STEMskiller: Skill Set Map for Mentors of Early Career Researchers

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP: Academic reading and writing

[Preparing to write]

Searching the literature
(also scholarly information retrieval and literature reviews: scholarly literature v. non-scholarly, identifying state-of-the-art; description v. synthesis)

Definition:

Science ideally pushes forward the boundaries of human understanding of problems and issues. Comprehensive scholarly literature reviews are essential for understanding the state-of-the art in one’s field and for synthesizing, or “putting together” a comprehensive perspective of research perspectives that have come before. 

Useful resources on Scholarly information retrieval:

IUPUI University Library. Literature Review: A Self-Guided Tutorialhttps:https://iu.libguides.com/literaturereview

Detailed, step-by-step instructions and links to additional information for each step of the literature review process (use your local library if you require personal assistance). Includes quizzes to test general knowledge.

Lau F., Kuziemsky C. (Ed.). (2017). Chapter 9: Methods for literature reviews. Handbook of eHealth evaluation: An evidence-based approach. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK481583/

Applicable to all disciplines. Provides definition and rationale for performing literature reviews, process and steps, and further reading. 

Harvard Library. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Getting Started. https://guides.library.harvard.edu/meta-analysis

An introductory guide outlining key steps in planning and conducting systematic reviews, including search strategy development. 

University of Cambridge Medical Library. Systematic Reviews: Search Strategy. https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/systematic-reviews/search-strategy

An overview of search strategy development in the context of systematic reviews, including tools, techniques, and documentation. 

Cambridge University LibrariesSystematic Reviews: Reporting Standards. https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/systematic-reviews/reporting-standards

Introduction to key reporting standards for systematic reviews, including PRISMA and related guidelines. 

Tags: IPS IA; IPS CritT; IPS CreaT; IPS R; IPS IL; IAL IntL; CompS; CompTS; CompGS    

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

 

Author: Stephanie Krueger

Peer Reviewer(s): None

Editor: Eliška Skládalová Last modified: 26.3. 2025 11:03