Conducting a literature review is the process of assessing the current state of research and knowledge on a particular topic or research question. You may conduct a literature review to provide background on your current research and include it as an introduction to your paper, or it may be a formal and systematic method used to understand gaps in the literature and/or synthesize current knowledge on a topic.
Some of these formal literature reviews take the form of:
About Cochrane Reviews. (n.d.). Cochrane Library. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.cochranelibrary.com/about/about-cochrane-reviews
Haidich A. B. (2010). Meta-analysis in medical research. Hippokratia, 14(Suppl 1), 29–37. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21487488/
Munn, Pollock, D., Khalil, H., Alexander, L., Mclnerney, P., Godfrey, C. M., Peters, M., & Tricco, A. C. (2022). What are scoping reviews? Providing a formal definition of scoping reviews as a type of evidence synthesis. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 20(4), 950–952. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-21-00483
TIP: Set up a research consultation appointment at the library for assistance with a literature review. Just fill out and submit the Book A Librarian form:
There are many reasons to conduct a literature review:
Baker, J.D. (2016). The purpose, process, and methods of writing a literature review. AORN, 103(3), 265-269. doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2016.01.016