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Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review
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Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review

Third Edition
Additional resources:


April 2022 | 424 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Whether you are new to literature reviews or working with new types of data, this book takes the guesswork out of writing your literature review. From deciding how much literature to include to managing your data, assessing your sources, and writing results, it outlines a step-by-step process that works with any data.

To help you choose best approach for your research, this book includes:
·       Worksheets and decision aids to help you plan and organise your literature review
·       Worked examples and case studies to show you what – and what not – to do in practice
·       Troubleshooting tips and answers to all your frequently asked questions
·       Online access to a literature review starter template, an exercise workbook, project diary template, and a source credibility checklist.

The perfect project support for any social sciences student, this edition also includes a new chapter on analysing mixed methods research.


 
Chapter 1: Meeting the Review Family: An Overview
What is a Literature Review?

 
When do I do a literature review?

 
Meet the review family

 
Why not a literature review?

 
What is not a literature review?

 
How do I prepare to do a literature review?

 
 
Chapter 2: Getting Started on your Literature Review
Why is the literature review so important?

 
Where do I start?

 
Why review the literature?

 
A brief history of research synthesis

 
What is the place of theory in literature review?

 
Introducing the SALSA framework

 
Systematic approaches

 
How do I plan and conduct my literature review?

 
Managing your literature review

 
Updates to existing reviews

 
Converting your review to a different format

 
 
Chapter 3: Choosing your review methods
Our “Survival Kit” of review options

 
Review Choice Scenarios

 
 
Chapter 4: Defining your scope
Introduction: Why is defining your scope important?

 
Further defining your scope

 
Toolbox - Defining your Scope

 
Defining your scope: challenges and pitfalls

 
The review protocol

 
 
Chapter 5: Searching the literature
Who should conduct the literature search?

 
Aims and purpose of literature searching

 
How to prepare for your review (the scoping search)

 
How to construct your search strategy

 
How to search bibliographic databases

 
How to use supplementary searching

 
How to manage your references

 
How to report the search process

 
 
Chapter 6: Assessing the evidence base
Assessing your included studies – first steps

 
Assessing the evidence-base in detail

 
 
Chapter 7: Synthesising and analysing quantitative studies
Synthesis-analysis, analysis-synthesis?

 
Revisiting the review question(s)

 
 
Chapter 8: Synthesising and analysing qualitative studies
Overview of approaches to qualitative synthesis

 
A step-by-step guide to qualitative synthesis

 
Getting started in qualitative synthesis

 
Progressing to advanced forms of synthesis

 
 
Chapter 9: Synthesising and analysing mixed methods data
Undertaking a Mixed Methods Review

 
A step-by-step guide to mixed methods synthesis

 
Points of integration for quantitative and qualitative evidence

 
On the role of the Narrative Review

 
 
Chapter 10: Writing up, presenting and disseminating your review
Considering your audience

 
A sample review structure

 
Publicising your review

 
Toolbox for presenting your findings

 

Supplements

Click for Online Resources

Student Resources (Free to access)

A literature review starter template to demonstrate the sections you need to include for a successful written review.

A source credibility checklist to help you assess and think critically about the sources you choose.

A source tracker template to help you keep track of your sources and know what you need to include in your audit trail.

A downloadable exercise workbook and suggested answers. 

A collated list of tried-and-tested tools, including freely available technologies to help you search databases efficiently, plan your work, and keep track of references.

A project diary template and example.

A complete glossary of terms.


Instructor Resources (Log-in needed)

PowerPoint slide templates
including 10-15 slides per chapter, which can be downloaded and customized for use in your own presentations.

The Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review (third edition) by Andrew Booth, Anthea Sutton, Mark Clowes and Marrissa Martyn-St James is a comprehensive overview of the entire evidence synthesis process – from selecting the appropriate method for an evidence synthesis topic all the way to the analysis and dissemination of the review. This book is of relevance to anyone interested in evidence synthesis – from trainees to researchers to decision-makers. Anyone can learn something from this book, whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advance researcher in evidence synthesis. This book is perfect for university-level courses or for anyone interested in evidence synthesis. The exercises, toolbox, key learning points, and frequently asked questions were particularly helpful in advancing my learning.

Andrea Tricco
Knowledge Translation Program, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Canada

For our masters level students doing their literature review dissertation this provides effective guidance in approaching their work in a systematic fashion.

Mr Ted Hewitt
Dept of Health Sciences, York University
September 6, 2022

Great resource. Easy to read, with helpful tables and diagrams that catch the students' attention and they find easy to recall. The examples and up-to-date links to external sources are also invaluable springboards for the students.

Dr Alyx Taylor
Psychology, AECC University College
March 30, 2022

Post-COVID many more students prefer to use the electronic versions of books and the library is also keen to adopt more books in this format, so this is very helpful to enable the maximum number of students to access the helpful text with easy to follow guidance .

Dr Alyx Taylor
Psychology, AECC University College
March 30, 2022

I have put this at the top of my reading list for my module on evidence based practice which is like a mini dissertation for level 5 students. It is a comprehensive read and sets out the stages involved in a successful literature review. My students have a problem with this part of the module and this book is a godsend

Ms wendy askam
Health, Cardinal Newman College
December 17, 2021

This book is very important for students to understand how to do an in-depth literature review as a support and motivation for their research.

Professor João Carlos Oliveira Matias
Accounting, Universidade de Aveiro
March 29, 2023

I did not receive an inspection copy to use

Mrs Patricia Cook
School of Health and Social Care, Salford University
March 31, 2023

Good comprehensive text - easy to follow

Professor Annie Topping
Department of Nursing, Birmingham University
January 31, 2023

Very clear and useful

Dr Stephen Dixon
Department of Education, Newman University
December 16, 2021

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