Are you struggling with writing a literature review? If so, you're not alone.

Crafting a literature
review can be a challenging task that requires time, effort, and a deep understanding of the subject
matter. However, with the right approach, you can streamline the process and produce a high-quality
review that meets your academic or professional needs.

A systematic literature review is a methodical and thorough examination of existing literature on a

particular topic or research question. It involves identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing relevant
sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in the field. While
the process can be daunting, breaking it down into manageable steps can make it more manageable
and less overwhelming.

Here are five steps to help you navigate the process of conducting a systematic literature review:

1. Define your research question: Start by clearly defining the scope and focus of your literature
review. What specific topic or research question are you exploring? What are the key
concepts or variables you need to consider? Clarifying your research question will guide your
search for relevant literature and help you stay focused throughout the process.
2. Conduct a comprehensive search: Once you have a clear research question, it's time to start
searching for relevant literature. Use a variety of sources, including academic databases,
journals, books, and grey literature, to identify relevant studies, articles, and other sources
related to your topic. Be thorough in your search and consider using a combination of
keywords and Boolean operators to refine your results.
3. Evaluate and select sources: Not all sources are created equal, so it's essential to evaluate the
quality and relevance of the literature you find. Consider factors such as the author's
credentials, the publication venue, the methodology used, and the relevance to your research
question. Select sources that are credible, current, and directly related to your topic.
4. Analyze and synthesize the literature: Once you've gathered a collection of relevant sources,
it's time to analyze and synthesize the information they contain. Identify key themes, trends,
and findings across the literature and look for connections, patterns, and gaps in the existing
research. Organize your findings in a logical and coherent manner, highlighting the most
significant insights and implications for your research.
5. Write and revise your literature review: Finally, it's time to write your literature review. Start
by outlining the structure of your review, including an introduction, body paragraphs
organized around key themes or topics, and a conclusion that summarizes the main findings
and suggests avenues for future research. Be sure to cite your sources accurately and adhere
to any formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or publication venue. Once you've
written your initial draft, take the time to revise and refine your review, paying attention to
clarity, coherence, and consistency.

In conclusion, writing a systematic literature review can be a challenging but rewarding process. By
following these five steps and approaching the task with diligence and attention to detail, you can
produce a high-quality review that contributes valuable insights to the existing body of knowledge in
your field. If you find yourself struggling or pressed for time, consider seeking assistance from a
reputable academic writing service like ⇒ StudyHub.vip ⇔. Their team of experienced writers can
help you navigate the complexities of the literature review process and ensure that your work meets
the highest standards of academic excellence.
This is the pooled, or “meta,” effect size from an included meta-analysis (we’ll come to meta-
analysis shortly). As a previous Ontario Graduate Scholar, he has applied his accolades as a teaching
assistant and has become a research associate in the department of surgery at Hamilton Health
Sciences. Andrew is an avid runner, and is said to dabble in the culinary arts, when he’s not spoiling
his dog. In systematic reviews, specific details are extracted from every study included, such as
numbers of participants, methods, analysis techniques, and key outcomes. In this case, the result is
considered not “statistically significant.”. The purpose of this section is to provide enough detail to
enable other researchers to replicate the review. Systematic evaluations should include the following.
Please take a moment and use the link to the right to download and skim through the article. Because
of differences in how we extract data from sources and what information is relevant, the analysis
within and structure of our literature reviews will vary. Consult your library subject guide to review
databases appropriate for your topic. It usually contains a summary, a synthesis, or an analysis of the
key arguments in the existing literature. If the experiments and trials identified in the literature
search are of a uniform nature, a meta-analysis may be performed. However, the quality of the
included studies varied, and more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm
these findings. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta analyses. It’s a good idea
to do the same for a literature review, even if not a strict requirement. Heterogeneity complicates the
interpretation of a meta-analysis; it signals that we might be comparing apples and oranges. This is
the median control group risk across 8 trials of 3,663 women. Keep in mind that finishing it could
take longer than a year. Heterogeneity in a forest plot refers to the diversity in effect size estimates
across studies. The quest for regulation is akin to taming a wild, enigmatic beast. The findings
indicated that mindfulness meditation can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety in college
students. One inclusion criteria might be that assignment to study arms had to be random; an
exclusion criteria might be all studies without a control arm that used a placebo. Some systematic
reviews include a meta-analysis, which is quantitative technique for combining the results of multiple
studies to estimate a pooled effect size that takes variations in study size and quality into
consideration. Review purpose of a Systematic Review Types of systematic review Best question for
each study type Process of designing a systematic review. Three common approaches are
chronological, thematic, and debate-focused. PhD student (NIHR funded) Health Sciences
University of York. Embedded literature reviews must discuss the connections between the sources
you used for your research and also make connections between your work and these sources.
Providing a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge on a specific topic. 2. Identifying
research gaps and areas for future investigation. 3. Informing evidence-based decision-making and
policy development. 4. Enhancing the credibility and rigor of research by following a systematic
approach. 5. Facilitating the dissemination of research findings to a wider audience. 6. Contributing
to the advancement of knowledge in the field. This involves organizing your findings, writing a clear
and structured paper, and submitting it to a relevant journal or conference for publication. A
comprehensive search of multiple databases was conducted, and 750 studies were selected for data
extraction and analysis.
This involves summarizing the key findings, identifying patterns or trends, and drawing conclusions
based on the available evidence. Andrew has received numerous awards and scholarships including:
the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the William Henry Yates Travel Scholarship and the Institute of
Infectious Disease Research Undergraduate Research Award. Studies are not created equal, and the
weight parameter lets researchers account for these differences in the analysis. A comprehensive
search of multiple databases was conducted, and 750 studies were selected for data extraction and
analysis. They introduce readers to the surrounding literature while also situating your work within
the larger scholarly discussion on that topic. Rather than examining the topic itself, historiography is
the study of how historical topics have been examined over time by other historians. Google does
not filter the evidence in this manner. Systematic reviews What is it and why do we need them.
Fourth, analyze the patterns you noted by considering similarities and differences between sources.
Radeva-Petrova et al. ( 2014 ) wrap up on page 120. Registration forms are used in almost all walks
of life for several purposes. Re. By following a systematic approach, researchers can minimize bias
and ensure that their review is transparent, reproducible, and reliable. This example shows a specific
type of effect size: relative risk. The relative risk is 0.39, which means that malaria chemoprevention
is associated with a 61% decrease in parasitemia. Most systematic searches specify several, if not
many, criteria regarding which studies to include or exclude. Here are the steps to follow when
creating a literary review. The quality assessment criteria included study design, sample size,
blinding, allocation concealment, and statistical analysis. Over 15,763 SEO agencies and brands are
using AtOnce to rank higher on Google. Morag Heirs. Research Fellow Centre for Reviews and
Dissemination University of York. Keep in mind that finishing it could take longer than a year.
Screening for a literature review is typically less intensive. Course Goals Learn the skills necessary
to design and complete a systematic review (but know when to seek statistical help) Be able to
critique published systematic reviews Have a fun and interesting class. Because most historical
writing uses the Chicago Manual of Style as a reference system, most historiographies will also
require you to use the Chicago Manual of Style. Many of the reviews in these databases can be
accessed by searching within PubMed using the Clinical Queries feature. Software to help you create
coded data extraction forms from templates include. Heterogeneity in a forest plot refers to the
diversity in effect size estimates across studies. One inclusion criteria might be that assignment to
study arms had to be random; an exclusion criteria might be all studies without a control arm that
used a placebo. You may want to add these new headings to your Matrix to remind you to critically
appraise the sources according to this new criteria. These details should look familiar from the
summary of results table. We don’t know if it prevents maternal deaths, as this would require very
large studies to detect an effect.
To write a strong stand-alone literature review, you should approach the research using a step-by-step
process. For instance, the intervention may work differently in different contexts, and the included
studies were gathered from all over the world. In both stand-alone and embedded historiographies,
you must support your arguments and analyses with examples from the sources. The name lagged
behind, appearing first in 1996, apparently referring to the tree-line optics typical of most forest
plots. Megan O’Brien, PhD, MPH Glen White, PhD Amalia Monroe-Gulick, MLS Dot Nary, PhD
Sasha Li, BA Advisory Panel: Jana Peterson, PhD, MPH, Jean Ann Summers, PhD, John Westbrook,
PhD, Marsha Katz, MSEd, and Tom Seekins, PhD. Figure 3.4: Drugs for preventing malaria in
pregnancy: conceptual framework. On March 30, 2016, Andrew Duong taught a seminar to students
at the Michael DeGroote School of Medicine on the 6 Steps of the Systematic Review Process. It lets
you write hundreds of articles on any topic, giving you more clicks to your site. Heterogeneity
complicates the interpretation of a meta-analysis; it signals that we might be comparing apples and
oranges. This information is often presented graphically in a flow diagram like this one from
Radeva-Petrova et al. ( 2014 ). Three common approaches are chronological, thematic, and debate-
focused. The risk of antenatal parasitemia is 286 events per every 1,000 people. An annotated
bibliography might suffice for a literature review. Resources for students and trainees some key
resources are highlighted in the next few pages researchers around the world have found these useful
its worth a look and it might save you a lot of time. Additionally, systematic reviews are often used
as a basis for evidence-based practice and policy-making. These criteria can include study design,
population, intervention or exposure, outcome measures, and language. You find this review How
confident are you of the evidence. These themes will also be used as the headings for your Matrix,
which will be discussed in detail in Section B: Planning and Researching. Course Goals Learn the
skills necessary to design and complete a systematic review (but know when to seek statistical help)
Be able to critique published systematic reviews Have a fun and interesting class. Approach the grey
literature methodically and purposefully. Also note when your sources were published and if any
important social, political, or economic events occurred at roughly the same time. After obtaining his
Bachelor of Science in Genetics, he earned a Master of Science in Microbiology from the Michael
DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research at McMaster University. The goal of a systematic
review is to be comprehensive and to include every relevant article. Due to this variety of formats,
make sure you are clear on what kind of literature review your professor is expecting. SLRs may be
quantitative (by only reviewing quantitative studies), qualitative (by only reviewing qualitative
studies), or mixed methods (by reviewing both quantitative and qualitative studies). Campbell offers
editorial and methodological support to review authors throughout the process of producing a
systematic review. They are self-contained pieces of writing that can function as a stepping stone to a
larger piece of writing or can enhance writers’ understandings of a topic. Literary review templates
are surveys of scholarly sources on a specific subject matter. Scholars who conduct systematic
reviews register their research protocols in advance to clearly state the literature search strategy, rules
for including and excluding studies, and a plan for the analysis. Address how your approach to the
topic reinforces or rejects previous approaches as well as how your work contributes to the larger
body of knowledge on your topic.
This registration informs other researchers that a group is working on a certain area of study, which
can discourage duplicate research efforts that may, therefore, fail to be published. Heterogeneity
means diversity (and is the opposite of homogeneity). Each study’s point estimate of the relative risk
is plotted around a line of “no effect.” A risk of 1 means that there is no difference between the
intervention and control groups. Heterogeneity complicates the interpretation of a meta-analysis; it
signals that we might be comparing apples and oranges. Team members screen the search results and
sort them according to these criteria, beginning with titles and abstract reviews and moving to full-
text reviews later. Not every study is designed or implemented equally, however, so review authors
must also evaluate the potential for bias in each study to help the reader make sense of the findings.
Heterogeneity in a forest plot refers to the diversity in effect size estimates across studies. These
details should look familiar from the summary of results table. Like other literature reviews,
historiographies can be embedded or stand-alone. Include information on the thesis, perspective,
historical approach, arguments, sources, and methodology. Additionally, systematic reviews are often
used as a basis for evidence-based practice and policy-making. Comprehensive and versatile register
of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs). Criteria may include
factors relating to the population, the intervention, the type of study and the outcome. You may start
by defining inclusion parameters (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative studies, date published, location of
study, etc.). You should also record keywords to search for your topic and build search strings that
will help you find sources (e.g., exercise AND mental health AND adolescents). Fifth, situate your
own research within the current literature in your field. Be sure to meet with a reference librarian if
you are unsure how to create an effective search strategy. Literature reviews don’t have to follow
such rigid methods or make the methods explicit. As such, the thesis or central argument of your
historiography should explain why your research on the topic contributes to or rejects previous
historical analyses of your topic. Writing an embedded literature review will clarify your
understanding of the material and demonstrate your thorough research skills. Fourth, analyze the
patterns you noted by considering similarities and differences between sources. An effect size is a
measure of the strength or magnitude of a relationship, such as the relationship between taking a
medicine and experiencing a bad outcome. Review purpose of a Systematic Review Types of
systematic review Best question for each study type Process of designing a systematic review. This
reduces the chance of bias and improves the reliability of the results. A systematic review assembles
all the experimental evidences and reported studies that fit the pre-set inclusion criteria to answer a
specific research question. Providing a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge on a specific
topic. 2. Identifying research gaps and areas for future investigation. 3. Informing evidence-based
decision-making and policy development. 4. Enhancing the credibility and rigor of research by
following a systematic approach. 5. Facilitating the dissemination of research findings to a wider
audience. 6. Contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field. Carefully select sources that
will provide current and credible information on your topic. Andrew is an avid runner, and is said to
dabble in the culinary arts, when he’s not spoiling his dog. However, more high-quality randomized
controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings. It lets you write hundreds of articles on any
topic, giving you more clicks to your site.
Literature reviews don’t have to follow such rigid methods or make the methods explicit. In the
Conclusion, the authors frame the overall results in terms of their implications for practice and
research. This is the median control group risk across 8 trials of 3,663 women. Radeva-Petrova et al.
( 2014 ) summarized the problem of malaria during pregnancy, explained the hypothesized
mechanism by which chemoprevention prevents malaria, framed why this review is important, and
listed the objectives of the study. This process involves extracting information on study
characteristics, methods, results, and conclusions. A literature review also helps distinguish what
research has been done and identify what aspects of the topic need further research. On March 30,
2016, Andrew Duong taught a seminar to students at the Michael DeGroote School of Medicine on
the 6 Steps of the Systematic Review Process. To conduct a literature search, you can use various
databases, search engines, and other sources of information. Moore Library Oakes Field Campus,
University of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas 302-4249. Radeva-Petrova et al. ( 2014 ) wrap up on
page 120. Different Types of Reviews Conducting a Review Develop a research question and
protocol Searching process. Karin Hannes Centre for Methodology of Educational Research. Outline.
Intro - daily practice: evidence-based. As a previous Ontario Graduate Scholar, he has applied his
accolades as a teaching assistant and has become a research associate in the department of surgery at
Hamilton Health Sciences. Third, identify patterns in approaches to your topic. Providing a
comprehensive overview of existing knowledge on a specific topic. 2. Identifying research gaps and
areas for future investigation. 3. Informing evidence-based decision-making and policy development.
4. Enhancing the credibility and rigor of research by following a systematic approach. 5. Facilitating
the dissemination of research findings to a wider audience. 6. Contributing to the advancement of
knowledge in the field. Before beginning the systematic review, the authors provide guidelines for
determining which evidence should be included or omitted. However, more high-quality randomized
controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings. Preregistration gives other researchers
confidence that the team is not selectively choosing advantageous results at the end to make an
interesting paper. Example where I'm using AtOnce's AI review response generator to make
customers happier. You must have a clear understanding of the important people, series of events,
places, or times that were involved with your topic. Because of differences in how we extract data
from sources and what information is relevant, the analysis within and structure of our literature
reviews will vary. Literature reviews, on the other hand, do not follow such rigid or explicit methods.
Help support the objectives of: Project management Systems engineering Verification and validation
Configuration management Quality assurance. Do the confidence intervals from each study form a
vertical column, even if the point estimates shift between them. The use of unambiguous, systematic
methods minimizes bias in the review. Software to help you create coded data extraction forms from
templates include. The name lagged behind, appearing first in 1996, apparently referring to the tree-
line optics typical of most forest plots. Not every study is designed or implemented equally, however,
so review authors must also evaluate the potential for bias in each study to help the reader make
sense of the findings. Starting with a systematic review pays off almost every time one is available.
Screening for a literature review is typically less intensive.
Look for patterns in authors’ approaches or in their methodological handling of the topic. Starting
with a systematic review pays off almost every time one is available. Due to this variety of formats,
make sure you are clear on what kind of literature review your professor is expecting. Your research
question should be specific, clear, and focused. Fifth, situate your own research within the current
literature in your field. Heterogeneity in a forest plot refers to the diversity in effect size estimates
across studies. A systematic review assembles all the experimental evidences and reported studies
that fit the pre-set inclusion criteria to answer a specific research question. In systematic reviews,
specific details are extracted from every study included, such as numbers of participants, methods,
analysis techniques, and key outcomes. Review purpose of a Systematic Review Types of systematic
review Best question for each study type Process of designing a systematic review. It gives a general
summary of information relevant to a certain research problem or question. Megan O’Brien, PhD,
MPH Glen White, PhD Amalia Monroe-Gulick, MLS Dot Nary, PhD Sasha Li, BA Advisory Panel:
Jana Peterson, PhD, MPH, Jean Ann Summers, PhD, John Westbrook, PhD, Marsha Katz, MSEd,
and Tom Seekins, PhD. These details should look familiar from the summary of results table. Before
you start, you may want to brainstorm some common themes that you will use to analyze the sources
(e.g., participant characteristics, measurement tools, results). You find this review How confident are
you of the evidence. In the Conclusion, the authors frame the overall results in terms of their
implications for practice and research. Like other literature reviews, historiographies can be
embedded or stand-alone. Data will be collected regarding the reasons for exclusion. Figure 3.3:
Malaria chemoprevention for pregnant women living in endemic areas. Review purpose of a
Systematic Review Types of systematic review Best question for each study type Process of
designing a systematic review. Karin Hannes Centre for Methodology of Educational Research.
Outline. Intro - daily practice: evidence-based. The campbell collaboration was founded on the
principle that systematic reviews on the effects of interventions will inform and help improve policy
and services. Carefully select sources that will provide current and credible information on your
topic. The use of unambiguous, systematic methods minimizes bias in the review. This is the pooled,
or “meta,” effect size from an included meta-analysis (we’ll come to meta-analysis shortly). As a
previous Ontario Graduate Scholar, he has applied his accolades as a teaching assistant and has
become a research associate in the department of surgery at Hamilton Health Sciences. First,
carefully examine your topic to gain necessary background information. A good appendix is a
treasure trove of information. Moore Library Oakes Field Campus, University of The Bahamas,
Nassau, Bahamas 302-4249. An ESRC Research Methods Programme project Mark Rodgers Lisa
Arai, Nicky Britten, Mark Petticrew, Jennie Popay, Helen Roberts, Amanda Sowden. It helps you
assess the validity, reliability, and relevance of the included studies and ensures that your review is
based on high-quality evidence.
Additionally, systematic reviews are often used as a basis for evidence-based practice and policy-
making. The 95% confidence interval is very large and crosses 1. This will serve as the basis for your
thesis statement. They are usually one of the first steps in research methodologies. Literature reviews,
on the other hand, do not follow such rigid or explicit methods. They serve as an objective,
comprehensive review of a particular topic, which, due to a standardized process, should be
completely reproducible. Finally, 750 studies were selected for data extraction and analysis. It
usually contains a summary, a synthesis, or an analysis of the key arguments in the existing literature.
Consider how each source approaches your topic in addition to their collective points of intersection
and separation. It involves identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing relevant studies to provide a
summary of the current state of knowledge in the field. These details should look familiar from the
summary of results table. Preregistration gives other researchers confidence that the team is not
selectively choosing advantageous results at the end to make an interesting paper. A copy of this
completed form will be available via the intranet to help others carrying out reviews in the future and
to avoid duplicating work already undertaken in the centre. The rows represent each study included
in the review, and the columns indicate the review authors’ determination about potential bias in
each study. Also, be sure to adhere to your style guidelines because headings, title pages, references
lists, and other sections or formatting features may differ. Team members screen the search results
and sort them according to these criteria, beginning with titles and abstract reviews and moving to
full-text reviews later. The overall (pooled) effect size is 0.39, or a 61% reduction in the risk of
parasitemia. Their objective is to synthesize evidence through meta-analysis, a type of SLR that
employs statistical analyses. Megan O’Brien, PhD, MPH Glen White, PhD Amalia Monroe-Gulick,
MLS Dot Nary, PhD Sasha Li, BA Advisory Panel: Jana Peterson, PhD, MPH, Jean Ann Summers,
PhD, John Westbrook, PhD, Marsha Katz, MSEd, and Tom Seekins, PhD. This involves
summarizing the key findings, identifying patterns or trends, and drawing conclusions based on the
available evidence. Many of the reviews in these databases can be accessed by searching within
PubMed using the Clinical Queries feature. Comprehensive and versatile register of randomised
controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs). This review provides valuable insights
for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in promoting mental health and well-being
among college students. As with most journal articles, Cochrane reviews begin with an Abstract and
a Plain language summary, which can be helpful for newcomers to a the topic. For example, Radeva-
Petrova et al. ( 2014 ) include the following passage in their plain language summary. It aims to
identify, evaluate, and synthesize the available evidence to answer a research question or address a
specific problem. On March 30, 2016, Andrew Duong taught a seminar to students at the Michael
DeGroote School of Medicine on the 6 Steps of the Systematic Review Process. Over 15,763 SEO
agencies and brands are using AtOnce to rank higher on Google. Try to place your current work and
research within this wider discussion by considering how your research supports, contradicts, or
departs from other scholars’ research. I’m talking about systematic reviews and meta-analyses.