Lliterature review method-RKraj 170306 Method of doing a literature review – exemplified (.pdfVIP

Lliterature review method-RK/raj 17/03/06 Method of doing a literature review – exemplified (Raj Khanchandani, 2001) Background A literature review is defined as “A systematic survey and interpretation of the research findings (the ‘literature’) on a particular topic” 1. There are many strictures on conducting reviews: they should be “as balanced and complete an account of the state of knowledge” 2, and that “systematic” does not mean “completeness” 3. The Cochrane collaboration has detailed rules for conducting systematic reviews 4 . There are three reasons for conducting reviews 3 5 : 1. Students demonstrating a deep understanding of a topic, usually as part of an examination. 2. Summarising of current knowledge and making recommendations for future research. 3. Introducing best practice into practice and purchasing decision. A systematic review is a survey of work already carried out. Systematic implies 3 : 1. Methodical search of relevant sources 2. Methodical compilation of information 3. Making inferences from the information The systematic review should identify relevant studies of appropriate quality, and the review should be replicable so that the same papers and sources of information would be found by other researchers 3 4. A review can helpfully collate information that may otherwise be difficult to access, and can help form judgements about the usefulness of the information 3. In the health sector there is considerable emphasis on reviews that confirm the effectiveness or otherwise of interventions, and thus reviews are dominated by RCTs and meta-analyses 4 . This therefore means, “the theory of measurement dominates the review process” 3. The Cochrane rules are not, however, easily applicable to non-empirical studies 3. Deciding on the source of material A hierarchical approach to searching for literature has been recomm