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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
