There is no graduate student who has not reviewed the literature. But it may happen that you have to perform it while still in graduation. Scientific literature grows absurdly all over the world. In this article we will present information about the literature review.
You found the way. In this text, we show you the step-by-step process to carry out a comprehensive, rewarding and efficient review.
What is a literature review?
The literature review is a process of research, analysis and description. Research on the topic targets not only books, but also journal articles, newspaper articles, government reports, theses, dissertations, among other materials.
It is also known as a bibliographic review. This is the search for academic productions on a specific topic. The topic is usually defined by you and your advisor. It can also perfectly be defined individually by you, who feel curious about a certain subject.
For Alves-Mazzotti, the bibliographic review has two purposes: to build the context of the problem and to analyze the possibilities that exist in the literature, in order to conceive the theoretical framework of the research 3 .
A researcher reviewing the scientific literature may be motivated by one or more of these three reasons:
- Obtain information that is useful in creating ideas for research projects and for improving knowledge;
- Check if the research project he set up is in fact innovative or is just retracing the path that others have previously taken;
- Build a work in which each production found or the data presented in these productions are contributions to a study that presents a broader view of the subject. A work carried out from this type of review is a meta-analysis.
Types of literature review
The literature review is divided into three types:
Narrative Review
Articles that adopt this methodology are responsible for describing and discussing the current state of knowledge on a given subject. There is no intention to detail the sources consulted or the methodology used to search for references. The selection of the works consulted is made according to the theoretical point of view and the context 2 .
In the narrative review, the interpretation of information is subject to the author’s subjectivity.
Systematic review
The systematic review is, in fact, a scientific investigation. She is concerned with selecting reliable materials, excluding articles that do not deserve to be referenced, and explaining the research methodology. A systematic method is put into practice to critically evaluate the results of research that have already been carried out in the area.
Unlike the narrative review, the systematic review has methodological rigor. As the name implies, it is structured, planned and controlled.
integrative review
The integrative review receives this name because it is concerned with providing comprehensive information on a particular topic or problem. It is a useful way to create concepts, review theories, identify gaps and analyze studies. The methodological rigor applied in the systematic review is maintained.
Unlike the systematic review, the integrative one does not focus only on primary studies. It is broader and includes other types of research, such as theoretical reviews and reports.
The search for academic productions is commonly performed in scientific databases available on the internet.
What are scientific databases?
We list here the main scientific databases. The first two operate with the English language, since they were created by foreign organizations. Nothing strange, since English is the official language of science. We present, however, also the best database in Portuguese.
ISI Web of Knowledge
The ISI Web of Knowledge is actually a set of bibliographic reference bases, which makes it the most complete of all databases.
Covering approximately 800,000 scientific journals, this platform proves to be satisfactory for researchers from all areas of knowledge. It was created by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Accessible only through terminal registration at a higher education institution.
Scopus
Created by the famous science publisher Elsevier, the Scopus database gives access to publications in different branches of science and humanities. Offers tutorials to help with searches.
Capes periodicals
It is a Brazilian portal created 14 years ago by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), an agency of the Ministry of Education. It covers more than 37,000 titles that do not include only magazines published in Brazil.
Any user has access to the free portion of the content of this portal. If the terminal the user is using is from an institution registered with Capes, then the user has access to the complete content. Periódicos Capes offers training for those who wish to become qualified in searches.
The roadmap for a good literature review
First, you need to define the question you want to answer in the survey . Then you list subjects that are related to that question. These subjects should be elaborated as keywords.
Let’s take the question “Is smoking associated with anxiety disorders?” as an example. Obviously you will need keywords written in English to search for academic productions in international databases. But, you can list in Portuguese keywords like these:
- smoking
- smoker
- anxiety disorders
- worry
According to the question above, the alternative hypothesis will be: “The percentage of people with anxiety disorders is higher among smokers than among non-smokers.” Then, you will use keywords in the search that are associated with the two aspects that are part of the question. These keywords will be linked by logical AND connector. See the examples:
- cigarette AND anxiety
- smoking AND worry
- smoker AND seizure
Note that if you want to test whether or not there is an association between factors linked to these two aspects, it makes no sense to search for articles by typing, for example “smoking AND cigarettes”.
Suppose you found more than a hundred articles. Not all will be useful right away. But how do you know if they haven’t been read? Carefully read the title of each academic production. If you think it’s interesting to store it, read the summary. This will give you more assurance of the real usefulness of this production.
Alternative sources of scientific literature search
Databases are a great start to a literature review. However, the search need not be restricted solely to them. Bibliographical references at the end of journal articles, book chapters and master’s dissertations are great search sources. Many authors cite works that were published when the subject was still of interest to few people. It may be that these studies have escaped in the “fishing” done in the database.
Consultation on social networks aimed at researchers (Academia, ResearchGate) is also valid. As long as you are registered, you will have access to the content that users post.
