Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review

Reviewing the literature is an essential part of every research project. This book takes you step-by-step through the process of approaching your literature review systematically, applying systematic principles to a wide range of literature review types. Through numerous examples, case studies and exercises, the book covers often neglected areas of literature review such as concept analysis, scoping and mapping. The book includes practical tools for supporting the various stages of the review process, including; - managing your literature review - searching the literature - assessing the quality of the literature - synthesising qualitative and/or quantitative data - writing up and presenting data Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review is essential reading for any student or researcher looking to approach their literature review in a systematic way.

Table of Contents:
The Literature Review: Its Role within Research Systematic Approaches to the Literature Planning and Writing a Literature Review Defining the Scope Searching the Literature Assessing the Evidence Base Synthesising Included Studies Analysing the Findings Writing up and Presenting Data Managing the Literature Project

About the Author :
Andrew Booth is a Reader in Evidence-Based Information Practice at the School of  Medicine and Population Health, The University of Sheffield. Diana Papaioannou is a Research Fellow at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield. Anthea Sutton is a Research Fellow at the School of Medicine and Population Health, The University of Sheffield.

Review :
This new interdisciplinary book on preparing and using systematic reviews is the single-best resource on the topic I have encountered. It is exceptionally comprehensive, yet readable and practical. Every human service professional and social scientist who uses the research literature will benefit from reading this great new book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and will consult it frequently Bruce A. Thyer, Ph.D., LCSW Professor of Social Work, Florida State University Conducting, structuring and presenting a clear and concise literature review is a challenge for anyone conducting research, from undergraduate level to the ′post-doc.′ This book provides a comprehensive and scholarly guide to the how, what and not least the why of doing literature reviews. It shows the reader how to be critical, a difficult art, in an important section on ′quality assessment′. The authors also explain the vital knack of making the review manageable and finite, discussing ways of avoiding the neatly termed ′scope creep′. Finally, the most important task of all is to synthesise the review to make it a coherent whole - rather than a catalogue-style list of one item after another- and then to write it up in a palatable yet scholarly way. These tasks are explained fully in the final chapters thus completing the full guide to the how, what and why of systematic reviewing. I strongly recommend this text Professor Jerry Wellington Head of Research Degrees University of Sheffield This book offers a comprehensive account on how to conduct a good literature review. The book is clear and concise. The use of summary boxes and further reading at the end of each chapter are excellent. This book would suit students as well as those teaching research methods courses, at all levels Dr Kalwant Bhopal Reader in Education and Director of Social Justice and Inclusive Education Research Centre, University of Southampton This book fills a long-standing gap in the market for a practical and scholarly guide to planning, carrying out and evaluating a literature review. It places literature review in a position in which it can stand as a credible form of inquiry as part of the research community. The comprehensive content takes the reader through guided exercises and activities in order to systematically build up a useful and valid study. It will be of great value to both postgraduate and doctoral students and to those supervising them Sue Schutz Senior Lecturer, Department of Continuing Education, Oxford Brookes University