Literature Reviews Flashcards
What is a literature review done in the first stage of the research process?
- Critical synopsis of research studies
- Offers insight into the research problem
- Helps answer if a full review of literature or a study is needed
Why is a research question important to a literature review?
o Essential first step for successful review
o Guides protocol development and scope
o Informs effective search strategy development
In a literature review, why is a protocol developed during the first stage of the study (conceptualize the study).
o Important for greater transparency and reduced bias
o Useful tools (systematic and scoping review): PRISMA-P
o Register the protocol (required for systematic reviews)
What resources might someone need to complete a formal literature review?
Time
o Systematic or scoping reviews often require 8-12 months
Funding
Team
o Size – minimum of 2 for blind-screening
o Experience – will need a methodologist
o Skills – ability to design or analyze, may need to research out for other members for these skills
What are some literature review types?
Narrative review - such as the studies we have done for school so far
Systematic review - includes ALL relevant studies
Integrative review - diverse sampling of research to understand a phenomenon (usually includes only 1 specific study type to look for)
Scoping review - maps out the literature on the topic, may be used to identify gaps
concept analysis - exploring a better understanding of a concept
Describe a narrative literature review
- Methodical review with clear review strategies and searches
- May be used as an academic assignment
- Small ones we have written in school
- May be used for proposals or grants
- Research study background
- Purpose – highlights of issue and evident gaps in research
- Process – no protocol or formal methodology
- Search – limited, not documented
- Inclusion – selective and based on purpose and context
- Systematic analysis – none
Describe a systematic literature review
- Focus is on a specific research question that is clearly defined
- Considered a research methodology
- Needs robust rigor to reduce biases
- Aim is to seek ALL relevant studies to give most accurate overview of research
- Includes published and unpublished
- Rigorous critical appraisal and evaluation of included study quality
- Often select studies with a specific methodology (i.e. randomized control trials)
- Probably most complicated review format
- Purpose
o Provide evidence as to effect
o Inform practice or policy - Research question
o Very specific and narrow focus on a single topic
o Uses the PICO(T) for quantitative or PEO for qualitative
What type of literature review highlights an issue or a gap in research but uses no formal methodology with the inclusion based on purpose and context?
Narrative review
What type of literature review design is very robust and seeks out ALL relevant studies that helps us to inform practice and policies?
Systematic review
Which types of literature reviews follow a protocol?
Systematic and scoping
It is encouraged in integrative, but not required
Not required at all for a narrative review
Which types of literature reviews involve a comprehensive search?
Systematic
Sometimes scoping
What type of search is used when performing an integrative literature review?
Balanced between thoroughness and relevance
Which types of literature reviews use blind screening?
Systematic and scoping
Which types of literature reviews use a critical appraisal
Systematic and Integrative
Narrative probably does because we have to appraise it for our papers lol
Scoping doesn’t because its just looking for the amount of literature exists
What types of literature reviews require data analysis and synthesis?
Systematic, scoping and integrative
narrative does not
Describe an integrative literature review
Seeks broad, holistic understanding of a phenomenon
o The new conceptualizations are what is important here
Diverse sampling of empirical, theoretical or both
o Systematic only look at a specific type of study (i.e. only RCTs)
Synthesizes literature, draws conclusions
Overview, critique, and gaps in literature
Often contributes to theory development
NOT comprehensive but still considered a type of research review
Role in previously extensively discussed and reviewed topics is:
o Re-examine and critically analyze the literature that has developed around a topic
o Re-conceptualize, as appropriate, the ideas and beliefs that underpin the topic
Role in newer emergent topic is:
o Development of a conceptual model or framework
Purpose
o Develop theoretical frameworks
o Synthesize diverse theoretical and empirical literature
o Gain holistic understanding of phenomenon or problem
Review question
o Broad guiding question about phenomenon of interest
o I.e. How can nursing student anxiety be reduced in the clinical setting without the use of simulation?
What type of literature review generally only looks at a specific type of study in order to develop a broad understanding of phenomenon in order to develop a theoretical framework?
Integrative review
Describe a scoping review
Does not identify evidence for practice, but rather to map the literature on the topic
Identifies scope of literature that is available on a particular topic or broad research question
Includes qualitative, quantitative, and conceptualizations
Often done when topic is new or diverse
Does not require critical appraisal
Searching may be as comprehensive as for a systematic review
o May determine if a systematic review should be done
Purpose
o Map body of literature
o Identify knowledge gaps
o Curiosity: What is known? How is it explored?
o Systematic review precursor
Review question
o Often follows PCC (Population-concept-context)
o i.e. What is the experience of nursing students with disabilities in clinical?
Experience is the concept
Nursing students with disabilities is the population
In clinical is the context
What type of literature review maps out the literature on a new or diverse topic in order to identify knowledge gaps and is often a systematic review precursor?
Scoping review
Describe a concept literature review
- A concept of interest to a profession is studied to determine its attributes and characteristics in order to achieve a better understanding of that concept
- May be done on concepts that vary from person to person like caring, hope etc.
What are some literature sources?
Database and internet searches - most common
Catalogues - less common with electronic databases, but CINAHL was a catalogue before it’s online form
Grey literature - unpublished, less accessible papers
Textbooks and dictionaries
Manual searches - complements database searches, you use the information you have to find more information like it
Why should you use a variety of sources during a literature review?
To ensure the research is robust and systematic in nature
Describe database and internet searches as sources for literature reviews
- Most common method
- Databases are compilations of journals, books, dissertations, conferences etc.
- Memberships are usually needed for full text access
- Includes CINAHL
- If using search engines, use many, and remember it can be crap
Describe catalogues as sources for literature reviews
- Falling out as they become electronic databases
- CINAHL was originally a catalogue before it became a database
- Historical research involving older searchers may still use this as electronic databases usually only have newer studies
Describe grey literature as sources for literature reviews
Less accessible and may include unpublished dissertations, obscure journals, unpublished reports etc.
Not including these can lead to a publication bias in studies
o Less significant or negative findings may be rejected and not published
Describe text books and dictionaries as sources for literature reviews
- May be hardcopy or soft copy
- It can be >12 months before it is written and published so information may be outdated even at the time of publications
- Libraries can offer historical books
Describe manual searches as sources for literature reviews
Used to completement database or other searches and may include:
Ancestry search
o Checking reference list to identify literature not already reviewed
Descendent search
o Other articles that have used a specific work in their citations leading to more works to look at
o Offered by some search engines
Author search – I did this for my last paper lol
Looking through a journal to see if they have other articles, works better for specific things the journal is known for like Arthritis Journal, or Mental Health Journal etc.
What is the most common method for identifying literature sources?
Database and internet searches
Which type of literature sources is less accessible and may include unpublished dissertations, obscure journals, unpublished reports etc.?
Grey literature
What is an ancestry search in a literature review?
Its a type of manual search and involves checking reference list to identify literature not already reviewed
What is a descendent search in a literature review?
Its a type of manual search and involves looking for other articles that have used a specific work in their citations.
Basically the one we are looking at is the parent and we are looking for its children, studies that used it for a reference :)
When performing a systematic literature review, what is important to the search?
Remember: Systematic reviews will ROT your brain
Reproducible
All details of the search are recorded
Objective
Search terms include variations in terminology
Avoiding biasing the using exhaustive search terms
Thorough
Searching more than one database using a combination of text words plus subject headings (when available)
Using supplementary search methods in addition to database searching
remember to keep notes!!! that way you can document in your paper how you searched :)
What are commands that help filter and refine search engine results?
Operators
How do parentheses work as operators in a database search?
o Putting ( and ) around a few key terms will identify them as the same search word
o I.e. (HIV and AIDS)
How do Boolean operators work as operators in a database search?
o The use of AND, OR, NOT
How do truncation operators work as operators in a database search?
o Using the derivation (trunk) of a keywork and an asterisk to identify other forms of the word
o I.e. Nurs* so we identify nurse, nursing, nurses etc.
How do wildcards work as operators in a database search?
? – Using a ? to replace a letter
I.e. Wom?n so we identify women and woman
- used in place of a letter that may/may not be there due to alternate spellings
I.e. an#emia
How should someone screen the literature during a literature review?
Scan article to see if it meets the criteria for inclusion or exclusion according to the protocol
o There are tools to help including Covidence
o Each stage of the screening should be documented, and the studies to be used can be put into a diagram, but Covidence will make one for you
Independent reviews are required for systematic and scoping reviews
What are we assessing for when doing a critical appraisal during a literature review?
Validity
Reliability
Applicability – will the results help me/my context?
What are the 2 ways to do a data analysis for a systematic literature review?
Meta-analysis
* Statistical analysis of combined quantitative studies
Meta-synthesis
* Thematic analysis of combined qualitative studies
What is a thematic analysis of combined qualitative studies?
A meta-synthesis which is a type of systematic literature review
What is a statistical analysis of combined quantitative studies?
A meta-analysis which is a type of systematic literature review
Ensure the analysis process of a literature review is _______ and ________. Identify any _____ in the literature
transparent
reproducible
gaps
What are some considerations when interpreting the findings of a literature review?
- Discuss implications for nursing and further research
- Linking findings to the question
- Focus on the meaning and implications of the result
- Ensure review is replicable
- Results are usable
What does it mean to disseminate the findings of your literature review? How can this be done?
- Knowledge transfer to peers and interested groups
- Publications, conferences, presentations, etc.
What are the main parts to include when writing a literature review?
What should be included in each step?
Introduction
o Purpose, possibly background
o Description of search, database and keyword search including limitations
Presenting the literature
o Identifies what has been discovered
o Defines the strong searches and those with limitations
o Subheadings used for each theme with segues linking each section
o Present both sides including studies that do not support the hypotheses
Summary/conclusion
o Summarizes what was discovered
o Identifies any gaps
o Recommendations on how to improve practice or further research to be conducted
References
According to the library presentation, what is the process for the literature review?
Design
o Is the literature review needed?
o Clearly state purpose
o Transparent methodology and search strategy
Conduct
o Transparent and reproducible search process
o Screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria
Analyze
o Critical appraisal
o Data extraction
o Data analysis
o Analysis process is transparent
Write
o Review is replicable
o Consider further research
o Results are usable
