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Literature Reviews

This guide provides information about literature reviews including what they are and how to do one.

Google Scholar

Use the same types of search terms that you would use in the library database, building your search string by adding AND, OR, or NOT between each term. You may also want to consider adding specific source terminology such as:

  • "Systematic review"
  • Meta-analysis
  • "Scoping review"
  • "Literature review"

Search Results

Screenshot of a search for "literature review" in Google Scholar

The search results page includes:

  • Left: options for limiting by source type or publication dates and sorting results
  • Center: results including options for saving or citing a source, seeing related articles or sources that cite that source, and "versions" of the article.
  • Right Column: links to the full text of the source (often a PDF)

If there is not a PDF available:

  • Look at the other "versions" of the article to see if the full text is available there. Some articles may have been published in multiple places or formats.
  • Request the article via Interlibrary Loan.

Open Access Sources