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Doing a Literature Review in Nursing, Health and Social Care

Article  in  Australian Journal of Primary Health · January 2015

DOI: 10.1071/PYv21n4_BR2

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CSIRO PUBLISHING
Australian Journal of Primary Health, 2015, 21, 468
http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PYv21n4_BR2
Doing a Literature Review in Nursing, Health and Social Care
Michael Coughlan, Patricia Cronin and Frances Ryan

Sage, London (2013)

153 pp., A$49.14

ISBN: 978144249611
The importance of good literature reviews in health and social
sciences cannot be overestimated. Literature reviews can provide
the solid ‘shoulders of others’ on which we can develop our
understanding of best clinical practice and the directions of
future research. Doing a Literature Review in Nursing, Health
and Social Care is a really useful guide for anyone who needs
to undertake such a review. It is comprehensive, well organised
and enjoyably easy to read.
Written by three Assistant Professors in the School of Nursing
at Trinity College, Dublin, the book explains what literature
reviews are and, importantly, how literature reviews differ from
essays. The book describes different key literature review types,
including narrative, integrative, scoping, realist and systematic
reviews, and explains when to use them. It offers an excellent
contemporary guide to the process of reviewing health literature
that incorporates critical appraisal, analysis, synthesis and writing
up. Each aspect is accompanied by highly relevant recent
examples and each chapter contains useful learning outcomes and
key-point summaries. Important topics like systematic reviews,
Journal compilation Ó La Trobe University 2015
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critical appraisal and referencing and plagiarism are given their
own chapter. Although students may want the instructions to
appear before the explanatory and descriptive passages (‘Just tell
me what to do!’), generally readers will find Coughlan, Cronin
and Ryan’s handbook to be an engaging guide to each step in
the literature review process. They provide a highly relevant
contribution to the burgeoning practice of systematic reviews and
beyond that doesn’t overwhelm, yet gives a thoroughly practical
overview with clear instructions.
Well referenced throughout, with useful web links, a minor
improvement would be the inclusion of a ‘Further Readings’
section and list of useful web page addresses to accompany
the references list and glossary. In summary, this is a practical,
succinct guide; highly recommended.
Dell Horey and James Canty

La Trobe University

Melbourne
www.publish.csiro.au/journals/py