Literature and systematic reviews

Importance of literature reviews

A literature review needs to demonstrate much more than a summary of relevant sources. When you write a literature review, you also need to evaluate and synthesise your readings. This helps you and your readers to gain a broad view of the field.

Your literature review also needs to discuss:

  • patterns and trends
  • areas of conflict
  • controversies.

It is also important to identify any gaps within the relevant literature. This will allow you to situate your own research and contribute to ongoing debates within the field.

Your guide to literature reviews

This guide will help you understand how to manage and write a literature review. It also explains the different types of reviews.

Literature review guide

Your guide to systematic reviews

This guide helps you through the process of managing and writing your systematic or systematic-like reviews.

Systematic review guide

Using EndNote and NVivo for literature reviews

When you conduct a literature review, NVivo can be used with EndNote to help you identify:

  • articles
  • key findings
  • influential authors.

NVivo can also:

  • import PDF files and bibliographic information from EndNote
  • organise and tag literature
  • help you keep track of critical quotes
  • track ideas.

More about literature reviews

Evidence-Based Practice

A high-quality systematic review is the most reliable source of evidence to guide clinical practice. This guide explains what Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is, as well as how to find, select and use the research in EBP.

More about EBP

Covidence Project Request

To request a Covidence review project please use this form:

Covidence project request.

Workshops

The library also offers in-depth training sessions on a range of topics associated with Literature and Systematic Reviews. You can either watch a recorded session or enrol in one of our workshops.

Register for workshops

You can find a list of all the professional development (PD) events and sessions in this calendar.

Watch recorded workshops about literature and systematic reviews

You can either enrol in one of our workshops or watch a recorded session.

Develop your systematic-like literature review

Literature review using EndNote & NVivo - an introduction