Doing a literature review is an important part of any research project or exegesis. It requires you to be able to search effectively and comprehensively to find, select, interpret and evaluate a range of scholarly literature.
You may choose or be required to do another type of review, if you do it is important to choose one that matches the aim and scope of your research.
The type of review you undertake will influence:
For help getting started use:
Some discipline areas have established guidelines and reporting standards you should follow when undertaking certain types of reviews. These ensure that you follow best practices.
If you are doing a systematic review or scoping review, see the Library Guides below:
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It is critical you have a clear understanding of what each type of literature review entails. Always make sure you follow best practice guidelines and methodologies.
Table adapted from Grant & Booth 2009, pp. 94-95.
Review type | Definition | Search strategy | Appraisal | Synthesis | Example |
Critical review | Critical evaluation of the quality of the literature. A degree of analysis and conceptual innovation is presented to showcase existing theory or derive new theory. An outcome is normally a hypothesis or model. | Extensive searching to identify key publications. | No formal appraisal. | Normally narrative but may be conceptual or chronological. | Le Grande, M. et al. 2017 |
Literature or narrative review | Examines the literature, but how complete and comprehensive this is done may depend. | May incorporate comprehensive searching. | May use formal appraisal. | Tends to be narrative. | |
Mapping review | Maps out and categorises literature so gaps can be identified and further reviews or primary research can be undertaken. | The scope and timeframe determine how comprehensive and complete the searching is. | No formal appraisal. | May include graphs and tables. | Wallen, K.E. & Landon, A.C. 2020 |
Meta-analysis | A statistical technique which combines the results from quantitative studies to give a more precise effect. | Searching is comprehensive, transparent and reproducible. | Uses formal appraisal to determine eligibility criteria and/ or sensitivity of studies. | Uses graphs and tables with accompanying narrative commentary. | Brinsley, J. Schuch, F. & Lederman, O. 2020 |
Qualitative systematic review | Integrates and compares the findings from qualitative studies looking for common themes or constructs across each. | Searching may be selective or use purposeful sampling. | Formal appraisal often used. | Narrative. | |
Rapid review | 'A rapid review is a form of knowledge synthesis that accelerates the process of conducting a traditional systematic review through streamlining or omitting a variety of methods to produce evidence in a resource-efficient manner.' Hamel et al. (2021) p.80. | Uses systematic review methods for the search but the time frame determines how complete this is. | This is determined by the time frame. | Often consists of tables and narrative. | Williams, MT, Johnston, KN & Paquet, C 2020 |
Scoping review | Aims to provide an overview or map of the available evidence, focusing on a particular topic, field, concept, or issue. | Searching is exhaustive, systematic, comprehensive and transparent. | Formal appraisal is optional. | Tables/charts and narrative summaries. | |
Systematic review | Searches for, appraises and synthesises research evidence in a systematic, comprehensive and transparent manner. | Searching is exhaustive, systematic, comprehensive and transparent. | Uses formal appraisal to determine eligibility criteria. | Normally narrative with tables. | |
Systematic search and review | A combination of the strengths of a critical review with a comprehensive search process. Normally addresses broader questions and synthesises the best evidence. | Searching is exhaustive, systematic, comprehensive and transparent. | May use formal appraisal. | Includes some narrative with a table summary. | Deubelli, T & Mechler, R 2021 |
Umbrella review (aka 'overview of reviews', 'overview', 'review of reviews', 'meta-review') | Compiles evidence from multiple reviews into an accessible and usable document. Often focuses on a broad condition or problem so competing interventions can be highlighted along with their results. | Searching is focused on identifying reviews. | Formal appraisal of reviews used. | Includes graphs and tables with narrative commentary. | Tsiros, M, Tian, EJ, Schultz, SP, Olds, T, Hills, AP, Duff, J & Kumar, S 2020 |