Finding Types of Research

A literature review is a section of a paper or an entire article where a researcher picks a topic, sees what is written about it, and analyzes and synthesizes the findings. It can be more narrative and give background information about the topic as an introduction to a research study or an entire paper reviewing the literature on a topic. In addition, some more specialized literature reviews introduce more rigor into how the literature is examined. These include the following:

• Integrative Review: It uses experimental and non-experimental studies to examine a topic comprehensively. Articles using multiple research methodologies are examined, and decisions on whether to include or exclude are made while analyzing the available literature.
• Scoping Review: It looks at the full scope of available literature on a topic and identifies gaps. This literature does not need to be peer-reviewed. The literature identified is mapped, grouped into themes, and analyzed.

There are no filters that can be added to your search using the Search Everything box on the library homepage nor the individual databases on the Database A to Z page. However, one way to locate these types of studies in a database is to add either literature review, scoping review, or integrative review to your search strategy.

Examples: 

sleep AND intervention AND "integrative review"

Artificial Intelligence AND healthcare AND "scoping review"

(COVID-19 OR coronavirus OR SARS-CoV-2) AND “literature review”

Literature Review

Integrative Review

Scoping Review