How to Conduct and Write a Systematic Literature Review

Learning outcomes

At the completion of the course, participants will be able to design and conduct a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) that is suitable to the topic of their research. Students will learn how to navigate a large body of literature, select relevant studies and code the content of studies according to pre-defined criteria. Adopting a systematic approach to doing a literature review will enable course participants to lay out a strong theoretical foundation on a specific topic, which can be built upon in the remaining parts of their thesis.

Content

The course will consist of two 3-hour lectures followed by independent research. The first lecture will cover the foundations of a systematic literature review, focusing on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) technique. This involves following a step-by-step process of doing a systematic literature review following the PRISMA technique, consisting of using Tritonia’s research databases and other search tools to identify relevant studies, developing a coding procedure to synthesize data and advising on how to write up the research resulting from the systematic review. The second lecture will build upon the first lecture and will enable course participants to discuss and receive feedback on their specific systematic literature review plans.

Study and assessment methods

Active participation during the lectures and independent research. Participants will design a systematic literature review on their topic which involves defining research question(s) to guide their review, choosing keywords, searching and identifying relevant studies, developing a coding procedure, reading and coding selected studies using a Data Extraction Form applicable to their review. In addition to lectures, during which participants will learn how to perform a systematic literature review, participants are required to complete a Data Extraction Form which includes the coding of each selected study for a total of 81 hours of work (two 3-hour lectures and 75 hours of independent work).

Implementation methods

Active participation during the lectures and independent research.

Prerequisites

This hands-on course is designed for doctoral students and researchers who are either working or planning to work on the literature review of their thesis. Those doctoral students who have already completed the literature review can also benefit from the course by preparing them to work further on it and publish it using a systematic method.

Grading scale

Pass/Fail

Languages

English

Level

Postgraduate studies

Subject

Graduate School

Person in charge

Sorin Dan