A literature review is a comprehensive overview of the research conducted in a particular topic area. This guide is an introductory resource for understanding different types of literature reviews and how to search comprehensively.
Common types of reviews
There are many different types of literature reviews. Some common types include:
Traditional literature reviews
- An informal approach to summarising literature on a topic
- Aim to provide a foundation of knowledge in a field, often to demonstrate a research gap the author seeks to address
Systematic reviews
- A formal approach to finding all evidence on a specific research question
- Aim to provide recommendations for practice
- Include critical appraisal of the included studies and standardised data extraction
Scoping reviews
- A formal approach to mapping the evidence on a broad research question
- Aim to identify key areas and research gaps
Rapid reviews
- An accelerated version of systematic review, while still using a formal approach
- Aim to quickly synthesise new and emerging topics, often for policy development or internal organisation procedures
Search styles
Given that their goals and mechanisms differ, these review types also have different approaches to searching for literature.
For example:
Literature reviews
- Involve various and flexible searches
- Not exhaustive and may just use one database
- A more ad hoc approach with one search leading to the next
Systematic reviews
- Involve one exhaustive search strategy
- Translated across numerous databases
- A robust approach that is documented and reproducible
Scoping reviews
- Can involve numerous comprehensive searches
- Across databases and grey literature sources
- Searches a wider topic area than a systematic review
Rapid reviews
- More likely to incorporate database search limits
- Saves time on searching compared to systematic and scoping reviews
Note: Systematic-style reviews
- Some students are instructed to conduct a partial version of a systematic review. This can also be termed a 'systematised' or 'structured' review.
- A review like this would involve less of the requirements, for example it may be a solo project rather than a team, or some steps may be omitted.
What type of review is right for me?
Find out which review is right for your project by consulting resources such as:
- Cornell University's decision tree What type of review is right for you?
- The decision support tool Right Review
- Meeting the review family: exploring review types and associated information retrieval requirements
- A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies
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