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Literature Reviews

This guide is designed to help you get started researching and writing literature reviews.

Types of Reviews

Traditional Literature Reviews

  • Analyzes, synthesizes, and critiques a body of literature
  • Identifies patterns and themes in the literature
  • Draws conclusions
  • Identifies gaps in the literature

Integrative Reviews

  • May include case studies, observational studies, and meta-analyses, as well as other types of research
  • Search and selection is precise and should be described in the body of the review
  • Selected literature should be analyzed
  • Articles should be compared

Systematic Reviews

  • Reach a conclusion about the topic
  • Usually focuses on a specific empirical question: "To what extent does A contribute to B?"
  • Rigorous, comprehensive, and exhaustive review of experimental research studies using pre-specified and standardized methods
  • Search and selection is precise and should be described in the body of the review so others can replicate the search

Meta-Analyses

  • A form of systematic reviews
  • Analyzes findings from several studies on the same subject using standardized statistical procedures
  • Synthesizes a large body of quantitative research to enhance understanding
  • Draws conclusions and finds patterns or relationships

Meta-Syntheses

  • Similar to meta-analyses
  • Draws from qualitative studies

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