Summary Literature Review
Lecture 2: Types of Literature Review
What is literature review?
- It is a critical assessment of published literature on a particular topic
- It is not a list like an annotated bibliography in which a summary of each source is listed one
by one
- A literature review requires you to think critically
o “proper thinking is about forming an argument or a critical analysis that you can back
up with evidence and reinforce with appropriate examples
o Strengths and weaknesses of existing research
o Why and how you think their ides or theories might be improved
A critical assessment
- Synthesis is a key aspect
- Classification, comparison and/or evaluation of the current knowledge
o Substantive findings, issues and themes
o Populations, interventions and outcomes
o Theoretical contribution
o Methodological contributions
o Open questions (Avenues for further investigation)
o Contradictions
Critical approach
Review must compare and contrast existing views
- Holistic perspective on the topic
- Combining knowledge and understanding what has been written
- More than just an annotated bibliography
Why write a review?
There must be a need for the review
Literature must contribute to the existing knowledge base
- Creating a new dimension or fresh perspective
o Research agenda
o What works
o Taxonomy
o Alternative model / conceptual framework
- Keep in mind: it is not just a summary
,Types of literature reviews
Narrative review:
à To gain a broad understanding and/or to describe a given field.
à It doesn’t have a well-structured method of searching and selecting studies, often more probing
from one study to another following up leads
à The quality assessment is based on the reviewers perspective/opinion, not following a structured
method
Systematic review:
à Narrower focus and the aim and objective are specified with a specific review question
à The search approach follows a strict, rigorous and comprehensive protocol to obtain as much
literature in the topic as possible, preferably all of them
à Follow predetermined criteria for including and excluding studies
à Quality assessment is done by following protocol or checklists to assess the methodological
quality of the included studies
à Methodological report is always presented for transparency and reproductivity
!!SALSA Framework!!
Types of literature reviews
, Systematic Review
Hierarchy of Evidence
Lecture 2: Types of Literature Review
What is literature review?
- It is a critical assessment of published literature on a particular topic
- It is not a list like an annotated bibliography in which a summary of each source is listed one
by one
- A literature review requires you to think critically
o “proper thinking is about forming an argument or a critical analysis that you can back
up with evidence and reinforce with appropriate examples
o Strengths and weaknesses of existing research
o Why and how you think their ides or theories might be improved
A critical assessment
- Synthesis is a key aspect
- Classification, comparison and/or evaluation of the current knowledge
o Substantive findings, issues and themes
o Populations, interventions and outcomes
o Theoretical contribution
o Methodological contributions
o Open questions (Avenues for further investigation)
o Contradictions
Critical approach
Review must compare and contrast existing views
- Holistic perspective on the topic
- Combining knowledge and understanding what has been written
- More than just an annotated bibliography
Why write a review?
There must be a need for the review
Literature must contribute to the existing knowledge base
- Creating a new dimension or fresh perspective
o Research agenda
o What works
o Taxonomy
o Alternative model / conceptual framework
- Keep in mind: it is not just a summary
,Types of literature reviews
Narrative review:
à To gain a broad understanding and/or to describe a given field.
à It doesn’t have a well-structured method of searching and selecting studies, often more probing
from one study to another following up leads
à The quality assessment is based on the reviewers perspective/opinion, not following a structured
method
Systematic review:
à Narrower focus and the aim and objective are specified with a specific review question
à The search approach follows a strict, rigorous and comprehensive protocol to obtain as much
literature in the topic as possible, preferably all of them
à Follow predetermined criteria for including and excluding studies
à Quality assessment is done by following protocol or checklists to assess the methodological
quality of the included studies
à Methodological report is always presented for transparency and reproductivity
!!SALSA Framework!!
Types of literature reviews
, Systematic Review
Hierarchy of Evidence
