Details for How to Search and Critically Evaluate Research Literature

A literature review is a self-contained piece of written work that gives a concise summary of previous findings in an area of the research literature. It reflects an author's knowledge and interpretation of the area of interest. Literature reviews vary considerably in their depth and breadth, as well as style of presentation, depending on the purpose intended by the author. This may range from a superficial search of literature to give a researcher an insight into an area of potential research though to a scientifically rigorous "systematic review".

This resource pack looks at sources of research literature and outlines the different manual and electronic bibliographic tools to identify research literature. It offers tips on how to plan a literature search strategy, examine the results and write a review.

This resource packs suggests further reading and resources as well as supplying a glossary of terms.