A review of the literature (literature review) is a summary of previous research works on a topic that a researcher plans to investigate. It compares and analyses published material on a specific issue in a critical manner. It enables an author to synthesize research, contextualize it, and reference pertinent scholarly literature on the subject.

A literature review aids in mapping multiple approaches to a certain subject while identifying patterns. It serves as a basis for the later research that an author of nursing research work will conduct to supplement the current research and justify the significance of the new study. A literature review is a brief introduction to a study report, article, or policy paper that focuses on recent research. If the study is for theses, dissertations, or review articles, the review can be comprehensive.

SECTIONS OF A LITERATURE REVIEW FOR NURSING RESEARCH

These major sections are found in all literature reviews:

1. Introduction: describes the general condition of the literature on a specific issue.
2. Methodology: An overview of the search approach, specific sources, and subject terms that will allow others to access and recreate this scholarly work.
3. Findings: A summary of major discoveries in the field.
4. Discussion: The overall movement from larger to smaller research with a specialized focus is discussed.
5. Conclusion: Every main portion b of nursing research concludes with a conclusion. It discusses the overall state of research, focusing on the significant synthesized results, research issues, and potential directions for further research on the subject.

WRITING A LITERATURE REVIEW FOR NURSING RESEARCH

A literature review should be written in the shape of a bibliographic essay. The writer should cite briefly in the body, but the complete bibliographic citations should come at the end. In this structure, a competent review of literature should be properly arranged.

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1. Begin with a brief introduction: The first paragraph introduces a literature review. It should explicitly explain the study topic, the scope of the paper (including material that will not be included), and the literary style in which the review will be organized. The writer should provide a short overview of the major arguments and trends in the literature. The author’s point of view or perspective on the topic should be expressed in the introduction. The writer can utilize the beginning to highlight general trends, disagreements in findings or technique, and research gaps.
2. Arrange primary and subtopics in the body: Topics and subtopics in a literature review should be grouped in groups. Groupings can be made based on the subject (e.g., globalization of preventive care), research type (e.g., case study), genre, methodology (e.g., quantitative or qualitative), chronology, or other shared criteria. The author is free to debate the merits of the things within the groups, as well as assess and compare their importance. To improve readability, a writer should divide the body into paragraphs that correspond to the field of nursing, different themes, or time eras in literature. A few words should highlight the remaining gaps in the literature and suggest future study directions. When necessary, the writer can describe the significance of the sources.
3. In the conclusion, summarize the concepts and topics: The final paragraph should summarize the most important concepts and topics from a review of the literature. The conclusion should not provide any fresh information. A proper conclusion highlights the important findings and explains how the evaluation of the literature supports (or contradicts) the research. It should also provide insight into how a topic fits into the field of nursing research and practice.

A literature review should be properly referenced in the way required by the nursing school or faculty. It will be incomplete if the conclusion does not include a list of references or a bibliography in the required format. The sources list is a separate part that includes full citations for all of the things in the literature review. The most common formats for a nursing reference list are APA, MLA, APA, and Chicago style.

Unless the analysis is historical or frequently cited, the best assessment of literature analyzes the quality and current sources that are less than ten years old. It is critical to look for literature in a variety of media, including books, government documents, nursing databases, and journals. References in papers and books might assist in locating other resources.

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