A literature review is a generic term used to describe a synthesis of information to answer a research question. The purpose of a literature review is to present the scholarly information that is available on a topic, provide support to the proposed research, and relate the literature to the proposed research question. There are numerous types of literature reviews. These vary from a narrative review to a systematic review.
Review types differ by
| Review Type | Definition | Search methods | Appraisal | Synthesis | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Literature or Narrative Review (May be completed by a single author) |
Generic term: A synthesis of current literature surrounding a specific topic. The purpose of a narrative review is to provide background information on the topic, support the proposed research and/or answer a research question. | Non-specific; Author chooses relevant articles based on research question. | Determined by the author | Narrative | Chronological, conceptual, thematic, etc. |
|
(Requires a minimum of 2 authors) |
Preliminary assessment of potential size and scope of available research literature on a broad topic. Aims to identify nature and extent of research evidence. Includes grey literature, preprints and ongoing studies. Scoping reviews are conducted based upon the JBI manual of evidence synthesis. | Broad scope of literature available. Search methods must be transparent and reproducible. Search strategies are peer reviewed & documented in full. | All evidence is independently screened by 2 reviewers to ensure evidence meets the inclusion criteria. The critical appraisal process is optional but recommended | Narrative | Characterizes quantity and quality of literature based upon the elements of the PCC research question and the inclusion/exclusion criteria |
|
(Requires a minimum of 2 authors) |
Seeks to systematically search for, appraise and synthesize all available research evidence on the topic. SRs answer a specific research question and are conducted based upon the JBI manual of evidence synthesis. | Exhaustive, comprehensive, & systematic search. Search methods must be transparent & reproducible. Search strategies are peer reviewed & well documented. | All evidence is independently screened by 2 reviewers to meet inclusion criteria and critically appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists | Narrative | Synthesizes what is known within the existing literature. Highlights what is unknown, and recommends future research. |
|
(Requires a minimum of 2 authors) |
Reviews the results of multiple systematic reviews on a specific topic. All reviews must analyze a shared methodology, facilitating comparison and analysis. Umbrella reviews are conducted based upon the JBI manual of evidence synthesis | Exhaustive, comprehensive & systematic search of reviews. Does not include primary studies. Search methods must be transparent, reproducible and well documented. | All evidence is independently screened by 2 reviewers to meet inclusion criteria and critically appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists | Graphical and tabular with narrative commentary | What is known; Recommendations for practice. What remains unknown; recommendations for future research |
|
(Requires a minimum of 2 authors) |
Assessment of what is already known about a policy or practice issue, by using systematic review methods to search and critically appraise existing research. RRs are conducted according to the JBI manual of evidence synthesis | Completeness of searching determined by time constraints. All search strategies must be transparent, reproducible and documented. |
Time-limited formal quality assessment. All evidence is independently screened by 2 reviewers to meet inclusion criteria |
Narrative and tabular | Quantities of literature and overall quality/direction of effect of literature |
| Meta-analysis |
Statistical analysis of quantitative evidence provided within a Systematic Review. Meta-analysis are conducted according to the JBI manual of evidence synthesis |
Exhaustive, comprehensive & systematic search of reviews. Does not include primary studies. Search methods must be transparent, reproducible and documented. | All evidence has been critically appraised in the systematic review | Graphical representation in a Forest plot. | Numerical analysis of measures of effect assuming absence of heterogeneity |
Reproduced from 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
Whichever review type you decide to conduct, the A.T. Still Memorial Librarians are happy to assist you throughout the process.
Librarians can assist you with:
