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Counseling Subject Guide: What is a Literature Review?

What is a Literature Review or Review Article?

According to Arlene Fink,  a literature review is a "systematic, explicit, and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by researchers scholars and practicioners."

Baumeister and Leary state that, "Literature reviews serve a scientific field by providing a much-needed bridge between the vast and scattered assortment of articles on a topic and the reader who does not have time or resources to track them down." 

Literature Review Resources

Types of Literature Review Articles

Narrative Review - assessment and summary of research completed on a specific topic

Systematic Review- assesses and summarizes research on a specifc topic using a standardized methodology to gather and evaluate the research studies

Meta-Synthesis- a qualitative review of research studies which synthesizes information from multiple studies on a specific topic

Meta-Analysis- a quantitative review of research studies which gathers together and analyzes data from multiple studies on a specifc topic

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