Skip to Main Content
 

Literature Reviews

This guide introduces the basics of how to conduct a variety of literature reviews.

Other Review Types

Critical Review
Aims to demonstrate writer has extensively researched literature and critically evaluated its quality. Goes beyond mere description to include degree of analysis and conceptual innovation.  Typically results in hypothesis or mode.

Grant, M. J. and Booth, A. (2009), A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26: 91–108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

Rapid Review
A process-limited systematic review designed to provide timely evidence-based support for policy decisions.

Lorenzetti, D. L., Pethrick, H., Nowell, L., Lorenzetti, L., Jacobsen, M., & Oddone-Paolucci, E. (2020). Mentorship in medical residency education: Anatomy of a systematic review. SAGE Research Methods Cases. doi:10.4135/9781529714180

Mixed Methods Review
Mixed-methods systematic reviews can be defined as combining the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies within a single systematic review to address the same overlapping or complementary review questions.

Harden A.  Mixed-Methods Systematic Reviews: Integrating quantitative and qualitative findings.  NCDDR:FOCUS. 2010.

Integrative Review
A review method that summarizes past empirical or theoretical literature to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a particular phenomenon or healthcare problem.

Broome, M. E. (2000). Integrative Literature Reviews for the Development of Concepts. In B. Rodgers & K. Knafl (Authors), Concept Development in Nursing (pp. 231-250). Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company.

Realist review
A theory-driven method for exploring complex social processes and how they work.

Lorenzetti, D. L., Pethrick, H., Nowell, L., Lorenzetti, L., Jacobsen, M., & Oddone-Paolucci, E. (2020). Mentorship in medical residency education: Anatomy of a systematic review. SAGE Research Methods Cases. doi:10.4135/9781529714180

State‐of‐the‐art review
Tend to address more current matters in contrast to other combined retrospective and current approaches. May offer new perspectives on issue or point out area for further research

Grant, M. J. and Booth, A. (2009), A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26: 91–108. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

Articles on Review Types