Literature Review Guide

Look at all the research you've collected so far and evaluate each source for their credibility.

• How have they arrived at their results?
• Are there any conflicting theories or findings?

Reading at this critical level will help you decide whether a publication should or should not be included in your literature review. Your goal is to isolate or identify key themes or issues related to your own research interests.

Author credentials
Take some time to examine how the contributors are affiliated.

• Are the researchers connected to a university, a research lab or a pharmaceutical company?
• Are the authors considered leading experts in their field?
• Are they promoting spcial interests?

Relevance and Scope
Make sure the publications you include in your literature review are relevant and within the scope of your topic, in terms of theoretical argument, research methodology, timeframe, and currency.

Reliability
How well is the study designed? Do you see any room for improvement? Do similar studies come to the same conclusion? Have the authors explored the topic from different points of view, or do they rely on a more one-sided argument?
 

Source: University of the Fraser Valley LibGuide, Writing a Literature Review

Tip #1 - Use a citation management tool like RefWorks to keep your citations organized in digital folders

Tip #2 - Use a research log to track key words leading to sources, summaries of important points.

• Using excel to do this allows you to group results by themes, author, research method used, etc.
• Chose the column headings most useful to you (ex: APA citation, keywords, location, purpose, research design, main findings, notes)

Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/organizing-your-literature-spreadsheet-style