Instructions for Conducting Literature Reviews
A narrative literature review is a critical, thematic summary of existing research on a topic. This approach offers depth and flexibility, making it ideal for exploring complex or under-researched areas within social sciences and health sciences.
The process for conducting a narrative literature review involves several key steps:
- Choosing a Topic and Formulating a Research Question: Start by selecting a focused topic and developing a clear research question to guide your review. Frameworks like PICO can help narrow the question into searchable concepts and keywords.
- Selecting Sources and Developing a Search Strategy: Identify relevant databases and sources to search for literature. Develop a comprehensive search strategy using keywords, controlled vocabularies, and Boolean operators. Consistency in applying the search strategy across sources is important.
- Conducting the Literature Search and Organizing Results: Perform the search systematically and document the search strategies used. Organize your references using a citation manager and consider categorizing them by themes or topics for easier analysis.
- Evaluating and Selecting Pertinent Literature: Review search results and select literature that significantly contributes to understanding the topic. Narrative reviews typically do not require exhaustive searches or strict evaluation by level of evidence but focus on relevance and contribution to the field.
- Analyzing and Interpreting the Findings: Synthesize the literature thematically, identifying established knowledge, strengths, weaknesses, and controversies. Discuss how this body of literature advances understanding and where gaps or further research questions arise.
- Writing the Review: Structure your narrative review like an essay with an introduction (defining the research problem and scope), body paragraphs organized by theme or trend rather than by source, and a conclusion that summarizes key insights and research gaps. Critical evaluation and synthesis of sources are essential, rather than merely summarizing.
Additional considerations include clarifying assignment requirements such as the number and types of sources, and whether to include definitions or background information.
Narrative literature reviews provide comprehensive and critical analyses of existing literature. They offer depth through critical evaluation and interpretation, examining the strengths and weaknesses of studies, discussing limitations, and highlighting significant contributions and gaps.
By adhering to proven procedures and maintaining a critical and reflective approach, narrative literature reviews can make a significant contribution to knowledge growth and practical information. They are used to synthesize and summarize existing research, identify gaps, and provide context for new research.
In summary, a narrative literature review is a valuable tool for researchers, offering flexibility, depth, and a comprehensive understanding of a topic. By following the key steps outlined, researchers can produce insightful and impactful reviews that advance our understanding of various fields.
In the realm of education-and-self-development, online-education platforms often incorporate narrative literature reviews as an essential aspect of learning. These reviews play a vital role in online courses, as they provide a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, and controversies within the field.
Furthermore, educators can capitalize on the use of narrative literature reviews as a means to synthesize and summarize existing research, identify gaps, and provide context for new research in diverse disciplines, contributing significantly to overall knowledge growth and practical application.
