The following summarizes the steps in conducting a literature review:
- Identify appropriate library databases for conducting the research. This might begin with the library discovery tool, OneSearch.
- Identify relevant search terms for use in conducting a database search.
- Review initial search results, review article abstracts, and revise search strategy and terms accordingly.
- Look for key concepts that appear in the literature and identify significant authors who are frequently cited in the literature.
- Conduct a new search for materials by the key authors identified in the previous step.
- Locate the materials revealed by the literature review and read and digest.
- Construct a written overview of the major concepts revealed by a thorough reading of the literature. How does this material relate to the current study?
- Once the original research is completed, do a follow-up review of the literature to determine if there is anything significant that should also be included.
