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Systematic Literature Reviews
Many students we see at Skills@Library are carrying out systematic literature reviews for their assignments or final year projects. If you’re doing one, and you’re not sure what it involves, we’ll explain a bit more in this blog post and share some helpful resources where you can find even more information.
The term ‘systematic review’ also refers to a type of academic article you may have come across in your reading. Your own systematic literature review will demonstrate the same methodical approach, but on a much smaller scale. It’s important to remember that the kind of systematic review you will see published in an academic journal is often the result of several years’ work by a team of researchers, so don’t be intimidated!
A systematic literature review involves carrying out a comprehensive, methodical search and then documenting the following information:
- a comprehensive list of what keywords were searched and if any other search techniques were used;
- where they were searched (if this was on a library catalogue or specific databases);
- how many results were generated for each search;
- if any filters were applied to the results;
- specifying after each stage whether the amount of results increased or decreased and to what extent.
The search should be explained step-by-step, so that it can be easily replicated by another researcher.
Systematic reviews also have a list of inclusion and exclusion criteria to enable the reviewers to narrow down the evidence to just the most relevant ones, meaning you’re not going to be expected to include hundreds of articles in your assignment, but just the ones that fit your criteria best. You’ll then critically evaluate the evidence just as you would do in other literature reviews.
A systematic literature review is different from a “traditional” literature review because it aims to ‘‘gather all the eligible evidence available using an explicit, documented and reproducible methodology’’ (Dalton, 2019, p.164). Findings are then analysed in a systematic way (no surprises there!) and often synthesised in what is called ‘meta-analysis’ (which is where you combine and statistically analyse the data from all the articles you’re reviewing). You might not need to do a meta-analysis for your assignment, so do check this with your tutor.
Whilst since the 1970s, systematic literature reviews have been commonplace in the health sciences, we are now seeing them emerge in social sciences, too; for example, in the development of policy. With a dearth of information readily available to researchers across the globe, systematic literature reviews are becoming an increasingly popular methodology to help guide practitioners, from a wide range of disciplines, as well as decision and policy makers.
Below are a number of useful links to help guide you with your systematic literature review:
Here is helpful guidance from the UNC Chapel Hill Health Science Library, including a convenient template (the “PRISMA diagram”) you can complete to outline your review.
Here is guidance from Research Support, University of Leeds.
Here is guidance from the SAGE Methods Map, which the University of Leeds has access to.
Here is further guidance from The University of Manchester.
We have several books in the Library about doing systematic reviews. Here are three that you might be interested in:
Boland, A., Cherry, M.G., and Dickson, R. eds. 2017. Doing a systematic review: a student’s guide . 2 nd ed. London: SAGE
Bettany-Saltikov, J. 2016. How to do a systematic literature review in nursing: a step-by-step guide . 2 nd ed. London: McGraw Hill Open University Press
Petticrew, M. and Roberts, H. 2006. Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide . Oxford: Blackwell
As always, feel free to get in touch with us via any of the below with any follow-up queries you may have:
In-person: Skills office on the first floor of the Laidlaw Library
Tel: +44 (0)113 343 4096
e-mail: [email protected]
Dalton, M. 2019. How individual consultations with a librarian can support
systematic reviews in the social sciences. Journal of Information Literacy . 13 (2),
pp.163–172. http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/13.2.2621
Emily Wheeler & Sunny Dhillon
Learning Advisors
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Welcome to Final Chapter. This resource contains useful information for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students working on their research projects.
The research project is the culmination of your course, and allows you to focus on an area of interest. This will provide you with research experience and the opportunity to develop your employability skills.
Final Chapter can help throughout the process, from starting off and choosing your topic, to researching, structuring your chapters and writing up. In each section you will find advice and guidance that can be incorporated into different types of project, as well as tips from students and academic staff. You can find a range of complete examples on the Library website . Annotated extracts from these projects are used throughout Final Chapter to highlight good practice.
Note that the specific requirements for projects differ between disciplines; always follow the guidelines you have been given by your school, or consult your supervisor if you are unclear.
When you’ve finished Final Chapter, please give us feedback to help us improve the resource
Online Event
Embracing the Final Chapter (Wednesday 21st October, 13:00 - 16:00) is an online event hosted by Skills@Library to demystify the final year research project process, provide tips, signpost resources and motivate you to undertake the challenge with confidence. The event is open to all undergraduate students and will consist of short keynotes from a student, Skills@Library Learning Advisor, as well as an Associate Professor. There will then be three 30-minute parallel sessions covering the following key topics:
- How to develop a research question, methodology and methods
- Writing a literature review
- Discussing results and making recommendations
You can attend as many, or as few, sessions as you want, and in any order. Recordings of all sessions will be shared with attendees after the event. Use this link to book your place with us on Wednesday 21st October at 13:00 - bit.ly/skillsefctr
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- School of Law
- Research degrees
Writing a research proposal
As part of the process of applying for a research degree, you will need to prepare an outline of your proposed research.
Please see our guidance on what to include below, including word count:
*Word count excludes footnotes.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Literature relating to BMI and health is available in abundance, providing that the researcher is seeking to prove a link between obesity and ill health. More difficult to find is literature relating low BMI to health i.e. underweight and the health problems that are associated with underweight. This literature review aims to evaluate the
This checklist will help you assess your literature review. Writing a literature review is an iterative process, so be prepared to re-visit it if you feel you haven't addressed all of these questions: ... The following is from a Leeds University Business School undergraduate research project entitled 'Dressed to Disrupt: Motivations Behind ...
It covers choosing your topic, doing a literature review, structuring your work and critical thinking. You can also watch videos of staff and students from the University of Leeds sharing their top tips for success. We recommend dipping in and out of the Final Chapter, rather than working through it all in one go.
Title: Mastering the Art of Writing a Literature Review: A Guide for University of Leeds Students. Crafting a literature review can be likened to navigating through a labyrinth of scholarly texts, theories, and analyses. It's a crucial component of academic writing, demanding meticulous research, critical analysis, and eloquent synthesis.
Before you start writing, you need to understand what type of writing you are required to produce. For example, you might be asked to produce a report, an essay, an annotated bibliography or a literature review. This will shape how you will prepare, research and write your assignment.
Academic writing is clear, focussed, structured and supported by relevant evidence and references. Whilst academic writing requires a formal tone and style, it does not require the use of complex, long sentences and complicated vocabulary. It should present an argument in a logical manner and should be easy to follow using clear and concise ...
A systematic literature review is different from a "traditional" literature review because it aims to ''gather all the eligible evidence available using an explicit, documented and reproducible methodology'' (Dalton, 2019, p.164). ... University of Leeds. Here is guidance from the SAGE Methods Map, which the University of Leeds has ...
Differences between critical and descriptive writing. An essential part of showing your academic voice is being analytical and critical, rather than descriptive in approach. Within your writing you should have a mixture of description, analysis and evaluation. Descriptive writing should, however, be kept to a minimum.
Final Chapter can help throughout the process, from starting off and choosing your topic, to researching, structuring your chapters and writing up. In each section you will find advice and guidance that can be incorporated into different types of project, as well as tips from students and academic staff.
Your literature review A thorough examination of key pieces of research relating to your topic. You should use the literature review to identify gaps in, or problems with, existing research to justify why further or new research is required. Contribution (up to 1200 words) Your original approach and contribution to the literature