Literature reviews are used as a research method, especially in the care sector. Increasingly, projects in universities of applied sciences are also using literature reviews as a basis for project work. When starting a literature review, please read the guide on the methodology.

The term 'literature review' is sometimes misleading. It is not only about building a knowledge base for a thesis, making a bibliography, writing a literature review or writing a book review. Literature review is the systematic and critical collection and analysis of literature through a well-formulated research problem. The search process is carefully planned and described in advance, and the method is reproducible.

Literature reviews are used in the development of treatment recommendations. For example, Current Care Recommendations, Recommended Practices, etc. Treatment recommendations consist of evidence-based knowledge and experience.

The main purpose of a literature review is to develop, compare and use existing, up-to-date research evidence. The review uses peer-reviewed, scientific/research evidence.

Main types of literature reviews

There are different types of literature reviews, depending on their purpose and level of sophistication. The following are the most common types of literature review:

Descriptive literature review (narrative literature review)
Systematic literature review
Quantitative/qualitative meta-analysis

Descriptive and systematic literature reviews are closely related. Both are characterized by a systematic search for information, and the search processes are almost identical. The systematic search is very specific.

Descriptive literature review is a basic type of literature review that describes the topic of research in a broad way and can draw on a wide range of data without strict limitations and rules. There are further subtypes of descriptive literature review, such as narrative, integrative and scoping.

Systematic literature review summarizes the main content of previous studies in the field. In a systematic literature review, it is important to carefully follow the methodology and to screen the material according to the criteria set. The review aims at systematic search and selection, quality review, analysis and synthesis. A systemized review usually differs from a systematic review in that it is conducted by a single researcher, whereas a systematic review involves several researchers.

Meta-analysis is divided into qualitative and quantitative strands. Qualitative meta-analysis is further divided into meta-synthesis and meta-analysis, with meta-synthesis being more interpretative and descriptive, and meta-analysis being more mathematical and quantitative. Meta-synthesis combines studies on the same subject to provide a complete picture, while meta-synthesis summarizes the research in a quantitative way using its own method of calculation.

Quantitative meta-analysis is the most methodologically challenging form of literature review, requiring a large body of data. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that provides numerical results from the data. Meta-analysis is best suited to the natural and engineering sciences.

On the next page, we look in more detail at the systematic data search at the heart of the literature review.