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• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

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McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved March 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples

Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .

If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.

To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.

Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, make sure to follow these tips:

• Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
• Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.

In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.

If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your  dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 12 March 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/

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Shona McCombes

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

• An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
• A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
• Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
• Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
• Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

• Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
• Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
• Qualitative versus quantitative research
• Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
• Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

• It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
• Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
• Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
• Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

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A literature review surveys prior research published in books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have used in researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within existing scholarship about the topic.

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.

Importance of a Good Literature Review

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

• Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
• Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
• Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
• Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
• Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
• Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2011; Knopf, Jeffrey W. "Doing a Literature Review." PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (January 2006): 127-132; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012.

Types of Literature Reviews

It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.

In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.

Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews [see below].

Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.

Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.

Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem . Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social sciences.

Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

NOTE : Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the literature.

Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews."  Review of General Psychology 1 (September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Thinking About Your Literature Review

The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the research problem :

• An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review,
• Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
• An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider :

• Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
• Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
• Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
• Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
• Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

II.  Development of the Literature Review

Four Basic Stages of Writing 1.  Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2.  Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. 3.  Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. 4.  Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Consider the following issues before writing the literature review: Clarify If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1.  Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include? 2.  What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3.  Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4.  Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the research problem? 5.  Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent entry points into your own research. Narrow the Topic The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research. For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the text. Consider Whether Your Sources are Current Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.

III.  Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronology of Events If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematic [“conceptual categories”] A thematic literature review is the most common approach to summarizing prior research in the social and behavioral sciences. Thematic reviews are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time, although the progression of time may still be incorporated into a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it would still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The difference in this example between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: themes related to the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point being made. Methodological A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

Other Sections of Your Literature Review Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.

Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include depending on the type of review you write:

• Current Situation : Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature review.
• Sources Used : Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to identify the literature you reviewed.
• History : The chronological progression of the field, the research literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
• Selection Methods : Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed [i.e., scholarly] sources.
• Standards : Description of the way in which you present your information.
• Questions for Further Research : What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?

IV.  Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid. Be Selective Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information, but that are not key to understanding the research problem, can be included in a list of further readings . Use Quotes Sparingly Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for using your own words in reviewing the literature. Summarize and Synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others. Keep Your Own Voice While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording. Use Caution When Paraphrasing When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.

V.  Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.

• Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
• Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic methods; and,
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.

Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.

Writing Tip

Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.

Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity . New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

• How are they organizing their ideas?
• What methods have they used to study the problem?
• What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
• What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
• How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?

When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1 998.

Yet Another Writing Tip

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:

• Look for repeating patterns in the research findings . If the same thing is being said, just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research?  Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
• Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address the research problem.
• Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

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Home » Literature Review – Types Writing Guide and Examples

Literature Review – Types Writing Guide and Examples

Table of Contents

Literature Review

Definition:

A literature review is a comprehensive and critical analysis of the existing literature on a particular topic or research question. It involves identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing relevant literature, including scholarly articles, books, and other sources, to provide a summary and critical assessment of what is known about the topic.

Types of Literature Review

Types of Literature Review are as follows:

• Narrative literature review : This type of review involves a comprehensive summary and critical analysis of the available literature on a particular topic or research question. It is often used as an introductory section of a research paper.
• Systematic literature review: This is a rigorous and structured review that follows a pre-defined protocol to identify, evaluate, and synthesize all relevant studies on a specific research question. It is often used in evidence-based practice and systematic reviews.
• Meta-analysis: This is a quantitative review that uses statistical methods to combine data from multiple studies to derive a summary effect size. It provides a more precise estimate of the overall effect than any individual study.
• Scoping review: This is a preliminary review that aims to map the existing literature on a broad topic area to identify research gaps and areas for further investigation.
• Critical literature review : This type of review evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the existing literature on a particular topic or research question. It aims to provide a critical analysis of the literature and identify areas where further research is needed.
• Conceptual literature review: This review synthesizes and integrates theories and concepts from multiple sources to provide a new perspective on a particular topic. It aims to provide a theoretical framework for understanding a particular research question.
• Rapid literature review: This is a quick review that provides a snapshot of the current state of knowledge on a specific research question or topic. It is often used when time and resources are limited.
• Thematic literature review : This review identifies and analyzes common themes and patterns across a body of literature on a particular topic. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature and identify key themes and concepts.
• Realist literature review: This review is often used in social science research and aims to identify how and why certain interventions work in certain contexts. It takes into account the context and complexities of real-world situations.
• State-of-the-art literature review : This type of review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge in a particular field, highlighting the most recent and relevant research. It is often used in fields where knowledge is rapidly evolving, such as technology or medicine.
• Integrative literature review: This type of review synthesizes and integrates findings from multiple studies on a particular topic to identify patterns, themes, and gaps in the literature. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge on a particular topic.
• Umbrella literature review : This review is used to provide a broad overview of a large and diverse body of literature on a particular topic. It aims to identify common themes and patterns across different areas of research.
• Historical literature review: This type of review examines the historical development of research on a particular topic or research question. It aims to provide a historical context for understanding the current state of knowledge on a particular topic.
• Problem-oriented literature review : This review focuses on a specific problem or issue and examines the literature to identify potential solutions or interventions. It aims to provide practical recommendations for addressing a particular problem or issue.
• Mixed-methods literature review : This type of review combines quantitative and qualitative methods to synthesize and analyze the available literature on a particular topic. It aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the research question by combining different types of evidence.

Parts of Literature Review

Parts of a literature review are as follows:

Introduction

The introduction of a literature review typically provides background information on the research topic and why it is important. It outlines the objectives of the review, the research question or hypothesis, and the scope of the review.

Literature Search

This section outlines the search strategy and databases used to identify relevant literature. The search terms used, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and any limitations of the search are described.

Literature Analysis

The literature analysis is the main body of the literature review. This section summarizes and synthesizes the literature that is relevant to the research question or hypothesis. The review should be organized thematically, chronologically, or by methodology, depending on the research objectives.

Critical Evaluation

Critical evaluation involves assessing the quality and validity of the literature. This includes evaluating the reliability and validity of the studies reviewed, the methodology used, and the strength of the evidence.

The conclusion of the literature review should summarize the main findings, identify any gaps in the literature, and suggest areas for future research. It should also reiterate the importance of the research question or hypothesis and the contribution of the literature review to the overall research project.

The references list includes all the sources cited in the literature review, and follows a specific referencing style (e.g., APA, MLA, Harvard).

How to write Literature Review

Here are some steps to follow when writing a literature review:

• Define your research question or topic : Before starting your literature review, it is essential to define your research question or topic. This will help you identify relevant literature and determine the scope of your review.
• Conduct a comprehensive search: Use databases and search engines to find relevant literature. Look for peer-reviewed articles, books, and other academic sources that are relevant to your research question or topic.
• Evaluate the sources: Once you have found potential sources, evaluate them critically to determine their relevance, credibility, and quality. Look for recent publications, reputable authors, and reliable sources of data and evidence.
• Organize your sources: Group the sources by theme, method, or research question. This will help you identify similarities and differences among the literature, and provide a structure for your literature review.
• Analyze and synthesize the literature : Analyze each source in depth, identifying the key findings, methodologies, and conclusions. Then, synthesize the information from the sources, identifying patterns and themes in the literature.
• Write the literature review : Start with an introduction that provides an overview of the topic and the purpose of the literature review. Then, organize the literature according to your chosen structure, and analyze and synthesize the sources. Finally, provide a conclusion that summarizes the key findings of the literature review, identifies gaps in knowledge, and suggests areas for future research.
• Edit and proofread: Once you have written your literature review, edit and proofread it carefully to ensure that it is well-organized, clear, and concise.

Examples of Literature Review

Here’s an example of how a literature review can be conducted for a thesis on the topic of “ The Impact of Social Media on Teenagers’ Mental Health”:

• Start by identifying the key terms related to your research topic. In this case, the key terms are “social media,” “teenagers,” and “mental health.”
• Use academic databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, or PubMed to search for relevant articles, books, and other publications. Use these keywords in your search to narrow down your results.
• Evaluate the sources you find to determine if they are relevant to your research question. You may want to consider the publication date, author’s credentials, and the journal or book publisher.
• Begin reading and taking notes on each source, paying attention to key findings, methodologies used, and any gaps in the research.
• Organize your findings into themes or categories. For example, you might categorize your sources into those that examine the impact of social media on self-esteem, those that explore the effects of cyberbullying, and those that investigate the relationship between social media use and depression.
• Synthesize your findings by summarizing the key themes and highlighting any gaps or inconsistencies in the research. Identify areas where further research is needed.
• Use your literature review to inform your research questions and hypotheses for your thesis.

For example, after conducting a literature review on the impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health, a thesis might look like this:

“Using a mixed-methods approach, this study aims to investigate the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes in teenagers. Specifically, the study will examine the effects of cyberbullying, social comparison, and excessive social media use on self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Through an analysis of survey data and qualitative interviews with teenagers, the study will provide insight into the complex relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes, and identify strategies for promoting positive mental health outcomes in young people.”

Reference: Smith, J., Jones, M., & Lee, S. (2019). The effects of social media use on adolescent mental health: A systematic review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(2), 154-165. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.024

Reference Example: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or URL

Applications of Literature Review

some applications of literature review in different fields:

• Social Sciences: In social sciences, literature reviews are used to identify gaps in existing research, to develop research questions, and to provide a theoretical framework for research. Literature reviews are commonly used in fields such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, and political science.
• Natural Sciences: In natural sciences, literature reviews are used to summarize and evaluate the current state of knowledge in a particular field or subfield. Literature reviews can help researchers identify areas where more research is needed and provide insights into the latest developments in a particular field. Fields such as biology, chemistry, and physics commonly use literature reviews.
• Health Sciences: In health sciences, literature reviews are used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, identify best practices, and determine areas where more research is needed. Literature reviews are commonly used in fields such as medicine, nursing, and public health.
• Humanities: In humanities, literature reviews are used to identify gaps in existing knowledge, develop new interpretations of texts or cultural artifacts, and provide a theoretical framework for research. Literature reviews are commonly used in fields such as history, literary studies, and philosophy.

Role of Literature Review in Research

Here are some applications of literature review in research:

• Identifying Research Gaps : Literature review helps researchers identify gaps in existing research and literature related to their research question. This allows them to develop new research questions and hypotheses to fill those gaps.
• Developing Theoretical Framework: Literature review helps researchers develop a theoretical framework for their research. By analyzing and synthesizing existing literature, researchers can identify the key concepts, theories, and models that are relevant to their research.
• Selecting Research Methods : Literature review helps researchers select appropriate research methods and techniques based on previous research. It also helps researchers to identify potential biases or limitations of certain methods and techniques.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Literature review helps researchers in data collection and analysis by providing a foundation for the development of data collection instruments and methods. It also helps researchers to identify relevant data sources and identify potential data analysis techniques.
• Communicating Results: Literature review helps researchers to communicate their results effectively by providing a context for their research. It also helps to justify the significance of their findings in relation to existing research and literature.

Purpose of Literature Review

Some of the specific purposes of a literature review are as follows:

• To provide context: A literature review helps to provide context for your research by situating it within the broader body of literature on the topic.
• To identify gaps and inconsistencies: A literature review helps to identify areas where further research is needed or where there are inconsistencies in the existing literature.
• To synthesize information: A literature review helps to synthesize the information from multiple sources and present a coherent and comprehensive picture of the current state of knowledge on the topic.
• To identify key concepts and theories : A literature review helps to identify key concepts and theories that are relevant to your research question and provide a theoretical framework for your study.
• To inform research design: A literature review can inform the design of your research study by identifying appropriate research methods, data sources, and research questions.

Characteristics of Literature Review

Some Characteristics of Literature Review are as follows:

• Identifying gaps in knowledge: A literature review helps to identify gaps in the existing knowledge and research on a specific topic or research question. By analyzing and synthesizing the literature, you can identify areas where further research is needed and where new insights can be gained.
• Establishing the significance of your research: A literature review helps to establish the significance of your own research by placing it in the context of existing research. By demonstrating the relevance of your research to the existing literature, you can establish its importance and value.
• Informing research design and methodology : A literature review helps to inform research design and methodology by identifying the most appropriate research methods, techniques, and instruments. By reviewing the literature, you can identify the strengths and limitations of different research methods and techniques, and select the most appropriate ones for your own research.
• Supporting arguments and claims: A literature review provides evidence to support arguments and claims made in academic writing. By citing and analyzing the literature, you can provide a solid foundation for your own arguments and claims.
• I dentifying potential collaborators and mentors: A literature review can help identify potential collaborators and mentors by identifying researchers and practitioners who are working on related topics or using similar methods. By building relationships with these individuals, you can gain valuable insights and support for your own research and practice.
• Keeping up-to-date with the latest research : A literature review helps to keep you up-to-date with the latest research on a specific topic or research question. By regularly reviewing the literature, you can stay informed about the latest findings and developments in your field.

Advantages of Literature Review

There are several advantages to conducting a literature review as part of a research project, including:

• Establishing the significance of the research : A literature review helps to establish the significance of the research by demonstrating the gap or problem in the existing literature that the study aims to address.
• Identifying key concepts and theories: A literature review can help to identify key concepts and theories that are relevant to the research question, and provide a theoretical framework for the study.
• Supporting the research methodology : A literature review can inform the research methodology by identifying appropriate research methods, data sources, and research questions.
• Providing a comprehensive overview of the literature : A literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on a topic, allowing the researcher to identify key themes, debates, and areas of agreement or disagreement.
• Identifying potential research questions: A literature review can help to identify potential research questions and areas for further investigation.
• Avoiding duplication of research: A literature review can help to avoid duplication of research by identifying what has already been done on a topic, and what remains to be done.
• Enhancing the credibility of the research : A literature review helps to enhance the credibility of the research by demonstrating the researcher’s knowledge of the existing literature and their ability to situate their research within a broader context.

Limitations of Literature Review

Limitations of Literature Review are as follows:

• Limited scope : Literature reviews can only cover the existing literature on a particular topic, which may be limited in scope or depth.
• Publication bias : Literature reviews may be influenced by publication bias, which occurs when researchers are more likely to publish positive results than negative ones. This can lead to an incomplete or biased picture of the literature.
• Quality of sources : The quality of the literature reviewed can vary widely, and not all sources may be reliable or valid.
• Time-limited: Literature reviews can become quickly outdated as new research is published, making it difficult to keep up with the latest developments in a field.
• Subjective interpretation : Literature reviews can be subjective, and the interpretation of the findings can vary depending on the researcher’s perspective or bias.
• Lack of original data : Literature reviews do not generate new data, but rather rely on the analysis of existing studies.
• Risk of plagiarism: It is important to ensure that literature reviews do not inadvertently contain plagiarism, which can occur when researchers use the work of others without proper attribution.

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What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question.  That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment.  Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
• Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

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1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question.  The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

• Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.  Is it manageable?
• Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
• If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? 

• This may depend on your assignment.  How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. 

Where to find databases:

• use the tabs on this guide
• Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
• More on the Medical Library web page
• ... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

• Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
• Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
• Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
• Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
• Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
• Ask your librarian for help at any time.
• Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

• What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
• Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
• What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
• Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
• If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
• How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips: 

• Review the abstracts carefully.  
• Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
• Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
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How To Structure Your Literature Review

3 options to help structure your chapter.

By: Amy Rommelspacher (PhD) | Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | November 2020 (Updated May 2023)

Writing the literature review chapter can seem pretty daunting when you’re piecing together your dissertation or thesis. As  we’ve discussed before , a good literature review needs to achieve a few very important objectives – it should:

• Demonstrate your knowledge of the research topic
• Identify the gaps in the literature and show how your research links to these
• Provide the foundation for your conceptual framework (if you have one)
• Inform your own  methodology and research design

To achieve this, your literature review needs a well-thought-out structure . Get the structure of your literature review chapter wrong and you’ll struggle to achieve these objectives. Don’t worry though – in this post, we’ll look at how to structure your literature review for maximum impact (and marks!).

But wait – is this the right time?

Deciding on the structure of your literature review should come towards the end of the literature review process – after you have collected and digested the literature, but before you start writing the chapter. 

In other words, you need to first develop a rich understanding of the literature before you even attempt to map out a structure. There’s no use trying to develop a structure before you’ve fully wrapped your head around the existing research.

Equally importantly, you need to have a structure in place before you start writing , or your literature review will most likely end up a rambling, disjointed mess. 

Importantly, don’t feel that once you’ve defined a structure you can’t iterate on it. It’s perfectly natural to adjust as you engage in the writing process. As we’ve discussed before , writing is a way of developing your thinking, so it’s quite common for your thinking to change – and therefore, for your chapter structure to change – as you write. 

Need a helping hand?

Like any other chapter in your thesis or dissertation, your literature review needs to have a clear, logical structure. At a minimum, it should have three essential components – an  introduction , a  body   and a  conclusion . 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

1: The Introduction Section

Just like any good introduction, the introduction section of your literature review should introduce the purpose and layout (organisation) of the chapter. In other words, your introduction needs to give the reader a taste of what’s to come, and how you’re going to lay that out. Essentially, you should provide the reader with a high-level roadmap of your chapter to give them a taste of the journey that lies ahead.

Here’s an example of the layout visualised in a literature review introduction:

Your introduction should also outline your topic (including any tricky terminology or jargon) and provide an explanation of the scope of your literature review – in other words, what you  will   and  won’t   be covering (the delimitations ). This helps ringfence your review and achieve a clear focus . The clearer and narrower your focus, the deeper you can dive into the topic (which is typically where the magic lies). 

Depending on the nature of your project, you could also present your stance or point of view at this stage. In other words, after grappling with the literature you’ll have an opinion about what the trends and concerns are in the field as well as what’s lacking. The introduction section can then present these ideas so that it is clear to examiners that you’re aware of how your research connects with existing knowledge .

2: The Body Section

The body of your literature review is the centre of your work. This is where you’ll present, analyse, evaluate and synthesise the existing research. In other words, this is where you’re going to earn (or lose) the most marks. Therefore, it’s important to carefully think about how you will organise your discussion to present it in a clear way. 

The body of your literature review should do just as the description of this chapter suggests. It should “review” the literature – in other words, identify, analyse, and synthesise it. So, when thinking about structuring your literature review, you need to think about which structural approach will provide the best “review” for your specific type of research and objectives (we’ll get to this shortly).

There are (broadly speaking)  three options  for organising your literature review.

Option 1: Chronological (according to date)

Organising the literature chronologically is one of the simplest ways to structure your literature review. You start with what was published first and work your way through the literature until you reach the work published most recently. Pretty straightforward.

The benefit of this option is that it makes it easy to discuss the developments and debates in the field as they emerged over time. Organising your literature chronologically also allows you to highlight how specific articles or pieces of work might have changed the course of the field – in other words, which research has had the most impact . Therefore, this approach is very useful when your research is aimed at understanding how the topic has unfolded over time and is often used by scholars in the field of history. That said, this approach can be utilised by anyone that wants to explore change over time .

For example , if a student of politics is investigating how the understanding of democracy has evolved over time, they could use the chronological approach to provide a narrative that demonstrates how this understanding has changed through the ages.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you structure your literature review chronologically.

• What is the earliest literature published relating to this topic?
• How has the field changed over time? Why?
• What are the most recent discoveries/theories?

In some ways, chronology plays a part whichever way you decide to structure your literature review, because you will always, to a certain extent, be analysing how the literature has developed. However, with the chronological approach, the emphasis is very firmly on how the discussion has evolved over time , as opposed to how all the literature links together (which we’ll discuss next ).

Option 2: Thematic (grouped by theme)

The thematic approach to structuring a literature review means organising your literature by theme or category – for example, by independent variables (i.e. factors that have an impact on a specific outcome).

As you’ve been collecting and synthesising literature , you’ll likely have started seeing some themes or patterns emerging. You can then use these themes or patterns as a structure for your body discussion. The thematic approach is the most common approach and is useful for structuring literature reviews in most fields.

For example, if you were researching which factors contributed towards people trusting an organisation, you might find themes such as consumers’ perceptions of an organisation’s competence, benevolence and integrity. Structuring your literature review thematically would mean structuring your literature review’s body section to discuss each of these themes, one section at a time.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when structuring your literature review by themes:

• Are there any patterns that have come to light in the literature?
• What are the central themes and categories used by the researchers?
• Do I have enough evidence of these themes?

PS – you can see an example of a thematically structured literature review in our literature review sample walkthrough video here.

Option 3: Methodological

The methodological option is a way of structuring your literature review by the research methodologies used . In other words, organising your discussion based on the angle from which each piece of research was approached – for example, qualitative , quantitative or mixed  methodologies.

Structuring your literature review by methodology can be useful if you are drawing research from a variety of disciplines and are critiquing different methodologies. The point of this approach is to question  how  existing research has been conducted, as opposed to  what  the conclusions and/or findings the research were.

For example, a sociologist might centre their research around critiquing specific fieldwork practices. Their literature review will then be a summary of the fieldwork methodologies used by different studies.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when structuring your literature review according to methodology:

• Which methodologies have been utilised in this field?
• Which methodology is the most popular (and why)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies?
• How can the existing methodologies inform my own methodology?

3: The Conclusion Section

Once you’ve completed the body section of your literature review using one of the structural approaches we discussed above, you’ll need to “wrap up” your literature review and pull all the pieces together to set the direction for the rest of your dissertation or thesis.

The conclusion is where you’ll present the key findings of your literature review. In this section, you should emphasise the research that is especially important to your research questions and highlight the gaps that exist in the literature. Based on this, you need to make it clear what you will add to the literature – in other words, justify your own research by showing how it will help fill one or more of the gaps you just identified.

Last but not least, if it’s your intention to develop a conceptual framework for your dissertation or thesis, the conclusion section is a good place to present this.

Example: Thematically Structured Review

In the video below, we unpack a literature review chapter so that you can see an example of a thematically structure review in practice.

Let’s Recap

In this article, we’ve  discussed how to structure your literature review for maximum impact. Here’s a quick recap of what  you need to keep in mind when deciding on your literature review structure:

• Just like other chapters, your literature review needs a clear introduction , body and conclusion .
• The introduction section should provide an overview of what you will discuss in your literature review.
• The body section of your literature review can be organised by chronology , theme or methodology . The right structural approach depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your research.
• The conclusion section should draw together the key findings of your literature review and link them to your research questions.

If you’re ready to get started, be sure to download our free literature review template to fast-track your chapter outline.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling Udemy Course, Literature Review Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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27 Comments

Great work. This is exactly what I was looking for and helps a lot together with your previous post on literature review. One last thing is missing: a link to a great literature chapter of an journal article (maybe with comments of the different sections in this review chapter). Do you know any great literature review chapters?

I agree with you Marin… A great piece

I agree with Marin. This would be quite helpful if you annotate a nicely structured literature from previously published research articles.

Awesome article for my research.

I thank you immensely for this wonderful guide

It is indeed thought and supportive work for the futurist researcher and students

Very educative and good time to get guide. Thank you

Great work, very insightful. Thank you.

Thanks for this wonderful presentation. My question is that do I put all the variables into a single conceptual framework or each hypothesis will have it own conceptual framework?

Thank you very much, very helpful

This is very educative and precise . Thank you very much for dropping this kind of write up .

Pheeww, so damn helpful, thank you for this informative piece.

I’m doing a research project topic ; stool analysis for parasitic worm (enteric) worm, how do I structure it, thanks.

comprehensive explanation. Help us by pasting the URL of some good “literature review” for better understanding.

great piece. thanks for the awesome explanation. it is really worth sharing. I have a little question, if anyone can help me out, which of the options in the body of literature can be best fit if you are writing an architectural thesis that deals with design?

I am doing a research on nanofluids how can l structure it?

Beautifully clear.nThank you!

Lucid! Thankyou!

Brilliant work, well understood, many thanks

I like how this was so clear with simple language 😊😊 thank you so much 😊 for these information 😊

Insightful. I was struggling to come up with a sensible literature review but this has been really helpful. Thank you!

You have given thought-provoking information about the review of the literature.

Thank you. It has made my own research better and to impart your work to students I teach

I learnt a lot from this teaching. It’s a great piece.

I am doing research on EFL teacher motivation for his/her job. How Can I structure it? Is there any detailed template, additional to this?

You are so cool! I do not think I’ve read through something like this before. So nice to find somebody with some genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This site is one thing that is required on the internet, someone with a little originality!

I’m asked to do conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature, and i just don’t know how to structure it

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Literature review

A general guide on how to conduct and write a literature review.

Please check course or programme information and materials provided by teaching staff, including your project supervisor, for subject-specific guidance.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context.  A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why it is called a literature review rather than a literature report. It is a process of reviewing the literature, as well as a form of writing.

To illustrate the difference between reporting and reviewing, think about television or film review articles.  These articles include content such as a brief synopsis or the key points of the film or programme plus the critic’s own evaluation.  Similarly the two main objectives of a literature review are firstly the content covering existing research, theories and evidence, and secondly your own critical evaluation and discussion of this content. 

Usually a literature review forms a section or part of a dissertation, research project or long essay.  However, it can also be set and assessed as a standalone piece of work.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

…your task is to build an argument, not a library. Rudestam, K.E. and Newton, R.R. (1992) Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. California: Sage, p49.

In a larger piece of written work, such as a dissertation or project, a literature review is usually one of the first tasks carried out after deciding on a topic.  Reading combined with critical analysis can help to refine a topic and frame research questions.  Conducting a literature review establishes your familiarity with and understanding of current research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. After doing a literature review, you should know what research has already been done and be able to identify what is unknown within your topic.

When doing and writing a literature review, it is good practice to:

• summarise and analyse previous research and theories;
• identify areas of controversy and contested claims;
• highlight any gaps that may exist in research to date.

Conducting a literature review

Focusing on different aspects of your literature review can be useful to help plan, develop, refine and write it.  You can use and adapt the prompt questions in our worksheet below at different points in the process of researching and writing your review.  These are suggestions to get you thinking and writing.

Developing and refining your literature review (pdf)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word rtf)

Writing a literature review has a lot in common with other assignment tasks.  There is advice on our other pages about thinking critically, reading strategies and academic writing.  Our literature review top tips suggest some specific things you can do to help you submit a successful review.

Literature review top tips (pdf)

Literature review top tips (Word rtf)

Our reading page includes strategies and advice on using books and articles and a notes record sheet grid you can use.

Reading at university

The Academic writing page suggests ways to organise and structure information from a range of sources and how you can develop your argument as you read and write.

Academic writing

The Critical thinking page has advice on how to be a more critical researcher and a form you can use to help you think and break down the stages of developing your argument.

Critical thinking

As with other forms of academic writing, your literature review needs to demonstrate good academic practice by following the Code of Student Conduct and acknowledging the work of others through citing and referencing your sources.  

Good academic practice

As with any writing task, you will need to review, edit and rewrite sections of your literature review.  The Editing and proofreading page includes tips on how to do this and strategies for standing back and thinking about your structure and checking the flow of your argument.

Editing and proofreading

Guidance on literature searching from the University Library

The Academic Support Librarians have developed LibSmart I and II, Learn courses to help you develop and enhance your digital research skills and capabilities; from getting started with the Library to managing data for your dissertation.

Searching using the library’s DiscoverEd tool: DiscoverEd

Finding resources in your subject: Subject guides

The Academic Support Librarians also provide one-to-one appointments to help you develop your research strategies.

1 to 1 support for literature searching and systematic reviews

Advice to help you optimise use of Google Scholar, Google Books and Google for your research and study: Using Google

Managing and curating your references

A referencing management tool can help you to collect and organise and your source material to produce a bibliography or reference list. 

Referencing and reference management

Information Services provide access to Cite them right online which is a guide to the main referencing systems and tells you how to reference just about any source (EASE log-in may be required).

Cite them right

Published study guides

There are a number of scholarship skills books and guides available which can help with writing a literature review.  Our Resource List of study skills guides includes sections on Referencing, Dissertation and project writing and Literature reviews.

Study skills guides

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Literature Reviews

• What is a literature review?
• Steps in the Literature Review Process
• Define your research question
• Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Choose databases and search
• Review Results
• Synthesize Results
• Analyze Results
• Librarian Support

What is a Literature Review?

A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field. 

A literature review should: 

• Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
• Explain why this review has taken place;
• Articulate a position or hypothesis;
• Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

From  S age Research Methods

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:

• Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
• Compare a study with other research that's been done

Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:

• Organizes or describes a topic
• Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Limitations of a Literature Review

Some of the limitations of a literature review are:

• It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
• It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
• It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
• It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.

Meryl Brodsky : Communication and Information Studies

Hannah Chapman Tripp : Biology, Neuroscience

Carolyn Cunningham : Human Development & Family Sciences, Psychology, Sociology

Larayne Dallas : Engineering

Janelle Hedstrom : Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Ed Leadership & Policy ​

Susan Macicak : Linguistics

Imelda Vetter : Dell Medical School

For help in other subject areas, please see the guide to library specialists by subject .

Periodically, UT Libraries runs a workshop covering the basics and library support for literature reviews. While we try to offer these once per academic year, we find providing the recording to be helpful to community members who have missed the session. Following is the most recent recording of the workshop, Conducting a Literature Review. To view the recording, a UT login is required.

• October 26, 2022 recording
• Last Updated: Oct 26, 2022 2:49 PM
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Libraries | Research Guides

Literature reviews, what is a literature review, learning more about how to do a literature review.

• Planning the Review
• The Research Question
• Choosing Where to Search
• Organizing the Review
• Writing the Review

A literature review is a review and synthesis of existing research on a topic or research question. A literature review is meant to analyze the scholarly literature, make connections across writings and identify strengths, weaknesses, trends, and missing conversations. A literature review should address different aspects of a topic as it relates to your research question. A literature review goes beyond a description or summary of the literature you have read. 

• Sage Research Methods Core Collection This link opens in a new window SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. SAGE Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. – Publisher

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Conducting a literature review: why do a literature review, why do a literature review.

• How To Find "The Literature"
• Found it -- Now What?

Besides the obvious reason for students -- because it is assigned! -- a literature review helps you explore the research that has come before you, to see how your research question has (or has not) already been addressed.

You identify:

• core research in the field
• experts in the subject area
• methodology you may want to use (or avoid)
• gaps in knowledge -- or where your research would fit in

It Also Helps You:

• Publish and share your findings
• Justify requests for grants and other funding
• Identify best practices to inform practice
• Set wider context for a program evaluation
• Compile information to support community organizing

Great brief overview, from NCSU

Want To Know More?

• Next: How To Find "The Literature" >>
• Last Updated: Dec 8, 2023 10:11 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/litreview

Research Process :: Step by Step

• Introduction
• Select Topic
• Identify Keywords
• Background Information
• Develop Research Questions
• Refine Topic
• Search Strategy
• Popular Databases
• Evaluate Sources
• Types of Periodicals
• Reading Scholarly Articles
• Primary & Secondary Sources
• Organize / Take Notes
• Writing & Grammar Resources
• Annotated Bibliography
• Literature Review
• Citation Styles
• Paraphrasing
• Privacy / Confidentiality
• Research Process
• Selecting Your Topic
• Identifying Keywords
• Gathering Background Info
• Evaluating Sources

Organize the literature review into sections that present themes or identify trends, including relevant theory. You are not trying to list all the material published, but to synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding concept of your thesis or research question.  

What is a literature review?

A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Occasionally you will be asked to write one as a separate assignment, but more often it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries

A literature review must do these things:

• be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are developing
• synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known
• identify areas of controversy in the literature
• formulate questions that need further research

Ask yourself questions like these:

• What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review helps to define?
• What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative research (e.g. on the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g., studies of loneliness among migrant workers)?
• What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g., nursing psychology, sociology, medicine)?
• How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material? Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper?
• Have I critically analyzed the literature I use? Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses?
• Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?
• Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?

Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include:

• Has the author formulated a problem/issue?
• Is it clearly defined? Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance) clearly established?
• Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective?
• What is the author's research orientation (e.g., interpretive, critical science, combination)?
• What is the author's theoretical framework (e.g., psychological, developmental, feminist)?
• What is the relationship between the theoretical and research perspectives?
• Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue? Does the author include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with?
• In a research study, how good are the basic components of the study design (e.g., population, intervention, outcome)? How accurate and valid are the measurements? Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question? Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?
• In material written for a popular readership, does the author use appeals to emotion, one-sided examples, or rhetorically-charged language and tone? Is there an objective basis to the reasoning, or is the author merely "proving" what he or she already believes?
• How does the author structure the argument? Can you "deconstruct" the flow of the argument to see whether or where it breaks down logically (e.g., in establishing cause-effect relationships)?
• In what ways does this book or article contribute to our understanding of the problem under study, and in what ways is it useful for practice? What are the strengths and limitations?
• How does this book or article relate to the specific thesis or question I am developing?

Text written by Dena Taylor, Health Sciences Writing Centre, University of Toronto

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review

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Reviewing literature for research: Doing it the right way

Shital amin poojary.

Department of Dermatology, K J Somaiya Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Jimish Deepak Bagadia

In an era of information overload, it is important to know how to obtain the required information and also to ensure that it is reliable information. Hence, it is essential to understand how to perform a systematic literature search. This article focuses on reliable literature sources and how to make optimum use of these in dermatology and venereology.

INTRODUCTION

A thorough review of literature is not only essential for selecting research topics, but also enables the right applicability of a research project. Most importantly, a good literature search is the cornerstone of practice of evidence based medicine. Today, everything is available at the click of a mouse or at the tip of the fingertips (or the stylus). Google is often the Go-To search website, the supposed answer to all questions in the universe. However, the deluge of information available comes with its own set of problems; how much of it is actually reliable information? How much are the search results that the search string threw up actually relevant? Did we actually find what we were looking for? Lack of a systematic approach can lead to a literature review ending up as a time-consuming and at times frustrating process. Hence, whether it is for research projects, theses/dissertations, case studies/reports or mere wish to obtain information; knowing where to look, and more importantly, how to look, is of prime importance today.

Literature search

Fink has defined research literature review as a “systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing the existing body of completed and recorded work produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners.”[ 1 ]

Review of research literature can be summarized into a seven step process: (i) Selecting research questions/purpose of the literature review (ii) Selecting your sources (iii) Choosing search terms (iv) Running your search (v) Applying practical screening criteria (vi) Applying methodological screening criteria/quality appraisal (vii) Synthesizing the results.[ 1 ]

This article will primarily concentrate on refining techniques of literature search.

Sources for literature search are enumerated in Table 1 .

Sources for literature search

PubMed is currently the most widely used among these as it contains over 23 million citations for biomedical literature and has been made available free by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), U.S. National Library of Medicine. However, the availability of free full text articles depends on the sources. Use of options such as advanced search, medical subject headings (MeSH) terms, free full text, PubMed tutorials, and single citation matcher makes the database extremely user-friendly [ Figure 1 ]. It can also be accessed on the go through mobiles using “PubMed Mobile.” One can also create own account in NCBI to save searches and to use certain PubMed tools.

PubMed home page showing location of different tools which can be used for an efficient literature search

Tips for efficient use of PubMed search:[ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Use of field and Boolean operators

When one searches using key words, all articles containing the words show up, many of which may not be related to the topic. Hence, the use of operators while searching makes the search more specific and less cumbersome. Operators are of two types: Field operators and Boolean operators, the latter enabling us to combine more than one concept, thereby making the search highly accurate. A few key operators that can be used in PubMed are shown in Tables ​ Tables2 2 and ​ and3 3 and illustrated in Figures ​ Figures2 2 and ​ and3 3 .

Field operators used in PubMed search

Boolean operators used in PubMed search

PubMed search results page showing articles on donovanosis using the field operator [TIAB]; it shows all articles which have the keyword “donovanosis” in either title or abstract of the article

PubMed search using Boolean operators ‘AND’, ‘NOT’; To search for articles on treatment of lepra reaction other than steroids, after clicking the option ‘Advanced search’ on the home page, one can build the search using ‘AND’ option for treatment and ‘NOT’ option for steroids to omit articles on steroid treatment in lepra reaction

Use of medical subject headings terms

These are very specific and standardized terms used by indexers to describe every article in PubMed and are added to the record of every article. A search using MeSH will show all articles about the topic (or keywords), but will not show articles only containing these keywords (these articles may be about an entirely different topic, but still may contain your keywords in another context in any part of the article). This will make your search more specific. Within the topic, specific subheadings can be added to the search builder to refine your search [ Figure 4 ]. For example, MeSH terms for treatment are therapy and therapeutics.

PubMed search using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms for management of gonorrhea. Click on MeSH database ( Figure 1 ) →In the MeSH search box type gonorrhea and click search. Under the MeSH term gonorrhea, there will be a list of subheadings; therapy, prevention and control, click the relevant check boxes and add to search builder →Click on search →All articles on therapy, prevention and control of gonorrhea will be displayed. Below the subheadings, there are two options: (1) Restrict to medical subject headings (MeSH) major topic and (2) do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy. These can be used to further refine the search results so that only articles which are majorly about treatment of gonorrhea will be displayed

Two additional options can be used to further refine MeSH searches. These are located below the subheadings for a MeSH term: (1) Restrict to MeSH major topic; checking this box will retrieve articles which are majorly about the search term and are therefore, more focused and (2) Do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy. This option will again give you more focused articles as it excludes the lower specific terms [ Figure 4 ].

Similar feature is available with Cochrane library (also called MeSH), EMBASE (known as EMTREE) and PsycINFO (Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms).

Saving your searches

Any search that one has performed can be saved by using the ‘Send to’ option and can be saved as a simple word file [ Figure 5 ]. Alternatively, the ‘Save Search’ button (just below the search box) can be used. However, it is essential to set up an NCBI account and log in to NCBI for this. One can even choose to have E-mail updates of new articles in the topic of interest.

Saving PubMed searches. A simple option is to click on the dropdown box next to ‘Send to’ option and then choose among the options. It can be saved as a text or word file by choosing ‘File’ option. Another option is the “Save search” option below the search box but this will require logging into your National Center for Biotechnology Information account. This however allows you to set up alerts for E-mail updates for new articles

Single citation matcher

This is another important tool that helps to find the genuine original source of a particular research work (when few details are known about the title/author/publication date/place/journal) and cite the reference in the most correct manner [ Figure 6 ].

Single citation matcher: Click on “Single citation matcher” on PubMed Home page. Type available details of the required reference in the boxes to get the required citation

Full text articles

In any search clicking on the link “free full text” (if present) gives you free access to the article. In some instances, though the published article may not be available free, the author manuscript may be available free of charge. Furthermore, PubMed Central articles are available free of charge.

Managing filters

Filters can be used to refine a search according to type of article required or subjects of research. One can specify the type of article required such as clinical trial, reviews, free full text; these options are available on a typical search results page. Further specialized filters are available under “manage filters:” e.g., articles confined to certain age groups (properties option), “Links” to other databases, article specific to particular journals, etc. However, one needs to have an NCBI account and log in to access this option [ Figure 7 ].

Managing filters. Simple filters are available on the ‘search results’ page. One can choose type of article, e.g., clinical trial, reviews etc. Further options are available in the “Manage filters” option, but this requires logging into National Center for Biotechnology Information account

The Cochrane library

Although reviews are available in PubMed, for systematic reviews and meta-analysis, Cochrane library is a much better resource. The Cochrane library is a collection of full length systematic reviews, which can be accessed for free in India, thanks to Indian Council of Medical Research renewing the license up to 2016, benefitting users all over India. It is immensely helpful in finding detailed high quality research work done in a particular field/topic [ Figure 8 ].

Cochrane library is a useful resource for reliable, systematic reviews. One can choose the type of reviews required, including trials

An important tool that must be used while searching for research work is screening. Screening helps to improve the accuracy of search results. It is of two types: (1) Practical: To identify a broad range of potentially useful studies. Examples: Date of publication (last 5 years only; gives you most recent updates), participants or subjects (humans above 18 years), publication language (English only) (2) methodological: To identify best available studies (for example, excluding studies not involving control group or studies with only randomized control trials).

Selecting the right quality of literature is the key to successful research literature review. The quality can be estimated by what is known as “The Evidence Pyramid.” The level of evidence of references obtained from the aforementioned search tools are depicted in Figure 9 . Systematic reviews obtained from Cochrane library constitute level 1 evidence.

Evidence pyramid: Depicting the level of evidence of references obtained from the aforementioned search tools

Thus, a systematic literature review can help not only in setting up the basis of a good research with optimal use of available information, but also in practice of evidence-based medicine.

Source of Support: Nil.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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Literature Review: Conducting & Writing

• Sample Literature Reviews
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• Finding "The Literature"
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Sample Lit Reviews from Communication Arts

Have an exemplary literature review.

• Literature Review Sample 1
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Have you written a stellar literature review you care to share for teaching purposes?

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Literature review

A general guide on how to conduct and write a literature review.

Please check course or programme information and materials provided by teaching staff, including your project supervisor, for subject-specific guidance.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context.  A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why it is called a literature review rather than a literature report. It is a process of reviewing the literature, as well as a form of writing.

To illustrate the difference between reporting and reviewing, think about television or film review articles.  These articles include content such as a brief synopsis or the key points of the film or programme plus the critic’s own evaluation.  Similarly the two main objectives of a literature review are firstly the content covering existing research, theories and evidence, and secondly your own critical evaluation and discussion of this content. 

Usually a literature review forms a section or part of a dissertation, research project or long essay.  However, it can also be set and assessed as a standalone piece of work.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

…your task is to build an argument, not a library. Rudestam, K.E. and Newton, R.R. (1992) Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. California: Sage, p49.

In a larger piece of written work, such as a dissertation or project, a literature review is usually one of the first tasks carried out after deciding on a topic.  Reading combined with critical analysis can help to refine a topic and frame research questions.  Conducting a literature review establishes your familiarity with and understanding of current research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. After doing a literature review, you should know what research has already been done and be able to identify what is unknown within your topic.

When doing and writing a literature review, it is good practice to:

• summarise and analyse previous research and theories;
• identify areas of controversy and contested claims;
• highlight any gaps that may exist in research to date.

Conducting a literature review

Focusing on different aspects of your literature review can be useful to help plan, develop, refine and write it.  You can use and adapt the prompt questions in our worksheet below at different points in the process of researching and writing your review.  These are suggestions to get you thinking and writing.

Developing and refining your literature review (pdf)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word rtf)

Writing a literature review has a lot in common with other assignment tasks.  There is advice on our other pages about thinking critically, reading strategies and academic writing.  Our literature review top tips suggest some specific things you can do to help you submit a successful review.

Literature review top tips (pdf)

Literature review top tips (Word rtf)

Our reading page includes strategies and advice on using books and articles and a notes record sheet grid you can use.

Reading at university

The Academic writing page suggests ways to organise and structure information from a range of sources and how you can develop your argument as you read and write.

Academic writing

The Critical thinking page has advice on how to be a more critical researcher and a form you can use to help you think and break down the stages of developing your argument.

Critical thinking

As with other forms of academic writing, your literature review needs to demonstrate good academic practice by following the Code of Student Conduct and acknowledging the work of others through citing and referencing your sources.  

Good academic practice

As with any writing task, you will need to review, edit and rewrite sections of your literature review.  The Editing and proofreading page includes tips on how to do this and strategies for standing back and thinking about your structure and checking the flow of your argument.

Editing and proofreading

Guidance on literature searching from the University Library

The Academic Support Librarians have developed LibSmart I and II, Learn courses to help you develop and enhance your digital research skills and capabilities; from getting started with the Library to managing data for your dissertation.

Searching using the library’s DiscoverEd tool: DiscoverEd

Finding resources in your subject: Subject guides

The Academic Support Librarians also provide one-to-one appointments to help you develop your research strategies.

1 to 1 support for literature searching and systematic reviews

Advice to help you optimise use of Google Scholar, Google Books and Google for your research and study: Using Google

Managing and curating your references

A referencing management tool can help you to collect and organise and your source material to produce a bibliography or reference list. 

Referencing and reference management

Information Services provide access to Cite them right online which is a guide to the main referencing systems and tells you how to reference just about any source (EASE log-in may be required).

Cite them right

Published study guides

There are a number of scholarship skills books and guides available which can help with writing a literature review.  Our Resource List of study skills guides includes sections on Referencing, Dissertation and project writing and Literature reviews.

Study skills guides

Deepfake Detection: A Systematic Literature Review

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Title: responsible artificial intelligence: a structured literature review.

Abstract: Our research endeavors to advance the concept of responsible artificial intelligence (AI), a topic of increasing importance within EU policy discussions. The EU has recently issued several publications emphasizing the necessity of trust in AI, underscoring the dual nature of AI as both a beneficial tool and a potential weapon. This dichotomy highlights the urgent need for international regulation. Concurrently, there is a need for frameworks that guide companies in AI development, ensuring compliance with such regulations. Our research aims to assist lawmakers and machine learning practitioners in navigating the evolving landscape of AI regulation, identifying focal areas for future attention. This paper introduces a comprehensive and, to our knowledge, the first unified definition of responsible AI. Through a structured literature review, we elucidate the current understanding of responsible AI. Drawing from this analysis, we propose an approach for developing a future framework centered around this concept. Our findings advocate for a human-centric approach to Responsible AI. This approach encompasses the implementation of AI methods with a strong emphasis on ethics, model explainability, and the pillars of privacy, security, and trust.

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• Published: 19 December 2022

Centering Indigenous knowledge in suicide prevention: a critical scoping review

• Erynne Sjoblom 1 ,
• Winta Ghidei 1 ,
• Marya Leslie 2 ,
• Ashton James 2 ,
• Reagan Bartel 2 ,
• Sandra Campbell 3 &
• Stephanie Montesanti 1 , 4  

BMC Public Health volume  22 , Article number:  2377 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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Indigenous peoples of Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand experience disproportionately high rates of suicide as a result of the collective and shared trauma experienced with colonization and ongoing marginalization. Dominant, Western approaches to suicide prevention—typically involving individual-level efforts for behavioural change via mental health professional intervention—by themselves have largely failed at addressing suicide in Indigenous populations, possibly due to cultural misalignment with Indigenous paradigms. Consequently, many Indigenous communities, organizations and governments have been undertaking more cultural and community-based approaches to suicide prevention. To provide a foundation for future research and inform prevention efforts in this context, this critical scoping review summarizes how Indigenous approaches have been integrated in suicide prevention initiatives targeting Indigenous populations.

A systematic search guided by a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was conducted in twelve electronic bibliographic databases for academic literature and six databases for grey literature to identify relevant articles. the reference lists of articles that were selected via the search strategy were hand-searched in order to include any further articles that may have been missed. Articles were screened and assessed for eligibility. From eligible articles, data including authors, year of publication, type of publication, objectives of the study, country, target population, type of suicide prevention strategy, description of suicide prevention strategy, and main outcomes of the study were extracted. A thematic analysis approach guided by Métis knowledge and practices was also applied to synthesize and summarize the findings.

Fifty-six academic articles and 16 articles from the grey literature were examined. Four overarching and intersecting thematic areas emerged out of analysis of the academic and grey literature: (1) engaging culture and strengthening connectedness; (2) integrating Indigenous knowledge; (3) Indigenous self-determination; and (4) employing decolonial approaches.

Conclusions

Findings demonstrate how centering Indigenous knowledge and approaches within suicide prevention positively contribute to suicide-related outcomes. Initiatives built upon comprehensive community engagement processes and which incorporate Indigenous culture, knowledge, and decolonizing methods have been shown to have substantial impact on suicide-related outcomes at the individual- and community-level. Indigenous approaches to suicide prevention are diverse, drawing on local culture, knowledge, need and priorities.

Peer Review reports

Suicide is a pressing health concern that continues to disproportionately impact Indigenous populations around the globe. Indigenous peoples of Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand experience rates of suicide approximately two to three times higher than the general population of their respective countries [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. At the individual-level, the primary risk factors for suicide are mental health disorders, traumatic/stressful life events, and substance abuse [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. All of these risk factors occur at disproportionately high rates in Indigenous populations as a result of the collective and shared trauma experienced with colonization and contemporary experiences of oppression and social exclusion including dispossession and disconnection from the land, loss of language and culture, grief and loss, and racism [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].

The rate of suicide among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada is at least two times that of Canada’s general population [ 1 ]. In the United States, the rate of suicide among the American Indian/Alaskan Native population is approximately 3.5 times higher than those among racial/ethnic groups with the lowest rates and about 1.7 times higher than the overall US rate [ 2 , 3 ]. In Australia, suicide rates for Indigenous people ranged from 1.4 to 2.4 times that of non-Indigenous Australians in 2020 [ 4 ]. In New Zealand, suicide among Māori from 2010 to 2012 was 1.8 times greater than among non-Māori, with particularly high rates among Māori men [ 5 ].

Nevertheless, national-level data can obscure considerable variability in suicide rates and patterns between communities and wider regions [ 1 , 4 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. While there is evidence demonstrating the connection to broader protective factors like employment status, educational attainment, and social support networks at the individual-level [ 6 ] this paper focuses on the community-level risk and protective factors for Indigenous populations. Research has identified a number of community-level factors that have been demonstrated to create resiliency to suicide in Indigenous populations, and can explain much of the observed variability in suicide rates across different communities. These protective factors include advances towards self-determination, efforts to secure Indigenous title to traditional lands, and activities that promote and protect Indigenous culture and language [ 15 , 16 , 18 ]. Research has also demonstrated that integrating Indigenous knowledge into mental wellness promotion, prevention and intervention initiatives has been associated with positive outcomes, including in suicide rates [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Calls continue to grow for upholding Indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination in defining effective and culturally-grounded means to address health and wellness needs in their respective communities [ 22 , 23 ]. Moreover, a growing body of research contends that standard suicide prevention programs—primarily rooted in Western individual-level efforts for behavioural change via mental health professional intervention—are culturally misaligned with Indigenous paradigms of health, mental wellbeing, and relationality [ 24 , 25 ]. For these reasons, many Indigenous communities, organizations and governments have been moving away from initiatives designed for the general population and moving towards more cultural and community-based approaches for mental health promotion [ 26 ].

Despite these advancements in knowledge and understanding of the unique factors impacting Indigenous peoples’ risk and resilience for suicide, suicide prevention initiatives continue to fall short of meeting the needs of Indigenous peoples who are at a higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes and experience limited access to appropriate care and resources. Overall, there is a notable gap in comprehensive community-based, culturally safe suicide prevention resources for Indigenous communities. In recent years, many suicide prevention programs targeting Indigenous populations and incorporating Indigenous approaches have been developed; however, a thorough review of these initiatives has yet to be conducted. While a number of reviews of Indigenous suicide prevention initiatives have been conducted, they have focused on specific Indigenous groups (e.g., Indigenous youth, Inuit, or American Indian/ Alaska Native populations), particular programs employed in Indigenous populations (e.g. Adolescent Suicide Prevention Project), or focused on specific types of evidence (e.g. case files or evaluated programs only). To the authors’ knowledge, no reviews to-date have broadly examined suicide prevention efforts employed in Indigenous populations nor explicitly the contribution of Indigenous knowledge. A comprehensive exploration of how Indigenous approaches have been incorporated into suicide prevention efforts to-date could be instrumental in informing and supporting further development of Indigenous-driven suicide prevention. Consequently, this review explores how Indigenous knowledge and approaches have been incorporated in suicide prevention for Indigenous populations.

A critical scoping review was conducted to conceptualize, map and identify gaps in the literature and to assess if Indigenous knowledge was the guiding principle in developing these programs and interventions. Scoping reviews aim to map ‘the key concepts underpinning a research area and the main sources and types of evidence available [ 27 , 28 ]. As such they differ from systematic reviews in focusing on broader topics and a range of study designs with little emphasis on quality; nor are they designed to perform detailed assessments or synthesis of findings [ 29 ]. Our critical scoping review aligned with the processes and objectives of a scoping review as recommended by Arksey and O’Malley [ 29 ] and Levac, Colquhoun, and O’Brien [ 30 ]. Additionally, we applied a two-step process to better align with ethical standards of research involving Indigenous peoples, and to enable Indigenous knowledge to inform the evidence appraisal and interpretation: 1) Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-authors synthesized the evidence; and 2) input was sought from a reference group of Indigenous community leaders with expertise in Indigenous knowledge systems.

Community engagement

This review utilized a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. The need for a critical scoping review arose out of an existing project to develop a Métis suicide knowledge awareness training program through extensive community engagement sessions led by the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA). At the start, the MNA approached the academically-situated members of the research team (SM, WG) to work together to pursue research funding and work in partnership to develop a community-driven, culturally-grounded suicide prevention program. It was determined that this scoping review would provide a thorough knowledge base for how Indigenous approaches have been integrated into suicide prevention targeting Indigenous populations and inform the development of a Métis suicide knowledge awareness intervention. Consequently, the methods, emergent themes and subthemes, analysis of outcomes, and final manuscript were all co-developed between the MNA team members and University-situated research team members.

Information sources and search strategy

A scoping review of both academic and grey literature was employed to examine relevant evidence on how Indigenous knowledge has been incorporated in suicide prevention initiatives. We felt it key to include an online grey literature search in recognition that many Indigenous communities may have implemented suicide prevention efforts that might not always be formalized in the academic literature. We first developed a list of search terms in consultation with a research librarian and used combinations of the following search terms and their synonyms: (suicid* or "self harm"); (communit* or family or families or caregiver* or gatekeeper*); (awareness or prevent* or know* or educat* or train or trained or training); (indigenous people/ or alaska native/ or american indian/ or canadian aboriginal/ or first nation/ or indigenous australian). Search strategies were designed to be suitable to the specific features of each database (Additional file  1 : Appendix A). The following databases were searched: Prospero, Wiley Cochrane Library, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Ovid Global Health, Ovid PsycInfo, EBSCO CINAHL, EBSCO Socindex, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, and SCOPUS. All of the databases were searched from inception to November 2021. The search strategy included both text words and controlled vocabulary (eg: MeSH, EMTREE, etc.) for the concepts “Indigenous people” and “suicide prevention” and “community/caregiver awareness.” In addition, the reference lists of articles that were selected via the search strategy were hand-searched in order to include any further articles that may have been missed.

We also systematically searched for grey literature (Indigenous texts, songs, videos, artform, reports, etc.) in the following online databases and resource hubs: University of Alberta-Native Studies Databases, National Collaborating Center for Indigenous Health, International Journal for Indigenous Health, Health Canada’s National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy (NAYSPS), Center for Suicide Prevention, and the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation. Additionally, we ran a customized Google Scholar search on the terms “Suicide Prevention” AND (Indigenous OR Aborigin OR First Nation OR Inuit OR Métis OR Native) and examined the first 20 pages of the returned results.

Selection process

The articles resulting from the search were screened for relevance and subjected to a critical appraisal process by two reviewers (WG, ML). Only English language publications were considered. Relevance was established by the research team first by reviewing the title and abstracts of the identified literature against the review objectives. Specifically, articles were included if (1) the papers discussed programs and/or initiatives that aimed to prevent suicide in Indigenous populations and (2) the target population were Indigenous populations of Canada, United States, Australia and New Zealand. Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand are commonly seen as natural comparators in terms of Indigenous well-being. These jurisdictions consistently rank highly on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index (HDI), yet all have minority Indigenous populations with much poorer health and social conditions than their non-Indigenous population [ 31 ], including a disproportionate burden of suicide. Moreover, Indigenous peoples in these countries share similar experiences as subjects of British colonialism, including comparable colonial histories, laws, policies, and political structures. Such similarities include processes of treaty making (except Australia), policies aimed at assimilation, paternal protectionism, dislocation from the land to make way for settlers, and loss of culture [ 32 , 33 ]. These countries have also undertaken comparable efforts towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in recent years [ 34 ]. Where relevance could not be determined from the article title or abstract alone, a review of the full text was conducted. There was no limitation based on study design and source type (academic and grey literature were included). Any literature that did not fit into the above criteria, or that addressed other mental health prevention programs (other than suicide) was excluded. Grey literature articles were screened first on the basis of relevancy of their title to the research objectives of this scoping review, with further review of the full document led to the exclusion of any additional irrelevant grey literature articles.

Article and data management

The following information was extracted from academic literature into a standard extraction form: authors, year of publication, type of publication, objectives of the study, country, target population, type of suicide prevention strategy, description of suicide prevention strategy, and main outcomes of the study. We also took detailed notes on whether suicide knowledge was defined from the perspective of the local Indigenous communities and the level of involvement of local Indigenous communities, including in project development and paper co-authorship. Findings from grey literature were summarized by the research team with consideration of the following questions: What does suicide and suicide prevention mean from an Indigenous perspective? How has Indigenous knowledge been incorporated in suicide prevention?

Thematic analysis

We adopted a thematic analysis approach guided by Métis knowledge and practices to synthesizing and summarizing the findings. Our research team is composed of Indigenous (Métis) and non-Indigenous members. First, two researchers (WG and ML) worked together to read all the articles, annotate them, and identify broad thematic categories. Next, additional researchers (SM, AJ, and RB) discussed each theme and subtheme until they reached consensus in a team meeting. After this team meeting, WG and ML compared and contrasted the various findings to identify recurrent and unique themes. Findings from both academic and grey sources were merged and appropriate themes were applied. All team members reviewed themes, discussed disagreements between them and reached a consensus. Each term, phrase and/or meaning used to contract the categories and themes were confirmed with Métis knowledge holders. The academic literature and grey literature articles were then thematically analyzed by WG and ML simultaneously who used NVivo™ to apply codes to the articles on a consensus basis. This also involved examination of articles to document similarities for the purpose of identifying common themes across suicide prevention, while also detailing their distinctions and differences.

The review process resulted in the collection of 1,352 academic papers and grey literature documents, with 391 articles ultimately considered after duplicates were removed. Of these, 961 were excluded as, despite appearing in the search, upon interrogation of the article title and abstract, it was determined that the content of the article fell outside of the scope of the review objectives. 197 articles necessitated full text review as inclusion could not be determined from the title and abstract alone. Of these, 149 further papers were excluded because they did not align with our review objectives nor did not meet inclusion criteria. 8 articles were identified via a hand-search of the reference lists of relevant reviews. Sixteen articles from the grey literature were ultimately included as well. Thus, our final search process resulted in 72 articles—56 of which were academic papers and 16 grey literature documents—that were included for extraction (Fig.  1 ). The characteristics of the articles along with the overarching themes identified through thematic analysis are summarized in the following section.

Flow chart describing included and excluded articles

Article characteristics

This section presents an overview of the suicide prevention strategies targeting Indigenous populations examined in this review, namely describing the Indigenous communities involved, target demographics, and the types of strategies employed. Articles from the academic literature were primarily peer-reviewed outcomes of primary research activities involving the above types of suicide prevention strategies along with several different types of academic reviews. Articles obtained from the grey literature were diverse and included for suicide prevention guides, strategies, toolkits, outcomes of community engagement, and more typically authored by Indigenous communities and organizations.

Indigenous population and sample

Thirteen articles focused on Indigenous Australians; thirty-two on Indigenous peoples living in the United States (US) (specifically fourteen with Alaska Natives, four Alaska Natives and/or American Indians; eleven American Indians/Native Americans, and three Native Hawaiians); nine on Indigenous peoples in Canada; one on Indigenous peoples in North America; and one on Indigenous peoples in Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. No articles involved the Māori of New Zealand. The sample populations reported by studies included Indigenous youth, general community members, or specific subpopulations (such as Indigenous prisoners, students, or males). Notably, no papers incorporated considerations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirited (LGBTQ2 +) or gender diverse Indigenous persons.

Types of articles

The main prevention strategies employed in articles examined in this scoping review comprised: culture as treatment; community prevention activities; gatekeeper training; and education/awareness initiatives. These articles presented peer-reviewed outcomes of primary research activities involving the above types of suicide prevention strategies (39 articles). Methods employed in the primary research articles included pre/post studies (8); randomized (4) and non-randomized (4) control trials; retrospective study design (1); qualitative methods including focus groups, workshops, interviews, and more (15); and mixed-methods approaches (7). The remaining articles were papers describing intervention development and implementation (11 articles) and different types of academic reviews (6 articles). See Additional file 2 : Appendix B for a table detailing key information extracted from academic literature. Articles obtained from the grey literature concerned: guides, strategies, toolkits for suicide prevention in Indigenous populations, outcomes of community engagement on suicide prevention; curriculum documents; brochures, magazine or news articles describing suicide prevention projects; and literature reviews (see Additional file 3 : Appendix C).

Culture as treatment specifically involved engaging Indigenous culture to mitigate suicide risk or “treating” suicidality among individuals, usually on a one-on-one basis. Community prevention initiatives typically involved empowerment programs, multi-level approaches, broader resiliency strategies targeting Indigenous groups and communities at high risk of suicide, or community-based participatory research to inform program development. Gatekeeper training strategies featured prominently. Gatekeeper training involved teaching specific groups of people in the community how to identify and support individuals at high risk of suicide. Education/awareness initiatives involved activities that explicitly aimed to improve suicide knowledge, attitudes, and/or awareness to develop knowledge/skills that are known to be protective against suicide via, for example, school-based programs for youth, multi-media education sessions to interested community members, or culturally-tailored life skills training for youth. 25 articles involved community prevention, 13 concerned educational/awareness initiatives, 7 featured gatekeeper trainings, 3 involved culture as treatment, 1 featured both community prevention and gatekeeper training components, and 1 involved community prevention, gatekeeper, and education/awareness approaches. The remaining 6 were scoping or systematic reviews of Indigenous suicide prevention projects/programs. Community prevention and education/awareness initiatives involved primary prevention that address upstream root causes and aim to prevent suicide ideation or attempts from even happening by reducing risk and promoting protective factors. Gatekeeper training and culture as treatment involved secondary prevention which endeavour to provide support to persons at immediate risk for suicide/self-harm. No articles involved tertiary prevention efforts which might involve postvention to reduce the risk of further suicides or clusters. Levels of suicide prevention and corresponding articles are detailed in Fig.  2 .

Articles by level of suicide prevention [ 35 ]

The findings are presented through four overarching and intertwining thematic areas that emerged out of analysis of the academic and grey literature. These thematic areas focus on (1) engaging culture and strengthening connectedness; (2) integrating Indigenous knowledge; (3) Indigenous self-determination; and (4) employing decolonial approaches. We also highlight components of strategies that exemplify each theme. Table 1 summarizes themes, subthemes and corresponding articles.

Engaging culture and strengthening connectedness

Engaging culture and strengthening connectedness to prevent suicide emerged as an important theme across the articles examined in this critical scoping review. All articles highlighted connection to culture as a crucial component to meaningful and effective suicide prevention in Indigenous populations. Within this theme, we focused on analyzing the ways in which culture and efforts to strengthen connectedness are integrated into suicide prevention content and the resulting impacts.

Generally, engaging culture took on several different forms. First, some initiatives were built around the notion of “culture as intervention” or “culture as treatment,” where engaging Indigenous culture was seen as an important means for mitigating suicide risk or “treating” suicidality among individuals. Culture as intervention or treatment could be the main strategy, or a component of a broader strategy, and took on several forms including resilience retreats/culture camps, cultural teachings/values, ceremony, sharing circles, storytelling, creative arts, narrative approaches to psychotherapy, art therapy, other locally-relevant healing/coping strategies and more [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].

In these initiatives, individual-level effects on suicide risk via cultural connections included increases in the number of protective behaviours which authors argue were fostered by culture-specific beliefs and experiences that make life enjoyable, worthwhile, and meaningful [ 38 ]. Individual-level impacts among participants included reductions in distress, bolstering of protective factors, and reduction in suicide/self-harm behaviours [ 38 , 40 , 44 ]. Activities that involved local Indigenous culture as suicide prevention were observed to have a measurable impact on suicide-related outcomes such as increased positive mood, feelings of belongingness, and perceived coping of participants, even in programs where the specific topic of suicide was not breached [ 36 , 37 ].

Second, engaging cultural connections arose as an important means to create new or adapt existing suicide prevention strategies to increase effectiveness and appropriateness in Indigenous contexts. Initiatives often took the form of gatekeeper trainings or educational/awareness initiatives and were typically created or adapted from the ground up either in partnership with or, less frequently, under the leadership of the respective Indigenous community [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. Cultural inclusion in the design of programs or adaptation involved a multitude of factors including: acknowledgement of the impacts of colonization and ongoing marginalization on suicide in Indigenous contexts, integration of Indigenous pedagogies (i.e. team-teaching, land-based learning, experiential/hands-on activities, etc.), emphasis on the holistic aspects of wellbeing, focus on strengths-based approaches, incorporating art, and inclusion of Indigenous languages and cultural values [ 36 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].

Authors underlined the positive impacts of integrating local Indigenous culture at both the individual- and community-level. For instance, individual-level impacts for gatekeeper trainings included improved attitudes toward suicide, increases in participants’ knowledge and confidence in how to identify individuals at-risk of suicide, increases in intended and actual assisting behaviours, and significant improvements in understanding the links between cultural strengths, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention [ 47 , 48 , 51 , 52 ]. Moreover, participants in culturally-grounded suicide education and awareness initiatives were shown to have less suicidal ideation and “negative thinking”, expressed fewer feelings of hopelessness, could come to terms with the ‘cycle of grief,’ demonstrated reduced stigma towards suicide and increased willingness to seek help, and had an increase in psychological service utilization [ 49 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Participants in community suicide prevention programs which integrated culture had significant increases in positive mood, feelings of belongingness, perceived coping, reasons for living, and overall resiliency [ 36 , 38 , 41 ].

Strengthening connectedness was consistently identified by articles as an important element for effective suicide prevention in Indigenous populations. We included it along with the theme of engaging culture as it was typically discussed as a key Indigenous cultural value which contrasted conventional Western approaches to suicide prevention. While there is much diversity in Indigenous ways of being and knowing, the ontologies of interconnectedness and relationality are shared across many of the Indigenous populations involved in articles reviewed. Strengthening connectedness comprised emphasis on encouraging intergenerational relationships, particularly between youth and Elders, strengthening connectedness within families and whole communities, and bolstering cultural continuity.

Fostering relationships between youth and Elders was a frequent community-identified means of prevention to support protective factors and promote healing among youth via opportunities to learn cultural teachings, language, and connect with the land and spirit with Elders who are the holders of a community’s traditional knowledge. Three strategies featured approaches that brought together youth and Elders as part of suicide prevention, which were noted to have implications for protective factors against suicide among youth such as strengthening youth reasons for living and combating “discontinuity” [ 38 , 60 , 61 ]. Furthermore, a participatory action research project that sought to explore community-identified risk factors as well as strategies to strengthen protective factors found connection between youth and Elders to be an important community-level strategy to suicide prevention [ 62 ].

This importance of bringing together youth and Elders was also echoed across the grey literature, typically as outcomes of community engagement on suicide prevention. Reports emphasized how Indigenous culture, knowledge, and language—which impart protection against suicide—are transferred from Elders to youth and suicide prevention thus needs to foster these relationships [ 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ]. This sentiment is embodied in a quote from an Elder from an Australian Indigenous community experiencing high rates of youth suicide and self-harm: “The only way to stop suicide is to fulfill our cultural obligation to teach our young ….strength of character through strength of culture” [ 64 ]. Other suicide prevention initiatives did not necessarily bring together youth and Elders as an intervention component, but still created opportunities for connecting them as part of community engagement processes [ 44 , 59 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 79 ].

Notably, academic and grey literature articles also spoke to the importance of strengthening connectedness within families and across community as part of suicide prevention [ 62 , 69 , 71 , 72 , 73 ]. For families, this could include restoring and strengthening connections within and between families through shared activities (especially cultural or spiritual activities); offering life skills programs; and providing access to education and/or training [ 62 , 71 ]. For communities, fostering connections might involve a focus on youth (i.e., drop-in centres, camps, connect to Elders, health promotion and education sessions, parenting programs, restore sporting competitions); restoring and strengthening a sense of community through shared activities (i.e., community events, fun days, competitions, projects); upholding self-determination; men’s and women’s groups; and providing access to employment, education, housing and transport [ 62 , 72 ].

Several articles noted the importance of efforts to bolster cultural continuity as part of suicide prevention. Authors stressed how strengthening “cultural continuity,” or the degree to which a community participates in actions symbolic of their sense of community as a cultural group, has positive implications for mental wellness, resilience, and thus suicide in Indigenous contexts [ 65 , 71 , 74 , 75 ]. Many cite the research of Chandler and Lalonde [ 15 , 16 ] to underline that a community’s effort to preserve the continuity of their collective culture can impact continuity at the individual-level and act as a hedge against suicide by facilitating individuals’ endurance through life’s routine hardships and build a connection to a sense of self and identity.

Despite the expressed importance of including cultural continuity in suicide prevention, no initiatives involved explicit efforts to support continuity of collective culture at the community-level to impact suicide. When culture was integrated into suicide prevention, it was primarily done so to impact the wellbeing, knowledge and/or behaviours of individuals, not the community as a whole. This was also reflected in the outcome measures captured in program evaluations.

A final subtheme around the definition of cultural intervention emerged from the literature reviewed in this scoping study. Many articles made the distinction between cultural intervention and culturally appropriate or culturally safe intervention. In the former, Indigenous culture is both a central focus of the intervention activities and underlies the theory guiding the intervention. In this sense, a cultural intervention is more likely to be transformative; underpinned by Indigenous ontologies, epistemologies, and/or worldviews; incorporate Indigenous notions of suicide; and be rooted in community defined and prioritized health issues [ 38 , 39 , 68 , 69 , 73 ].

Culturally-appropriate, -sensitive, -tailored, or -safe interventions, on the other hand, may incorporate Indigenous cultural activities, teachings, language and more but can still be dominated by and reproduce conventional Western/colonial understandings of mental wellness and perpetuate colonial power dynamics [ 38 , 39 , 55 , 69 , 73 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. As one author notes, the focus on culture by outsiders in health intervention has “too often been a shallow or surface translation describing more macro-level, formulaic, and ahistorical aspects of [Indigenous] life.” [ 53 ]. Cultural adaptations of conventional suicide prevention strategies may be more susceptible to reliance on the underlying Western/colonial assumptions of the original intervention and typically involve modifying “non-active” treatment components of the intervention for cultural acceptability such as language or style of the intervention, who delivers it, or the treatment setting [ 50 ]. Many adaptations also place importance on finding a balance between meeting community/cultural needs and preserving fidelity/standardization [ 54 , 56 , 71 , 80 ].

Integrating Indigenous knowledge

Integrating Indigenous knowledge into suicide prevention arose as a prominent theme across articles included in this scoping review. In this section, we specifically focus on how Indigenous knowledge impacts the conceptualizing of the issue of suicide and subsequently shapes how programs are designed and implemented. The majority of articles attempted to define the issue of suicide from an Indigenous perspective as a foundational step to developing an appropriately community-driven initiative. This was achieved through two methods: via author-driven definitions or via definitions acquired through community engagement processes. In cases where definitions were proposed by authors, suicide was commonly defined in connection to assumed Indigenous notions of wellness in general. For example, one study’s authors characterized suicide in alignment with Indigenous perspectives which “[focus] more on understanding and addressing what is going on around the individual than addressing what is going on inside” [ 76 ]. Focusing on what is going on around the individual meant consideration of the “complex socio-cultural, political, biological and psychological phenomenon that needs to be understood in the context of colonization, loss of land and culture, transgenerational trauma, grief and loss, and racism and discrimination” [ 46 ].

Some strategies informed by this notion employed multi-level approaches (community-wide events, policy efforts, educational programs for youth, and traditional ceremonies) that involved multiple sectors of the community simultaneously (individuals, families, wider community) [ 38 , 69 , 73 , 76 , 90 ]. Others took aim at intervening on one or more of these broader determinants like, for example, seeking to support knowledge transfer via intergenerational relationships or just generally integrating Indigenous culture into curriculum content [ 60 ]. Other initiatives incorporated locally-relevant content, information about Indigenous culture or colonization and ongoing marginalization and how they contribute to the issue of suicide in Indigenous contexts [ 46 , 49 , 81 ].

On the other hand, articles that sought community-based understandings of suicide via engagement processes tended to emphasize a focus on strengths and resilience in opposition to the typical focus on deficits and problems [ 45 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 60 , 67 , 69 , 73 , 76 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 ]. This is illustrated in a statement from an Elder who co-led the development of a youth resiliency project and co-authored the resulting paper: “Why do we talk about suicide all the time!? Let’s talk about love!” [ 45 ]. Thus, strategies informed from Indigenous notions of suicide intentionally shifted from a focus on deficit—which is more typical of conventional Western suicide prevention—to a focus on life promotion with attention to existing community strengths and assets, while upholding community control and sovereignty and supporting local empowerment [ 44 , 68 , 76 , 90 , 91 , 93 ]. This connects with the subsequent section in which we discuss the theme of Indigenous self-determination in suicide prevention.

Indigenous self-determination

Self-determination in suicide prevention was frequently identified as an essential requirement for success. The majority of articles employed some means to ensure some level of self-determination was achieved via community engagement in the design and/or implementation of suicide prevention. This was commonly achieved by employing community-based participatory research (CBPR) or participatory action research approaches. CBPR was utilized “to address power differentials through shared learning ….[it] is a move toward reconciliation, reciprocity, and production of culturally relevant prevention measures” [ 68 ]. Community engagement was seen by authors as a key requirement for success, as it increases community relevance, appropriateness, and in particular, ownership of suicide prevention [ 38 , 39 , 45 , 57 , 68 , 76 , 82 , 93 , 97 , 99 , 100 ].

The emergent subtheme of ownership referred not to the legal sense of the word (i.e., the right to possess and control the initiative) [ 100 ] but more to the community stepping up to take on responsibility in executing an initiative while being invested in seeing out its success [ 45 , 57 , 65 , 83 , 97 , 99 ]. In this sense, community ownership in a strategy has implications for acceptability, uptake, participation, and dedication to investing necessary resources. Another reason why community ownership was expressed as crucial to suicide prevention success is because it is correlated with longevity and sustainability [ 45 , 57 , 83 ].

Indigenous authorship also emerged as a notable subtheme of Indigenous self-determination in suicide prevention. Many of the articles reviewed here highlighted that they were co-authored by members of the specific target Indigenous communities or members of broader Indigenous communities [ 36 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 56 , 60 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 80 , 84 , 94 , 97 ]. Indigenous authorship was important to ensure materials represent content as intended by community stakeholders, particularly when it comes to native language expertise [ 60 ].

Employing decolonial approaches

Lastly, employing decolonial approaches in suicide prevention creation and implementation was a prominent theme in the literature. Decoloniality—or the creation of “locally-governed, community-based, and culturally-responsive systems of care” [ 55 ]—has been touched upon in many of the themes already discussed above (i.e., incorporating Indigenous knowledge and culture, upholding self-determination, community-engaged approaches). In this section, we hence focus on other attributes of decolonial approaches highlighted in the literature, namely avoidance of pan-Indigenous approaches, integrating contextual considerations, and more generally, approaches that might diverge from features of conventional Western suicide prevention.

Use of pan-Indigenous approaches was cautioned in the literature and authors advised against application of Indigenous-driven suicide prevention in contexts that they were not designed for [ 56 , 67 , 71 , 90 ]. This is because pan-Indigenous strategies may not be reflective of diverse cultural practices, values, sociohistorical context, and geographic considerations unique to each group. Authors stress that programs need to be adaptable to the local community context. This is especially pertinent in the issue of suicide, which can vary significantly from community to community [ 56 , 68 ].

In line with this, integrating contextual considerations into suicide prevention was also expressed as an important decolonial component. This subtheme was most prominent in recommendations for suicide prevention in Indigenous populations outlined in the grey literature. Contextual considerations included gaining the knowledge of a community’s unique risk and protective factors, incorporating local examples where possible, respect for and adherence to local protocol, involvement of local experts/Elders, developing culture-centered understanding of suicide, assessing community readiness, building and maintaining relationships, contemplating the impact of recent incidents of suicide, considering existing level of trauma and unresolved grief, and incorporating healing components [ 48 , 55 , 68 , 76 , 93 , 98 ].

Other decolonial approaches detailed in the literature specifically took aim at breaking down some of the features common in conventional, Western programs that tend to persist in Indigenous programs (especially cultural adaptions) despite communities finding them unhelpful. This includes allowing for flexibility, especially in contrast to rigid, standardized procedures employed by some interventions like, for example, in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Flexibility could include encouraging use of Indigenous language, carrying out sessions in outdoor settings, allowing for adjusting of required time commitment, creating space for ceremony/spirituality, and more [ 54 , 59 , 68 , 79 , 82 , 92 ].

Articles also discussed avoidance of clinical language or jargon which can create barriers to understanding content. Finally, articles discussed efforts to break down power imbalances between Western and Indigenous approaches by, for example, focusing on local empowerment and capacity by training Indigenous facilitators, involving locally-recognized experts/leaders/healers, and employing Indigenous ways of learning versus a focus on employing clinical experts or utilizing the typical didactic educational models [ 44 , 48 , 54 , 79 , 91 , 98 ]. According to authors, breaking down power imbalances could also involve creating a practice of reflexivity as part of the strategy, where researchers and developers actively reflect on their relationships, position, and privilege and how they are fulfilling their obligations to community [ 45 , 54 , 82 , 91 , 97 ].

This scoping review set out to identify and describe what is known about the types of Indigenous approaches to suicide prevention that are employed with Indigenous populations and their implications for program outcomes. All articles, from both the academic and grey literature, were from Canada, the United States, or Australia. Notably, no suicide prevention initiatives from New Zealand were identified in our search strategy. We hypothesize that this may be because a higher rate of suicide among Māori in comparison to non-Māori is a relatively newer phenomenon and no public-facing reports on prevention strategies have been published yet [ 101 ]. There was also a notable absence of inclusion of considerations for Indigenous sexual minorities and gender diverse persons in suicide prevention. While the suicide rates among these groups is not well-known, two-spirited, queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered Indigenous persons experience suicide-related risk factors at a much higher rate than cis-gendered, heterosexual Indigenous persons [ 102 ]. Indigenous sexual minorities and gender diverse persons’ experiences around suicide, risk and protective factors may also be unique—including compounded effects of discrimination, arguably necessitating special consideration in suicide prevention [ 103 ].

Another noteworthy gap was the absence of articles concerning Indigenous approaches to tertiary suicide prevention, namely suicide and crisis response and postvention. Conventional crisis response and acquiring care via the medical system for a suicide attempt or self-harm may be present problems for Indigenous peoples as these systems may be culturally unsafe and possibly less helpful than they could be. In order to respond to a lack of accessible and culturally safe crisis and suicide response services, many First Nations in Canada are establishing their own mobile crisis response teams (e.g., Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, n.d.; Southern Chiefs Organization, 2022; Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, 2018 [ 104 , 105 , 106 ]). The activities of these teams commonly have culturally inclusive elements, but still follow mostly Western crisis response models. We are unaware of any Indigenous approaches to suicide postvention; however, given the issues many Indigenous communities face following the suicide of a fellow community member including trauma, grief and loss, and possibilities of suicide clusters [ 107 ], further exploration is warranted.

The grey literature articles included toolkits, guides, information resources, and strategies to support Indigenous communities and/or organizations in developing and implementing suicide prevention programs and increasing suicide knowledge and awareness. Both academic and grey literature articles emphasized the role of culture, community connectedness and Indigenous knowledge in the prevention of suicide. Whereas the grey literature articles provided practical “how to” resources, information and guidance for delivering suicide prevention programs, the academic literature provided knowledge of “what works” by reviewing the outcomes of different suicide prevention strategies and interventions in Indigenous communities, including effective approaches to community engagement, and identifying key components of culturally-appropriate, -sensitive, -tailored, or -safe interventions.

Outcomes of this critical scoping review align with much of the work being done within the context of the broader field of Indigenous mental wellness promotion and Indigenous health research in general, which is increasingly looking to approaches that are decolonizing; founded on community engagement and self-determination; and inclusive of Indigenous culture, language and knowledge [ 26 , 108 , 109 ]. Moreover, in Indigenous mental wellness promotion, there is also an increasing focus on intervening beyond the individual to the family- and community-level, with an emphasis on fostering strength and resiliency [ 110 , 111 ]. Family and community are important resources for developing a sense of belonging, connectedness, meaning, and identity, all of which are well-established protective factors for overall mental wellness and suicide in Indigenous populations [ 112 ]. It is within the family and the community where Indigenous culture, knowledge and language is transmitted, positive cultural identity forms, and where one can seek out support in a crisis [ 112 ]. However, in many Indigenous contexts, family and community environments have been severely damaged with colonization [ 13 , 113 ]. Hence why community engagement outcomes consistently point to a need to move beyond the individual to support family and community strengths [ 53 ]. This need was echoed in articles examined in this review; however, we found that few suicide prevention initiatives employed broader family and community approaches.

Many of the suicide prevention programs identified as “community prevention” still primarily focused on protective and risk factors among individual participants and not on broader familial and community elements. As noted by Cox et al., [ 62 ] family-level intervention activities could involve a wide variety of initiatives—but especially cultural or spiritual activities—to restore and strengthen connections within and between families. Community-level suicide prevention activities might focus on bolstering the fabric of community by creating places and reasons to gather, unite, and build connection. This could be achieved through a variety of community-driven activities, for example via sports, competitions, ceremony, celebrations, gardening, learning programs, traditional land use, medicine picking, community groups, advocacy, and self-determination efforts [ 62 ].

This gap was also observed within program evaluations examined for this review, the majority of which did not incorporate any type of community-level outcome measure. The rare few that did attempt to measure, for example, community connectedness via social network characteristics [ 93 ], changes in community readiness for suicide prevention [ 39 ], or community-level changes in suicide and self-harm behaviours [ 59 ]. No evaluations included family-level outcome measures. Overall, we found that efforts to include family- and community-level initiatives within suicide prevention and evaluation did not adequately meet the need or sufficiently answer the consistent calls for such considerations from Indigenous communities [ 53 , 83 , 85 ]. Future suicide prevention development and implementation must do more to address this need.

In this review, we examined the ways in which Indigenous approaches have been incorporated into suicide prevention targeting Indigenous populations and the resulting impacts. Incorporation of Indigenous culture and knowledge as well as decolonizing efforts into suicide prevention was consistently shown to have positive implications for suicide-related outcomes. The meaningful inclusion of these components into suicide prevention, however, is dependent on the extent to which community self-determination is respected and upheld. From the articles reviewed here, which primarily involved partnerships between Western institutions and Indigenous communities, self-determination was best upheld where community engagement efforts were employed from before the development of a prevention program began all the way through implementation and evaluation to the finish. These engagement processes—especially those utilizing community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches—also had a particular focus on restructuring the relationships between power, knowledge production, and public health policy and practice [ 24 , 55 ]. Suicide prevention strategies that employed such community-engaged approaches were transformative and privileged Indigenous knowledge, culture, language, and locally-driven strategies that were decolonizing in nature. Decades have come to pass with no alleviation of suicide rates within Indigenous populations in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Dominant Western approaches to suicide prevention by themselves have largely failed at addressing suicide in Indigenous populations [ 114 ]. Consequently, future suicide prevention development and implementation must endeavor to privilege self-determined Indigenous approaches that are developed via comprehensive community engagement processes. While our review examined protective factors for suicide prevention within Indigenous populations in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, higher suicide rates among Indigenous peoples compared to non-Indigenous populations have also been reported in Latin American countries including Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Chile [ 115 ]. However, there is limited research evidence on Indigenous suicide in Latin American countries. A possible explanation for this lack of research could be that suicide among Indigenous peoples in those countries is significantly underreported.

Many of the suicide prevention efforts incorporated an evaluation component to measure impacts on suicide-related outcomes and were able to demonstrate some level of evidence for effectiveness. However, few evaluations were scientifically and methodologically rigorous [ 83 , 116 , 117 ]. In a systematic review of evaluations of suicide prevention targeting Indigenous populations and critique of their methodological quality, authors point out that evaluations were vulnerable to bias; heavily focused on proximal outcomes versus intermediate or distal outcomes; measured proxy outcomes like hopelessness and depression while ignoring suicide and self-harm behaviours entirely; and failed to consider cost [ 117 ]. In addition, it has been noted that there are considerable challenges related to suicide surveillance, including that national health data systems often lack Indigenous identifiers, do not capture data from some regions, and do not routinely engage Indigenous communities in data governance [ 118 ]. While we recognize that evaluation methodologies are heavily grounded in Western ways of knowing and constructs of “value” [ 119 ], evaluation outcomes are often crucial for justifying to funders (most often Western/colonial institutions) for continued resources for programming [ 117 ]. Moreover, evaluation can provide valuable insight into program goals, activities, strengths, areas for improvement, and cost-effectiveness [ 120 , 121 ] and do not have to rely purely on Western epistemologies.

Practices to uphold Indigenous self-determination in suicide prevention (i.e. community engaged, participatory approaches) should extend to the evaluation phase in order to ensure outcomes measured are also meaningful to community and reflect Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing [ 119 , 121 ]. Evaluation processes that are culturally inclusive and community-driven have a number of crucial benefits. For instance, community-engaged suicide prevention evaluation ensures the needs and knowledge of the community remain central and community ownership, control, access and possession of evaluation outcomes and surveillance data are safeguarded. This includes how outcomes and surveillance data are shared, mitigating potential for harm that Indigenous communities have faced with non-inclusive research and surveillance [ 119 , 122 ]. Unfortunately, most of the suicide prevention initiatives examined for this scoping review did not extend community engagement processes to the evaluation phase and thus failed to develop measures and evaluation tools based in Indigenous knowledge, focused on community-level outcome measures, or inclusive of Indigenous culture. Future work involving suicide prevention evaluation should ensure processes of community engagement are incorporated.

This critical scoping review is limited in two ways. Firstly, scoping studies provide a narrative or descriptive account of research and do not seek to appraise their quality or effectiveness [ 29 ]. Thus, in the context of this paper, which seeks to describe how Indigenous approaches have been integrated into suicide prevention, we do not evaluate individual program content, approaches to establishing programs, their methods, or their impacts. Instead, in employing a critical lens to this review, we sought to examine underlying structures of power and meaning that organize relationships, institutions, and knowledge production in suicide prevention, how Indigenous peoples are challenging these structures, and the resultant impacts on suicide outcomes [ 86 ] Secondly, this study is limited to the review of public-facing, written Indigenous suicide prevention only. Further exploration into informal, oral, and/or non-publicly facing initiatives would be required to create a more comprehensive picture of how Indigenous peoples are intervening on suicide in their communities.

The urgent need to reduce the disproportionately high rates of suicide in Indigenous populations of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States has been widely acknowledged. Conventional Western approaches to suicide prevention by themselves have largely failed at addressing this disproportionate burden. On the other hand, initiatives that are built upon comprehensive community engagement processes and which incorporate Indigenous culture, knowledge, and decolonizing methods have been shown to have substantial impact on suicide-related outcomes in the communities in which they are employed. Indigenous approaches to suicide prevention are diverse, drawing on local culture, knowledge, need and priorities. Nevertheless, substantial barriers persist to implementing such strategies. Existing funding and health service provision systems operate from a Western, biomedical model and may be unable or unwilling to provide the resources required to invest in Indigenous approaches, highlighting the importance of evaluation to establish efficacy. On a practical level, the findings from this critical scoping review may be useful to Indigenous communities and their partners to inform their own endeavours to develop and implement suicide prevention. We hope that the outcomes presented here encourage funders, health promotion experts, and government decision-makers to support community-driven, Indigenous-approaches to suicide prevention.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) for their guidance in determining the objectives and questions for the review, interpretation and feedback on the themes, and supporting with identifying a reference group of Indigenous community leaders with expertise in Indigenous knowledge systems.

This work was funded by the Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network (SCN)’s Valuing Mental Health Innovation and Integration Research grant.

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Erynne Sjoblom, Winta Ghidei & Stephanie Montesanti

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School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-266 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405 - 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada

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Contributions

Erynne Sjoblom refined and organized the emergent themes and was the lead in writing the manuscript. Winta Ghidei conducted the literature search, paper selection and annotation, and data extraction. Ghidei also assisted in identifying broad thematic categories and refining subthemes. Marya Leslie assisted with paper annotation and in refining thematic categories as well as offering a perspective from her experience in Indigenous community wellness program management. Ashton James led in identifying and refining thematic categories via a consensus-building process and also contributed to the review and editing of the manuscript. Reagan Bartel aided in identifying and refining thematic categories and reviewed final themes. She also provided leadership and support to the MNA team involved in the project. Stephanie Montesanti is the senior researcher and academic lead of the project. She led the funding acquisition for the study, oversaw the whole scoping review process, contributed to identifying and refining themes, and review and editing of the manuscript. Sandra Campbell designed and conducted the search strategy for the academic literature. The author(s) read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Stephanie Montesanti .

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Supplementary Information

Additional file 1: appendix a..

Academic Literature Search Strategy and Terms by Database.

Additional file 2: Appendix B.

Academic literature data extraction table [ 123 , 124 ].

Additional file 3:

Appendix C. Summary of grey literature articles [ 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 ].

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Sjoblom, E., Ghidei, W., Leslie, M. et al. Centering Indigenous knowledge in suicide prevention: a critical scoping review. BMC Public Health 22 , 2377 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14580-0

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Received : 01 June 2022

Accepted : 09 November 2022

Published : 19 December 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14580-0

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