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Introduction
What is Literature Review?
A literature review is a critical summary and evaluation of all the published works on a particular topic or field. As you prepare a literature review, you are expected to read broadly on secondary sources, such as books, academic journals and any other relevant sources related in order to gain a thorough understanding of the existing research. Providing a comprehensive and balanced discussion of the major and important research is crucial to a good literature review, and also helpful to identify existing gaps and potential directions to your research topic.
 
Sources for a Literature Review
There are several different types of literature available and you will probably draw on all of them. The most common sources are listed below for reference:
  • Books (textbooks, specialized books, reference books)
  • Journal articles
  • Published literature reviews of particular fields
  • Reports e.g. Government reports, Professional Bodies reports
  • Theses and dissertations
  • Conference proceedings
Steps of Literature Review
  • Step 1: Choose a topic
  • Step 2: Search the resources/literature
  • Step 3: Takes notes
  • Step 4: Appraise and evaluate
  • Step 5: Organize the information and reviews
  • Step 6: Write the review
Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review
  • Rule 1: Define a topic and audience
  • Rule 2: Search and re-search the literature
  • Rule 3: Take notes while reading
  • Rule 4: Choose the type of review you wish to write
  • Rule 5: Keep the review focused, but make it of broad interest
  • Rule 6: Be critical and consistent
  • Rule 7: Find a logical structure
  • Rule 8: Make use of feedback
  • Rule 9: Include your own relevant research, but be objective
  • Rule 10: Be up-to-date, but do not forget older studies
How to plan your search?
  1. Plan your search & identify key concepts

  2. Identify any synonyms or similar concepts
    e.g. Teenagers = youth, adolescent, adolescence, teen, young adult

  3. Consider different word forms
    e.g. ASD = Austium Spectrum Disorders, BMI = Body Mass Index, Cocounsellor = counselor (Spelling differences between British and American English)

  4. Build your search by Boolean operators, AND, OR and NOT
     

  5. Use "quotation marks" for phrase searching

  6. Use truncation and wildcards
     

  7. Record your findings for future use
Are you using scholarly source?
The terms "Scholarly" also known as "Academic" are usually used in University. Scholarly works means that the information has been written by researchers within a subject area and has been checked by other experts in the field. The most common one is a peer reviewed journal article but it also refer to edited books, reports, conference preceedings...etc. It is impportant to check and ensure you are using scholarly sources for your assignment. 

Scholarly vs Popular sources
Evaluate your search results
After searching the information, it is important to evaluate your search results. 
 

 
Please try using CRAAP guidelines to evaluate your results
  1. Currency: the timelines of the information
    • When was the information published or posted?
    • Has the information been revised or updated?
    • Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
  2. Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs
    • Does the information relate to your topic?
    • Is the information at an appropriate level?
    • Who is the intended audience?
  3. Authority: the source of the information
    • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
    • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
    • What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
  4. Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
    • Is the information supported by evidence?
    • Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
    • Where does the information come from?
  5. Purpose: the reason the information exists
    • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
    • Is it a fact or opinion or propaganda?
    • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial without cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?
General Resources
Institution Resources
Australian National University Purpose of Traditional Literature Reviews
Health Sciences Writing Centre, University of Toronto The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It
Learning Lab, RMIT University Literature Review
Learn HQ - Your learning headquarters, Monash University Writing a literature review?
Library, University of Leicester Literature Searching
Library, University of Queensland Literature Reviews
NYU Libraries Health (Nursing, Medicine, Allied Health): Literature Reviews
Royal College of Nursing Library How to undertake a literature search
Selected video related to Literature Review Search Strategy@YouTube
Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University Write a Literature Review
The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Literature Reviews
University of Wollongong Research Writing: How to Do a Literature Review
Systematic Review
Institution Resources
Cochrane Training Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Queensland University of Technology Library What is a Systematic Review?
Simmons University Library Nursing - Systematic Reviews
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library Systematic Review
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Pao Yue-Kong Library Systematic Search for Systematic Review
The University of Melbourne Library Systematic Reviews for Health Sciences and Medicine
The University of North Carolina Health Sciences Library Systematic Reviews: Home
The University of Sydney Library Systematic Review
University of Pennsylvania Penn Libraries Systematic Reviews: Overview