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Suggested Framework to present 7000 words:
TITLE
- Combine a short main title with ‘critical literature review’.
- What is the research about?
- Who is the target population?
ABSTRACT (No more than 2 pages)
Provide an overview of this research.
- What is the aim of this study?
- Method – Critical Literature Review
- Results – the main themes
- Discussion
- Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
- Explain why your topic is important and worthy of investigation
- A brief and appropriate backdrop e.g. consider prevalence/trends; interventions currently in place
- A paragraph that explains the structure of your project: clearly state your research aim, objective and topic/question
BACKGROUND
- A critical review of the body of knowledge surrounding your topic – what do we already know
- Identify a gap in knowledge or detail how you will add to current understanding
- Clearly re-state your research question at the end of this chapter
METHODOLOGY
- Explain what the literature says about literature reviews as a methodology. Include your thoughts on why a literature review is an appropriate methodology for your project
- Discuss the importance of being methodical when searching the literature. Explain why you must be precise about inclusion/exclusion criteria.
- Outline search terms; and select and justify databases
- Explain what the literature says about critical appraisal of the literature and the critiquing methods appropriate for the papers you select
- Discuss the various ways of analysing other people’s research findings e.g. thematic analysis, content analysis
- Discuss the ethical implications of literature review as a research methodology:
- Outline ethical issues involved in using other peoples’ research findings for your own research
- The ethical need to be sure that information you use was, itself, collected ethically
- The need to be transparent in not claiming the work of others as your own.
METHODS
This chapter is concerned with WHAT you did and HOW you did it and is not normally referenced.
- How did you search the literature?
- What databases did you use? Give your reasons
- What search terms did you use? Include the two Boolean search tables here.
- What inclusion and exclusion criteria did you use? Give your reasons for this
- What critiquing framework did you use? Give your reasons for this. Include copies of your selected framework did you use? Give your reasons for this
- What methods did you use to analyse your data, e.g. thematic analysis, content analysis. Justify your choice of method.
CRITICAL APPRAISAL
- How many papers did you find and what were they? RCTs? Surveys? Ethnographic studies?
- Which papers did you select for your research? Why did you choose them? Discuss this in some detail.
- Provide a synthesis of your selected papers. Include copies of the selected papers in the appendices.
- Show the summary of critiques of all your papers – these should be typed in table format.
- In essay format, write a summary of the findings of your critiques supporting what you write with reference to the research literature.
- Think of this chapter as the `results` of your data analysis
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
- What themes emerged and how did you identify them? It must be possible for the reader to see how the themes emerged from the results of your critical appraisal chapter.
- Map these themes using a mind map, taxonomic diagram, force-field analysis or fishbone diagram – whichever is appropriate.
- Clearly explain the themes that emerge from your papers. When you explain the themes write about each theme using a separate subheading.
- Explain what all your papers tell you when you pull the themes together. Do your findings answer your question?
DISCUSSION
- What do the themes you identified above really mean for health care? Discuss this at some length.
- How does your finding relate to theory?
- How can you use your findings in your practice?
- What benefits will your findings deliver to patients, their families, professionals and the organisation?
- How do these themes relate to the ideas that emerged in your Background Chapter and to the wider literature? How do your findings relate to the wider body of knowledge? Is there agreement or disagreement?
- Having analysed the themes, do you think there is a need for further research?
- What are the ethical implications of your study?
- What are the limitations of your study?
- Limitations about the methodology?
- About the methodology in relation to your topic?
- About your use of the methodology e.g. number of papers used, you as a first-time researcher?
- What have you learned about the topic and yourself as a researcher?
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Discuss the broad conclusions, drawing together your discussions and focussing on the themes you identified.
- Explain whether the research project that you undertook achieved its aims. Was t
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