Reflection: Considerations to Conduct a Review Research Study?

Conducting a literature review as a study requires a rigorous approach, as with other research designs, that does not only treat a literature review as an aggregation of existing research. A literature review is fundamental to advancing knowledge and theory development, offering a comprehensive synthesis of different perspectives and findings within a given topic. Through integrating findings and perspectives from research, literature reviews are able to provide an overview of topics which are dissimilar and interdisciplinary. Additionally, they are excellent in being able to show evidence on a meta-level (analysis of the process undertaken to develop evidence) and identify which areas need more research. However, the effectiveness and usefulness of literature reviews lies in their thoroughness and systematic methodology.

Lau & Kuziemsky (2016) state that the first step of the literature review process is to justify the need for the review, identify the review’s main objectives, and define the core concepts or variables required to develop your synthesis. However, the key to all of this is a well defined research question which will guide the literature review research design. This will inform the researcher about the type of information that needs to be collected and the best technique to collect that information (Lau & Kuziemsky, 2016). Literature reviews are useful for researchers who aim to evaluate theory or evidence on a particular topic or to assess the validity or accuracy of a particular theory or competing theories (Snyder, 2019). This approach can be a narrow as investigating the effect or relationship between two specific variables, or it can be as broad as exploring the collective evidence in a particular research area (Snyder, 2019). Literature reviews are also useful to provide an overview of a particular topic, issue or research problem. Most often, this form of review is conducted to evaluate the state of knowledge in the topic, issue or problem. From this, it can identify research gaps, develop research agendas or simply discuss a specific matter. Additionally, literature reviews can aim to engage in theory development such as a basis for building a new conceptual or theoretical model or map the development of a particular research field over time. it is important to acknowledge that the method used in a literature review will vary depending on the goals of the study (Snyder, 2019).

A critical danger often cited in the literature is the temptation to selectively include evidence that aligns with the researcher’s biases while disregarding contradictory findings. Even when the methodology is sound, what is considered a good contribution should be scrutinised. To this end, there are several methods that can be used to ensure that researchers are exhaustive in their search for literature. In this regard, systematic reviews are often referred to as the gold standard, implementing transparent and reproducible methods to synthesise evidence and minimise biases (Snyder, 2019). This form of literature review aims to identify all the evidence that “fits the pre-specified inclusion criteria to answer a particular research question or hypothesis”. The explicit, systematic and reproducible methods used when reviewing the literature minimises biases, thus producing trustworthy findings from which solid conclusions can be drawn and decisions can be based on (Snyder, 2019).

Yet, systematic reviews may not always be feasible, particularly in multidisciplinary fields where concepts are diverse or context-dependent. This form of literature review aims to identify all the evidence that “fits the pre-specified inclusion criteria to answer a particular research question or hypothesis”. The explicit, systematic and reproducible methods used when reviewing the literature minimises biases, thus producing trustworthy findings from which solid conclusions can be drawn and decisions can be based on (Snyder, 2019). Various methods to analyse and synthesise findings can be conducted in a semi-systematic review, such as a thematic or content analysis. Through a semi-systematic review, a researcher is able to identify themes, theoretical perspectives, or common issues within a specific discipline or methodology (Snyder, 2019).

Another alternative, is the integrative or critical review which can be used when a researcher does not want to cover all the literature ever released on a topic but rather combine perspective to develop new theoretical models. The integrative review has a different purpose to the semi-systematic review, which include an aim to assess, critique, and synthesise the research on a research topic in a manner that enables a new theoretical framework or perspective to emerge (Snyder, 2019).

Ultimately, the choice of literature review methodology on the research question's nature and scope. Each approach presents unique advantages and limitations, and researchers must carefully align their chosen research design and methodology with their research objective.

References

Lau, F. Y., & Kuziemsky, C. E. (2016). Handbook of eHealth Evaluation: An Evidence-based Approach.

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333-339. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039