Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care A Practical Guide

by Aveyard, Helen

• ISBN13: 9780335238859
• ISBN10: 0335238858
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-01
• Publisher: Open Univ Pr

Summary

"This book is superb. Most undergraduates have to undertake some form of literature review which may be daunting, this book explains it in an clear, easy to understand format. Explanations are given as to why undertaking a literature review is undertaken. Summery sections at the end of each chapter allow the reader to reflect on what they have just read, allowing the information to sink in. This book should be on every university's recommended reading list." Kerry Davis, Student Nurse, University Campus Suffolk, UK"This book is fantastic! It gives a clear, concise guide to carrying out a literature review, which is of course a widely used formative assessment technique in a nursing program ... (it includes) in depth explanations and reasons as to how and why it is important to do a literature review ... the summary section at the end of each chapter is excellent, and allows the reader to review their understanding of what they're just read. Overall an excellent book which is a must for any student nurse!" Gem Smith, Student Nurse, Northumbria University, UK"This book is superb. It explains the entire process of writing a literature review very clearly ... extremely helpful as the prospect of reviewing literature can be quite daunting." Vicky Bain, Student Nurse, University of Nottingham, UK"A comprehensive, easy to read guide which will help students to understand how to undertake a literature review, and how to use the resultant information effectively." Anne-Marie Warnes, University of Central Lancashire, UKThis bestselling book is a step-by-step guide to doing a literature review in health and social care. It is vital reading for all those undertaking their undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation or any research module which involves a literature review.The new edition has been fully updated and provides a practical guide to the different types of literature that you may come across when undertaking a literature review. It includes: Examples of commonly occurring real life scenarios encountered by students Emphasis on the importance of setting a question at the very start of the project Advice on how to follow a clearly defined search strategy Details of a wide range of critical appraisal tools Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care 2/eis essential reading for students at all levels within the health and social care field - and a useful text for anyone new to reviewing and appraising evidence.

Author Biography

Dr Helen Aveyard completed her doctoral study at King's College University of London, following which she has worked as a senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Why do a literature review in health and social care?	p. 5
What is a literature review?	p. 5
Why are literature reviews important?	p. 6
Literature reviews present the whole jigsaw	p. 8
Analysis of many papers can lead to new discoveries	p. 8
The importance of a comprehensive or systematic approach	p. 9
Why is there so much available information?	p. 11
Evidence-based practice	p. 11
Why does one piece of research often contradict another?	p. 12
The importance of a systematic approach to the literature review	p. 13
The systematic review	p. 14
Less detailed systematic reviews	p. 15
Narrative reviews	p. 16
Why you should be doing a 'systematic' rather than a 'narrative' review	p. 18
The literature review as a research methodology	p. 19
Can I undertake a literature review for my dissertation?	p. 20
In summary	p. 22
Key points	p. 22
How do I develop a research question?	p. 23
The importance of a research question	p. 23
Identify a research topic	p. 25
How do I begin to select a good topic?	p. 27
Identify a research question	p. 29
Hints for writing a good research question	p. 31
Refining the research question	p. 35
Remind yourself (often) of your question	p. 36
Use of theory and a theoretical framework	p. 37
Reconsideration of your research question	p. 39
Writing up the development of your research question	p. 39
Tips for writing up the development of your research question	p. 40
In summary	p. 40
Key points	p. 41
What literature will be relevant to my literature review?	p. 42
Types of research you are likely to encounter	p. 47
Systematic literature reviews	p. 47
Quantitative research	p. 47
Types of quantitative research	p. 48
Qualitative studies	p. 56
Types of qualitative research	p. 58
The merits of quantitative and qualitative research	p. 60
The use of secondary sources	p. 60
What does the term 'hierarchy of evidence' mean?	p. 61
Why do some literature reviews include predominantly RCTs?	p. 62
Does the 'hierarchy of evidence' apply to my literature review?	p. 63
Identifying your own hierarchy of evidence in your review	p. 64
Should I always focus my search on research findings?	p. 66
In summary	p. 67
Key points	p. 67
How do I search for literature?	p. 68
Developing a systematic approach to searching for literature	p. 69
Identify the literature that will address your review question	p. 70
Inclusion and exclusion criteria	p. 71
Carrying out your search strategy	p. 74
Electronic searching	p. 74
Recording your searching strategy	p. 80
Additional methods of identifying relevant articles	p. 81
Use of abstracts to confirm the relevance of the paper	p. 83
Getting hold of your references	p. 84
Managing your references	p. 85
Strengths and limitations of your searching strategy	p. 86
Tips for writing up your search strategy	p. 86
In summary	p. 87
Key points	p. 88
How do I critically appraise the literature?	p. 89
Getting to know your literature	p. 90
The importance of critical appraisal	p. 92
What is critical appraisal?	p. 93
Do I need to critically appraise all the literature I include in my review?	p. 95
Getting started with critical appraisal	p. 95
Identifying research, theoretical, practice and policy papers	p. 96
Critical appraisal tools	p. 97
Which appraisal tool should I use?	p. 98
Critical appraisal for new researchers	p. 99
Critical appraisal of theory	p. 100
Critical appraisal of research	p. 100
Critical appraisal of review articles	p. 101
Dealing with existing literature reviews in your review	p. 102
How should we critique quantitative studies?	p. 103
Additional resources for critical appraisal	p. 105
Critical appraisal of qualitative studies	p. 108
How should we critique qualitative research?	p. 109
Critical appraisal tools for qualitative studies	p. 110
Critical appraisal of practice literature	p. 116
Critical appraisal of policy and guidelines	p. 118
An approach to evaluating information contained on websites	p. 118
Now I have critically appraised all my literature - what next?	p. 119
Tips for doing your critique of the literature	p. 121
In summary	p. 121
Key points	p. 122
How do I synthesize my findings?	p. 123
Combining the evidence	p. 124
Three 'advanced' approaches for summing up the literature	p. 125
Meta-analysis	p. 125
Meta-ethnography	p. 126
Meta-study	p. 127
A simplified approach	p. 128
Providing a summary of your information	p. 128
Comparing and contrasting the results of each study	p. 129
Working with codes and themes that do not support each other	p. 131
Discussion of the strength of evidence	p. 132
Be aware of results that appear too neat	p. 133
Be creative!	p. 133
Writing up your results	p. 134
Writing your critical appraisal of each paper	p. 134
Telling a story with your data	p. 135
Incorporating your critical appraisal	p. 135
What do I do if I cannot really answer my research question?	p. 137
Tips for writing up your synthesis of the literature	p. 139
In summary	p. 139
Key points	p. 140
How do I discuss my findings and make recommendations?	p. 141
Statement of findings	p. 143
Strengths and limitations of your study	p. 144
Discussion of unanswered questions and future research	p. 145
Tips for writing up your discussion section	p. 145
Key points	p. 146
How do I present my literature review? And other key questions	p. 147
A suggested structure	p. 148
Top tips for writing up your literature review	p. 150
Key points in presenting your literature review	p. 151
Commonly asked questions	p. 152
What is the difference between a dissertation and an essay?	p. 152
How should I structure my work?	p. 154
Should I use first or third person?	p. 155
How should I use references?	p. 156
How do I avoid plagiarism and misrepresentation?	p. 157
What is the role of my supervisor?	p. 158
Glossary	p. 159
References	p. 163
Index	p. 167
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