Instructions for Conducting Literature Reviews
When conducting a literature review, it is essential to choose the appropriate format that best suits your research goals and academic discipline. Here are seven common types of literature reviews, each with unique purposes and features:
Systematic Review
The primary goal of a systematic review is to identify, evaluate, and synthesize all high-quality research evidence related to a specific research question. This type of review is explicit, transparent, and reproducible, often involving meta-analysis (quantitative synthesis) or meta-synthesis (qualitative synthesis). Systematic reviews are commonly used in health sciences, social sciences, and STEM fields where evidence-based practice and policy decisions are critical.
Integrative Review
Integrative reviews aim to synthesize diverse empirical and theoretical literature to develop new frameworks, perspectives, or theoretical models. This type of review is less systematic than systematic reviews, and it includes qualitative critique and combining ideas across fields. Integrative reviews are commonly used in social sciences, humanities, and theoretical research contexts.
Scoping Review
Scoping reviews aim to map the size, scope, and nature of available literature on a broad topic, often where the literature is heterogeneous or emerging. This type of review is systematic but broader and less focused on quality appraisal than systematic reviews; it identifies gaps and types of evidence. Scoping reviews are commonly used in early stages of research fields, health sciences, and policy research.
Narrative or Traditional Literature Review
Narrative or traditional literature reviews provide a broad, descriptive overview and thematic or chronological summary of literature on a topic. This type of review is often selective and lacking explicit search criteria, making it vulnerable to bias. However, it is useful for conceptual background in humanities and many social sciences.
Argumentative Review
Argumentative reviews selectively review literature in support of or opposition to a particular argument or position. This type of review is structured to develop a contrarian or specific viewpoint and is common in fields involving debate and philosophy, such as social sciences and humanities.
Historical Review
Historical reviews aim to trace the development of a concept, theory, or research topic over time. This type of review emphasizes chronological synthesis and is useful in any discipline that values historical context.
Semi-Systematic Review
Semi-systematic reviews provide an overview and identify themes or gaps with a less rigorous search than a systematic review. This type of review can include qualitative or quantitative studies and serves to develop models or survey field development. Semi-systematic reviews are commonly used in broad or emerging topics across disciplines.
When choosing which type of literature review to use, it is essential to consider your research goals and the academic discipline you are working in. For example, use systematic reviews in health sciences, social sciences, and STEM disciplines when producing evidence-based conclusions or informing policy/practice. Use integrative reviews in social sciences and humanities to critique and generate new theoretical perspectives. Use scoping reviews in fields with complex, diverse literature to map what exists and identify gaps, often at the exploratory research stage. Use narrative or traditional reviews for general background, especially in humanities or when a broad overview is sufficient. Use argumentative reviews when the goal is to support or counter a particular theoretical or policy stance, frequently in social sciences. Use historical reviews when the research involves understanding the evolution of ideas or practices over time, common in humanities and social sciences.
Different academic formats, such as APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard, Vancouver, and IEEE, have specific requirements for literature reviews. It is essential to follow these guidelines when formatting your literature review. Tips for formatting a literature review include categorizing by themes, chronology, or methodology, using headings and subheadings, citing sources correctly, summarizing and synthesizing, being critical and reflective, editing and proofreading, using transition phrases, including a comprehensive reference list, reading the style guides, and seeking feedback before finalizing. Additionally, using a data analysis platform can help make the most of a literature review.
In the process of conducting a literature review, prioritizing education-and-self-development by identifying and synthesizing related research can contribute to personal growth. For instance, a systematic review, popular in health sciences, social sciences, and STEM fields, offers high-quality evidence-based conclusions that aid in self-improvement and understanding complex topics.
A narrative or traditional literature review, which provides a broad overview of a topic, can also be beneficial for personal growth in humanities or when a general background is needed. Embracing learning and exploration through literature reviews can lead to valuable insights and skills that foster personal growth.
