Conducting a literature review:
A final checklist
Selection of sources
- Have you indicated the purpose of the review?
- Are the parameters of the review reasonable?
- Why did you include some of the literature and exclude others?
- Which years did you exclude?
- Have you emphasised recent developments?
- Have you focussed on primary sources with only selective use of secondary sources?
- Is the literature you have selected relevant?
- Is your bibliographic data complete?
Critical evaluation of the literature
- Have you organised your material according to issues?
- Is there a logic to the way you organised the material?
- Does the amount of detail included on an issue relate to its importance?
- Have you been sufficiently critical of design and methodological issues?
- Have you indicated when results were conflicting or inconclusive and discussed possible reasons?
- Have you indicated the relevance of each reference to your research?
Interpretation
- Has your summary of the current literature contributed to the reader's understanding of the problems?
- Does the design of your research reflect the methodological implications of the literature review?
Note
- The literature review will be judged in the context of your completed research.
- The review needs to further the reader's understanding of the problem and whether it provides a rationale for your research.