{"id":3270,"date":"2018-05-01T14:37:42","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T14:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/?p=3270"},"modified":"2023-04-11T09:31:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T09:31:51","slug":"how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do an Effective Literature Search in 5 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_45_1 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69f32eda14b4d\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69f32eda14b4d\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#Literature_Search_Process_Flow\" title=\"Literature Search: Process Flow\u00a0\u00a0\">Literature Search: Process Flow\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#Sources\" title=\"Sources\">Sources<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#How_can_you_make_your_literature_search_more_effective\" title=\"How can you make your literature search more effective?\">How can you make your literature search more effective?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#1_Develop_a_Well-Defined_Question\" title=\"1. Develop a Well-Defined Question\">1. Develop a Well-Defined Question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#2_Choose_the_Right_Keywords\" title=\"2. Choose the Right Keywords\">2. Choose the Right Keywords<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#3_Do_Not_Ignore_Non-obvious_Sources\" title=\"3. Do Not Ignore Non-obvious Sources\">3. Do Not Ignore Non-obvious Sources<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#4_Evaluate_Literature_for_Quality\" title=\"4. Evaluate Literature for Quality\">4. Evaluate Literature for Quality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#5_Redefine_Your_Question\" title=\"5. Redefine Your Question\">5. Redefine Your Question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/#Outsourcing_Your_Literature_Search\" title=\"Outsourcing Your Literature Search\">Outsourcing Your Literature Search<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><em>This article is a quick guide to conducting a literature search. Need help? Hire a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/services\/literature-search?utm_source=Blog_LitSearchSteps\">literature search expert<\/a> on Kolabtree. Choose from PhD-qualified researchers in over 2,500 subjects.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/find-an-expert\/subject\/literature-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">literature search<\/a> involves searching and compiling all the literature (books, journals, and more) available on a specific topic. It is carried out to identify knowledge gaps in a particular topic,<br \/>\nwhich will then guide further <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/ensuring-reproducibility-in-ai-driven-research-how-freelance-experts-can-help-in-biotech-and-healthcare\/\">research<\/a> in that topic.\u00a0 It is also carried out to provide background in a study, support methodologies, provide context or comparisons for discussions, and more. One of the most important reasons to do a literature search is to have enough information to formulate a valid research question. A literature search is typically carried out by scientific researchers, academics,\u00a0R&amp;D personnel of large businesses and organizations, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals (also called a systematic review) and by students who have to write a thesis\/dissertation (also called a literature review).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3275\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-1080x720.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/book-address-book-learning-learn-159751-300x200@2x.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Literature_Search_Process_Flow\"><\/span><strong>Literature Search: Process Flow\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Develop a research question in a specific subject area<\/li>\n<li>Make a list of relevant databases and texts you will search<\/li>\n<li>Make a list of relevant keywords and phrases<\/li>\n<li>Start searching and make notes from each database to keep track of your search<\/li>\n<li>Review the literature and compile all the results into a report<\/li>\n<li>Revise your original research question if necessary<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sources\"><\/span><strong>Sources<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Literature can be compiled from a variety of sources. A primary source is published, peer-reviewed research available in the form of books and journals. Online databases provide access to published works available on the web. Some examples are Pubmed, which\u00a0has more than 27 million citations for biomedical literature,\u00a0PsycINFO has more than 3 million records on psychology topics and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) has over 1.5 million records of literature related to education research.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_you_make_your_literature_search_more_effective\"><\/span>How can you make your literature search more effective?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">A literature search can be a daunting, tiring and time-consuming task. Since this activity forms the foundation for future research, it is essential for it to be absolutely comprehensive and accurate. Errors in a literature search could mean loss of precious time, resources and energy. You could be carrying out research which has already been done before, using redundant, outdated methodologies, or designing experiments that have shown to be ineffective in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Develop_a_Well-Defined_Question\"><\/span>1. Develop a Well-Defined Question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3271\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-356079-300x181.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-356079-300x181.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-356079.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-356079-300x181@2x.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Starting off a literature review without an clear and focused research question will mean that you will dig up a lot of literature not relevant to what you actually want. So, develop a research question that is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focused<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not too broad and not too narrow in scope<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Complex enough to allow for research and analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Choose_the_Right_Keywords\"><\/span><strong>2. Choose the Right Keywords<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3274\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-300x214.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-300x214.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-400x284.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-269x192.jpeg 269w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-300x214@2x.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pexels-photo-278887-269x192@2x.jpeg 538w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Overlooking the importance of using the right keywords and phrases relevant to the topic means that you could miss important information due to a weak search query.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read papers from different publications to familiarize yourself with the writing style and keywords.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build a concept map of related keywords and phrases that might be related to your research (for example, the related keywords to \u2018literature search\u2019 are \u2018secondary research\u2019 and \u2018systematic review\u2019)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Do_Not_Ignore_Non-obvious_Sources\"><\/span>3. Do Not Ignore Non-obvious Sources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Many researchers tend to do a literature search taking into account published literature: journals and books. However, there are other sources that are invaluable, but often overlooked. Look into conference proceedings, ongoing research at university labs (mentioned on university websites), online discussion forums, databases of high-quality pre-print material, and postdoctoral theses.\u00a0 Examples of non-obvious sources for topic-specific literature:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/\">ClinicalTrials.gov<\/a> for clinical trial registries,<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripdatabase.com\/\">TRIP database<\/a> for evidence-based clinical information,<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.opengrey.eu\">Open Grey<\/a> for grey literature<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/saemobilus.sae.org\/\">SAE Mobilus<\/a> for technical papers &amp; specifications related to mobility engineering<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.proquest.com\/products-services\/pais-set-c.html\">PAIS Index<\/a> for issues covered in public debate<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/library\/databases\/paho\/en\/\">Virtual Health Library<\/a> for health research in South America<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/\">arXiv<\/a> for pre-print material in math, physics, astronomy, and related fields<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Evaluate_Literature_for_Quality\"><\/span>4. Evaluate Literature for Quality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ve got all the literature in place, but how do you know if it\u2019s reliable? Since you\u2019re going to be building your research on this information you need to have some quality control and make sure that sources are credible.\u00a0Evaluate the credibility of the source by asking these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Where was the research published?<\/li>\n<li>When was it published?<\/li>\n<li>Has it been peer-reviewed?<\/li>\n<li>Does the author have good credentials?<\/li>\n<li>Is the article free from bias?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A comprehensive list is available <a href=\"http:\/\/libguides.library.cityu.edu.hk\/litreview\/evaluating-sources\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Redefine_Your_Question\"><\/span>5. Redefine Your Question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Now that the literature search is completely, you might be raring to go. But wait! It\u2019s not over yet. At the end of your search, you have to go back to square one: the research question. Is it still relevant and valid? Does it have to be revised?<\/p>\n<p>While doing the literature search, make notes from the \u201cSuggestions for Future Work\u201d in the papers you find relevant and interesting. This will help you formulate your research question better and make the focus of your research clearer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outsourcing_Your_Literature_Search\"><\/span>Outsourcing Your Literature Search<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Academics, who are usually already pressed for time, often end up spending weeks just doing a literature search before they can get started on their research. Large companies have in-house scientists who can take on the painstaking task. However, many organizations cannot afford in-house, full-time experts.<\/p>\n<p>Outsourcing your literature search to a subject area expert or experienced researcher can help you save time and energy. Kolabtree has a global team of freelance scientists and academics from the likes of MIT, Cambridge, Oxford and Stanford, who can offer a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/find-an-expert\/subject\/literature-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">literature search service<\/a>\u00a0and can help you prepare customized reports. Leave the task of combing through the literature to a specialist, while you focus on what&#8217;s most important to you: your research!<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;-<br \/>\nNeed help with your research or business project? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/\">Hire a freelance scientist<\/a>\u00a0on Kolabtree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is a quick guide to conducting a literature search. Need help? Hire a literature search expert on Kolabtree. Choose from PhD-qualified researchers in over 2,500 subjects.\u00a0 A literature search involves searching and compiling all the literature (books, journals, and more) available on a specific topic. It is carried out to identify knowledge gaps<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/how-to-do-an-effective-literature-search-in-5-steps\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[304,435],"tags":[745,744,743],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.1 (Yoast SEO v20.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Do an Effective Literature Search in 5 Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5 steps to conduct a comprehensive and effective literature search, that will help identify research gaps and prompt further action.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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