REVIEWS and Purposes of Research Literature

Reviews
researchers usually include a brief
summary of relevant literature in their introductions.
The literature review summarizes
current evidence on a topic and illuminates the
significance of the new study. Literature
reviews are often intertwined with the problem
statement as part of the argument for the
study.
Types of Information to Seek for a Research Review
Findings from prior studies are the “data” for a research
review. If you are preparing a literature review, you
should rely mostly on primary sources, which are
descriptions of studies written by the researchers who
conducted them. Secondary source research documents
are descriptions of studies prepared by someone else.
Literature reviews are secondary sources.
Recent reviews are a good place to start because they
offer overviews and valuable bibliographies. If you are
doing your own literature review, however, secondary
sources should not be considered substitutes for primary
sources because secondary sources are not adequately
detailed and may not be completely objective.
 ,opinion articles
case reports, and clinical anecdotes. Such materials
may broaden understanding of a
problem or demonstrate a need for research. These
writings, however, may have limited
utility in research reviews because they do not
address the central question: What is the
?current state of evidence on this research problem
 Major Steps and Strategies in Doing a Literature
Review
Reviews should be unbiased, thorough, and up-to-
date. Also, high-quality reviews
are systematic. It is useful to have a flexible
approach to “data collection” and to think creatively
about
opportunities for new sources of information. The
ability to locate evidence on a topic is an important
—skill that requires adaptability
rapid technological changes mean that new methods
of searching the literature are
introduced continuously. We urge you to consult
with librarians or faculty at your institution for
updated suggestions.
Developing a Search Strategy
Having good search skills is important. A particular
productive approach is to search for evidence in
bibliographic databases, which we discuss next.
Reviewers also use the ancestry approach (“footnote
chasing”), in which citations from relevant studies
are used to track down earlier research on which the
studies are based (the “ancestors”).
A third strategy, the descendancy approach, involves
finding a pivotal early study and searching forward
to find more recent studies (“descendants”) that
.cited the key study
Decisions must also be made about limiting the
search. For example, reviewers may
constrain their search to reports written in one
language. You may also want to limit
your search to studies conducted within a certain
time frame (e.g., within the past 10
.)years
 Screening, Documentation, and Abstracting
After searching for and retrieving references, several
important steps remain before a
.synthesis can begin
Screening and Gathering References
References that have been identified in the search
.need to be screened for relevance
You can usually surmise relevance by reading the
abstract. When you find a relevant
article, try to obtain a full copy rather than relying on
.information in the abstract only
Documentation in Literature Retrieval
Search strategies are often complex, so it is wise to
document your search actions and results. make
note of databases searched, keywords used, limits
instituted, and any other information that would
help you keep track of what you did. Part of your
strategy can be documented by printing your search
history from the electronic databases.
Documentation will promote efficiency by
preventing unintended duplication and will also help
you to assess what else needs to be tried.
Content of the Written Literature Review
A written research review should provide readers with an
objective synthesis of current evidence on a topic, it is
not necessary to provide particulars for every reference.
Studies with comparable findings often can be
summarized together, Findings should be summarized in
your own words. The review should demonstrate that
you have considered the cumulative worth of the body of
research.
The review should be as unbiased as possible. The review
should not omit a study because its findings contradict
those of other studies or conflict with your ideas.
Inconsistent results should be analyzed and the
supporting evidence evaluated objectively.
 Style of a Research Review
Students preparing research reviews often have
.trouble writing in an acceptable style
Remember that hypotheses cannot be proved or
disproved by statistical testing, and no
question can be definitely answered in a single
: study. The problem is partly semantic
Hypotheses are not proved or verified; they are
supported by research findings.
 Critiquing research literature reviews
Some nurses never prepare a written research
review, and perhaps you will never be
required to do one. Most nurses, however, do read
research reviews (including the
literature review sections of research reports), and
they should be prepared to evaluate
.such reviews critically
It is often difficult to critique a research review if you
.are not familiar with the topic
You may not be able to judge whether the author
has included all relevant literature and
has adequately summarized knowledge on that
,topic. Some aspects of a research review
however, are amenable to evaluation by readers
.who are not experts on the topic