- Decide where to search / which databases (see Databases tab)
- Determine the best types of documents and materials to include and stay up to date on newly published materials by creating alerts (see About Alerts tab)
- List all inclusion and exclusion criteria for materials
Literature Search
- Review titles and abstracts
- Identify materials that make the most significant contributions to the understanding of the topic
- use cited linking tools and cited reference searches (see Databases tab to learn more)
Make adjustments
- Evaluate the results and make any necessary adjustments to your search plan
Gather all remaining materials
- Classify and organize materials (see Mendeley tab) according the type of research methodology / study design, etc...
Analysis and Interpretation
- Discuss the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature
- Discuss the progression of the research on the topic
- Discuss the relationships in the literature (methods, procedures, analysis, conclusions, etc...)
- Develop your own ideas related to it