Doing your literature review: an overview

Katy Jordan

Librarian, Economics & International Development

Library & Learning Centre

Outline of session

• What is a literature review?• Why review the literature?• Identifying the literature - where do you start?• Searching the literature

• Online indexes• Statistical sources• Subject gateways

• Sourcing the documents• Reading – getting the gist• Evaluating what you read• A good literature review…• More help and guidance

What is a literature review?

“… a systematic…method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the …work produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners.”

FINK, A., 1998. Conducting literature research reviews: from paper to the internet. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage., p.3.

Why review the literature?

“…without it you will not acquire an understanding of your topic, of what has already been done on it, how it has been researched, and what the key issues are.”

HART, E., 1998. Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination, by E. Hart and M. Bond. London: Sage., p.1.

Identifying the literature – where do you start?

1. Define your research area• Essay/dissertation title• Break this down into key areas• Choose search terms (keywords) that express those areas• This will be your search strategy

ExampleTitle: Biodiversity: why should we conserve it?Key areas: BIODIVERSITY and

CONSERVATION and ECONOMICSSearch terms: biodivers* AND conserv* AND economics

Identifying the literature – where do you start?

2. What sort of literature will there be?• Different indexes cover different types of literature – there is no single

source you can search…

Literature Example of indexes/resourcesJournal articles – print/online Econlit, Web of Knowledge,

Business Source PremierConference papers – print/online ISI Proceedings, ZETOCMonographs (books) COPACDictionaries/encyclopaedias COPAC, Library catalogueReports – print and online COPAC, SOSIGTheses/dissertations – Bath/elsewhere Lib catalogue, Index to ThesesStatistics – print and online UK Statistics online, ESDS,

Eurostat, Stats collection‘Grey literature’ – print and online SOSIGEmail discussion lists/online forums JISCmail website

Identifying the literature – where do you start?

3. Choose your sources of informationUse an index that is relevant to your subject area – for

pointers look at• Sources of information for social sciences• Resources for your subject

Examples – permit-trading AND emissions• For journal articles

• Econlit • Business Source Premier

• For books – COPAC• For reports and grey literature – SOSIG• For statistics – UK statistics site, Eurostat,

Library statistics collection, ESDS

Sample Search: Biodiversity: should we conserve it?

Online source: Web of Knowledge, Social Science

Why? It’s broad in subject coverage, with the possibility of including other datasets if results are minimal. Good for queries like this which border on the scientific.

Search strategy using * to truncate:

biodivers* AND conserv* AND economics

Sample Search: Has economic growth contributed to reducing

poverty in Central America?

Online source: EconlitWhy? It’s the major index to economics

literature which is most likely to cover this geographically specific subject area

Search strategy using “” to indicate phrases:

“economic growth” AND poverty AND “Central America”

Sample Search: Are longer working hours leading to a greater number

of sick-days and more stress?

Online source: UK National Statistics OnlineWhy? You’re looking for statistical evidence for

work stress – Nat Stats publish the Labour Force Survey which is likely to be a good source – but you will simply keyword search and follow any leads.

Search strategy:stress

Source your documents

From an online index• Available online? – click on Links button• Available in Library? – click on Links buttonOR if you’re using Econlit• Available online? – check the A-Z of e-journals• Available in Library? – check the Library

catalogueIF your document is not online or in the Library• Use Inter-Library Loans to get a photocopy or

borrow a book from the British Library

Reading - getting the gist

• Check the introduction, conclusion, abstract or executive summary for the main points

• Check contents pages of books and reports – pick out relevant chapters/sections

• Use the index of books or reports• First or last sentences of paragraphs often

summarise

Evaluating what you read

Think about…

• Relevance to your topic • Intended audience • Currency of the information • Coverage of the topic that the information

provides • Accuracy of the information • Authority of the author or information source• Level of objectivity of the author

Record your sources

• Download references from online indexes• Keep systematic notes of the full records – use

A guide to citing references• This will form the basis of your bibliography• A good method is bibliographic software – the

SORTED programme offers training in• Reference manager• Endnote

• Keep a note of the content of each document • e.g. ‘Includes discussion of the idea of originality

in postgraduate research projects.’

A good literature review…

• Goes beyond simply listing relevant literature• Is a critical essay • Refers to the bibliography at the end of your

dissertation• Assesses the range of literature available• Is a critical summary of the literature• Examines the background against which your

own research is set• Forms a significant section of your dissertation

A good literature review…

• Offers opinions and personal response to the different writings

• Relates different writings to each other, compares and contrasts

• Does not take the literature at face value• Shows an awareness of the theories and

values that underpin the research• Uses particular language: authors assert,

argue, state, conclude, contend