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Reviewing the literature

What is a review?

A review brings together information on a topic from different sources, such as a traditional literature review done as part of a journal article. There are different types of review with differing degrees of rigour. 

"Systematic" type reviews include scoping reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and many others. They have methodologies, follow a structured process, and aim to find all available evidence. 

Scoping reviews

Scoping reviews have a broad question and aim to identify and map the amount and type of evidence. They have: 

  • Broad questions to map the literature
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria that may be altered after the search
  • A comprehensive search that may be altered during the search
  • Included studies' data charted and summarised
  • The study characteristics described thematically
  • Transparent reporting of the methodology

Systematic reviews

Systematic reviews have a specific question and aim to collect and combine all the evidence in an unbiased way. They have: 

  • Clear objectives and specific questions
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria decided on before commencing the review
  • A comprehensive search decided on before commencing the review
  • A critical appraisal of included studies
  • An objective analysis of data from included studies
  • A synthesis of the findings from included studies
  • Transparent reporting of the methodology

The type of review chosen depends on the review aims and question. 

The tools below can help select the appropriate review type for your needs.

This tool is designed to assist users with selecting which of the 41 included quantitative or qualitative knowledge synthesis would be appropriate for their research question through a set of simple questions.

This decision tree by Cornell University Library can help decide which review methodology best suits your needs

Open Education Resource

For more information, the following PDF is the draft of an Open Education Resource currently under revision. The videos and activities are unavailable until the OER is published online. 

Key readings

Munn, Z., Peters, M. D. J., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), Article 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x    

Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x 

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