How to Approach the Literature Review

1. How to Approach the Literature Review C507 Scientific Writing Session 6

2. The Review • The well-conceived review written after careful and critical assessment of the literature is a valuable document.

3. The Review • The review differs in structure from the research paper and the case report, which have formats that generally parallel the sequence of critical argument.

4. The Review • A well-conceived review answers a question for the reader • The question should be made clear at the beginning of the review

5. Types of Reviews • Narrative (Descriptive) review • Systematic review • Quantitative Systematic review (meta-analysis)

6. Narrative Review • Three types of narrative review • Editorial • Commentary • Narrative Overview

7. Reasons for a Narrative Review • Are useful educational articles since they bring many pieces of information together into a readable format. • Helpful in presenting a broad perspective on a topic. • Can describe the history or development of a problem or its management.

8. Challenges to the Narrative Review • Falling into disfavor due to lack of systematic methods used to construct the review. • Methods are typically not delineated. • Sources are often biased, choices are subjective and explicit inclusion criteria are not usually published.

9. Challenges to the Narrative Review • Conclusions can be biased as a result. • Expert narrative reviews have been shown to be even more biased that those by non-experts (and then are cited by others in any event- creating a cascade of poor science). • Are a weak form of evidence to use for making clinical decisions

10. The Solution • Do a systematic search of the literature • Use a step-by-step methodology to locate all relevant articles on the topic • Delineate inclusion criteria • Review each paper in a systematic way, with several independent reviewers if possible • Rate the papers using a scoring system

11. Writing the ReviewStep by Step • Preparation • Interesting topic • Doable project • Get help

12. What to Do • Perform a preliminary review of the literature. • The review should do the following: • Present information written using the required elements for a narrative review • Be well structured • Synthesize the available evidence • Convey a clear message

13. Title • Title should be interesting and should clearly describe the topic being reviewed. • It should be as specific as it can be.

14. Abstract • Recall the headings for the abstract: • Objective • Data Sources • Data Selection • Data Synthesis • Results • Conclusion

15. Introduction • Clearly state the research purpose or focus • Make the case for the need or importance of the study • Define any unusual terms or words that are essential to understanding the information in the paper

16. “Methods” • It is best to put this in the form of the Discussion if this is not a systematic review; if it is, do use Methods and results section.

17. Data Sources • You must report the databases that you use, along with key terms you select to help locate paper.

18. MEDLINE HEALTHSTAR MANTIS ERIC AMED CINAHL EMBASE SPORT Discus Current Contents Cochrane DARE Data Bases

19. Search Terms and Delimiting • You must set specific parameters • Be clear on your search terms • Understand that terms we use in chiropractic may not allow you to do searching in medical databases • Understand that terms used in medicine may not have the same meaning as they do in chiropractic, ie, subluxation, for one

20. Selection Criteria • Describe the selection criteria in detail • Inclusion criteria • Age range • English language vs. all languages • RCTs only? • Certain outcomes must be included? • Exclusion criteria should also be listed

21. Discussion • Synthesis • You need to figure out how to structure and summarize what has been reviewed. • You need to find a way to keep track of what you read, ie, perhaps use an evidence table • Major areas of agreement and disagreement should be discussed • You should provide your own interpretation of the literature

22. Limitations • You should address weak points of your study and mention areas for improvement. • Also, have a colleague or two review it and offer criticism.

23. Conclusion • The conclusion should provide a tie-in to the purpose, the major conclusions drawn from the overview and directions for future research. • A clear and concise summary of the major findings of the overview should be provided. • Specific directives for new research should be proposed.

24. Other Issues • We will talk later about: • Acknowledgements • References • Tables • Figures