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Conducting a literature review

Introduction

Researchers review literature for a variety of purposes. Perhaps the most important of these is to pull together what has been written on the problem area in order to highlight the significance or importance of the research. Researchers also review literature to inform their understanding of the problem space of the research, to substantiate definitions of key terms, or to explain the context of the research. Literature is also important in explaining and justifying  the research design. Organising and reviewing literature is then critical to almost every aspect of the research and writing process.

Process for conducting a literature review

There are several steps to reviewing literature:

Typically we move across these stages non-sequentially.

Searching

  1. You might start your literature search by speaking with your supervisor and other staff and students working in the area for key readings relating to your topic.
  2. Check the references used in key texts. Are there some that are recurring, or that focus specifically on your area of interest? If so, they are probably worth looking at.
  3. Use the search option on the web sites of key journals to locate articles of direct relevance to your topic.
  4. Locate and use research reviews – most journals dedicate a section to reviews and these are worth looking at to see what other people think of a piece of research.
  5. Review some of these before searching further as they may influence your topic focus.
  6. It is recommended that you make an appointment with Academic Library Services. There is a team of academic librarians for each Division and Research concentration. They will advise you about resources relating to your topic and show you how to exploit them to your advantage.
  7. In addition, you can attend the library workshops within RESA and use the library’s on-line tutorials.
  8. Work through the relevant catalogues, databases, indexes, bibliographies and web-sites.
  9. Set up journal alerts. 
  10. Think about synonyms for keywords (eg prisons, correctional services, goals, remand centres, detention centres). It may be necessary to consult encyclopaedia, dictionaries, thesauri and other resources in the Reference Collection to find these.
  11. A mind map may be useful to unpack key words/concepts. Place your central subject in the middle of the concept map – this is your main topic label for searching. Sub-divide this topic label into second level topics. Try to keep to less than six. If you have too many, find a higher order label in which two or more topics can be grouped. Keep sub-dividing, drawing links/lines between the different levels. Repeat topic labels if you wish and draw links between them. As you do your library search, use this mind map as an organizing principal for your filing and sorting of the literature.

Recording

  1. Set up your information management system (Refworks or Endnote).
  2. Keep a record of key words searched to save duplication.
  3. Keep a record of the catalogues, databases, indexes, bibliographies and web-sites you have searched. Make a note of what they cover and where and how they can be accessed.
  4. Keep a file with the above information in it for handy future reference.
  5. Develop the habit of screening the literature for relevance before you record it, download it, print it out, or order a hard copy. This way you will not become overwhelmed with all of the reading that you have to do.
  6. Record your reasons for excluding and including literature. This may need to be justified later on.
  7. Record citation details of relevant literature and where it is located (catalogue number, database, book shop). It may be a good idea to write a couple of sentences about the article and the aspect of your research it relates to while it is fresh in your mind.
  8. Check referencing guides and use a pre-defined referencing style that is appropriate for your discipline. Getting into good habits early saves time
  9. Use the HELP information on databases to find out what save options are available.

Prioritising

  1. From reading the titles and abstracts, or based on advice from your supervisor, prioritise the literature that you have identified and make a note of why it has a high, medium or low priority (at this stage).
  2. You might consider what time period you need to read for – contemporary research developments, earlier seminal works.
  3. Nominate the most important texts for your research proposal – key theories/research in your area, most recent findings, most accessible texts (there is not always time to wait six weeks to get in a book – keep it for the thesis).
  4. Differentiate between textbooks, research articles and books, and books written for non-academic audiences. They contain different kinds of information that will be more or less relevant, or will be relevant in particular ways. For example, you might be researching the time lapse between key research developments and their incorporation into the professional literature. In this case both types of literature will be relevant. However, if you are researching the impact of a particular drug on hypertension you will probably refer mainly to the research-based literature.
  5. When using referencing software such as EndNote or Refworks where items within databases can be directly imported, try not to get swept away by the technology. There is no advantage to having 2000 references in the database if their relationship to the topic is unclear. Being selective at every stage of the literature review process will help to avoid becoming overwhelmed with irrelevant information.

Retrieving

  1. Print off relevant journal articles from the databases, photocopy articles and chapters (making sure you comply with copyright regulations) and borrow books. At this stage try to limit the number of books you buy – especially if you are on a budget.
  2. Most of the literature will be available through the University, but research degree students also have access to inter-library loans, and have borrowing rights with the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.

Reading

  1. Think about what you are reading for (an answer to a specific question, a summary of the position taken, information about theoretical or methodological framework, similarities and differences with other literature, aspects of the research design). This will influence how deeply you need to read, and what kind of records you need to take.
  2. Make a list of questions to guide your reading. Try to focus these questions on aspects of your own research that you need to write about. Don't get sidetracked on interesting, but irrelevant detail. Write down answers to the questions as you go.
  3. You can develop a 'reading log' which provides a number of prompts for specific kinds of information such as a brief summary, the relationship to other readings, critical analysis, and questions raised for your research. These headings can be added to the notes or comments fields within Endnote.
  4. Before reading, scan title, headings, summary or abstract, introduction and conclusion, first sentence and last sentence – then read thoroughly.
  5. Estimate how long it will take you to read the piece by timing how long it takes you to read a set number of pages on average. Include rest periods when concentration flags. Allow time to preview and review what you have read at the beginning and end of reading sessions. This will help you to set realistic study goals.
  6. Develop a habit of writing about what you have read at the time of reading. Write about the questions or purpose you have set yourself. General notes or descriptions are not useful.
  7. Try not to get stuck on the detail, read on for an understanding of the main ideas.
  8. For really difficult texts consider forming a reading group, discussing the text with your supervisor or other academic, referring to a secondary guide, searching the internet.
  9. A mind map may be useful to organise timelines, similarities and differences, conceptual distinctions, or topic areas.
  10. When you have finished reading a text, try to write down the main idea in your own words without referring to the text. Then see if you have an accurate take on the piece by going back and checking. This helps to ensure you are engaging with the main ideas, and prevents misconstruing the ideas of others.
  11. Highlight important sections of text and make notes in the margin to save searching later on.
  12. Think about where the literature should be located within your filing system. Be sure to write the author, topic name or file number, and any cross referenced filing codes, on the hard copy itself so that the text can be easily replaced after reading. It can be helpful to write in pencil since your filing system will change as your ideas progress.
  13. When taking notes, clearly signal direct quotes and paraphrasing to prevent possible plagiarism later. Always keep the page numbers with anything taken from the literature.
  14. Avoid secondary references, go to the original to ensure an accurate reading of the text.

Critiquing

  1. When critiquing the ideas of others, try to offer a fair critique.
  2. Do not assume the reader is familiar with the work you are referring to, provide a summary of the main ideas.
  3. Provide accurate and balanced summaries of the work of others.
  4. Back up your critique with supportive commentary, thorough explanation, substantiation, and references.
  5. Provide an alternative to existing approaches, backed up with supportive commentary and references.
  6. Critique the general structure of a claim, not minor points.
  7. Acknowledge points of agreement and indebtedness.
  8. Do not overplay or underplay the significance of your own or others’ work.
  9. Reference accurately.

Filing

  1. Adopt an organised approach to filing from the start.
  2. References can be filed alphabetically by author's name, or be given a number that corresponds to your electronic database where you can search for it by topic, theme or key word.
  3. Alternatively you can organise files under conceptual or topic headings and sub headings. The filing process can then help to determine the structure of your writing. You may group together literature that is relevant to the discussion of the problem and context of the research, or which defines key terms (which you will refer to mostly in the introduction of the proposal and thesis). You may group together literature that introduces the field/s of enquiry and different approaches to the problem area (which will be referred to in the 'literature review' section of the proposal and thesis), and literature that justifies your choice of methods and methodology (which will be referred to in the research design section of the proposal and thesis). Be sure to devise a cross referencing system since many texts will relate to more than one section of the research writing.
  4. Continue to organize and re-organize your literature and files at every stage of the planning and writing process, from the library search to the final draft.
  5. Files can also be organised into several different types:
    • Working files — files you are currently working on. Keep working files close to hand. Ideally you would be able to reach them without leaving your chair.
    • Reference files — files that contain material you refer to from time to time, but not every day. These might be stored in a filing cabinet not immediately accessible from your desk.
    • Archives — files that contain ‘just in case’ material. Completed projects fall into this category. Only hold these files if necessary, and think of them as heading for the recycling bin. Keep these files separate from your other files.                                    
    • Tickler files — files that are useful for people who have multiple roles or responsibilities such as a job, a thesis, and a family. These files are organised by day of the week, or maybe days of the month. Place papers under the weekday that they will be needed for. Each day check the tickler file and collect the papers you need.

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