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How to conduct a Literature Review

Start Searching

Use OneSearch to begin searching the Wahlstrom Library resources.

To find articles, search the library databases. If you're not sure which article databases to search, a list of databases by subject or an A-Z list is found here.

Another way librarians organize databases is in Subject Guides. Subject Guides highlight a few databases in each subject area and they are an excellent place to start, but there may be other databases in your subject area. Please ask your library liaison if you're not sure where to search.

Search

Database searching is an iterative process. This means that you will repeat it several times because as you search you are learning about your topic, including keywords and concepts. Or you may repeat your search because you want to try it in a different database or you might have heard about a particular author in your field. In general, you might have three phases of searching:

  1. Exploratory. Here's where you test concepts and keywords and find out what sorts of information might be available. In this phase, you will search inter-disciplinary databases such as Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses or Academic Search Premier. In some disciplines (such as the hard sciences), you may have subject-specific databases in mind for the initial searching.
  2. Subject-oriented. This is where you will use subject specific databases (from the Subject Guides), and your search includes key authors and publications.
  3. Citation searching. This is where you'll examine the references from excellent articles to make sure you've found the seminal (or key) pieces of research. You'll also look at the articles that have cited these excellent articles to see what is currently happening in your topic, and how others have built upon this research.

Not all literature reviews are the same. Some are for an assignment, some are for an article, and some are for a thesis. Each requires a different level of effort and a different degree of comprehensiveness and detail. For example, for a class assignment, you might just use the exploratory phase. For an article you might use the first two phases, and for a thesis, all three would be appropriate.

It's a good idea to use a research log to track your key terms, databases, and where you leave off in your research. Here's one that was designed by the librarians at the University of Texas Austin.

Basic Search Tips

SearchUnlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. So you'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas - the KEYWORDS.

 

Example Topic: What are the challenges of using insect viruses as biological control agents?

 

The specifics of your topic will matter when selecting sources, but for searching you only need the most essential components.

 

Keywords: challenges, insect viruses, biological control

 

Most words have synonyms that mean the same, or very similar, things. For each keyword in your topic, try to come up with at least one synonym. Not all keywords will have synonyms, but many do!

Example: 

Keyword: insects    Synonym: pests

 

Keep an Eye Out

Sometimes scholars use terms that you might not be familiar with, or which might mean something very specific within the discipline. While searching, look for unfamiliar terms or words that show up a lot. Try searching for those and see if you find more relevant sources.

Most library databases have search tools built in. Try some of these:  

 

  • Subject: Think of subjects as official hashtags. Use them to find sources about that subject.
  • Date Range: Limit your search to sources published between specific years.
  • Peer Reviewed: Limit your search to scholarly journal articles.
  • Full Text: Make sure all of the results are available to read in full.

Look on the left and right of your search results, or for an "advanced search" page to find these tools - and more!

Evaluate

You can evaluate any source using the 5 W's:

  • Who: ...wrote it? Are they an expert?
  • What: ...is the purpose of this resource?
  • Where: ...was this information published? ...does the information come from?
  • When: ...was this published or last updated?
  • Why: ...is this resource useful? ...is this resource better than other ones?

Advanced Search Tips

 

Use the operator AND to find only sources that mention both keywords.

insect viruses AND  biological control

 

This search will bring back fewer results

than searching either keyword on its own.

Use the OR operator to expand your search with additional keywords.

challenge OR problems

This will find sources that include either word, so you'll see more results than by searching for just one keyword.

 

 

Use the “QUOTES” strategy to search for several words in a phrase.

"biological control agents"                                    

This will bring back results that only use that exact phrase.

 

Citation Searching

URL: https://clarivate.libguides.com/woscc

Citation searching allows you to see what's been done in the past, and where the research is progressing. You can trace (or chase) citations backward and forward in time. 

Cited References are listed at the end of a research paper. These sources have been read by the author(s) and show which books or papers influenced their work. Looking up these citations may lead you to the seminal pieces of literature, those that are key to the field. They have been cited many times (thousands?) and have introduced key concepts or research techniques. Looking at the references in most of your articles and finding which are quoted over and over again is part of your research. This is looking backwards.

Times Cited refers to the number of papers that have cited a particular paper. A word of caution, sometimes a paper cites something that has been read and rejected, so it may be of interest. These books or articles may help to find new areas of research and new methodologies or controversies. This the forward looking part of your research.

Related Records refer to papers that share references. This can help you identify areas that are similar or adjacent to your research. Looking at these is optional.