ABSTRACT
Never before has so much information been so easily available to so many people. Such a wealth of data brings with it new requirements of those who endeavor to be scholars, specifically, the ability to sift through studies of varying quality and extract the most pertinent information. In the absence of a systematic approach to searching the literature, this task can be difficult at best. The aim of this chapter is to help readers systematize an approach to reviewing the literature. To this end, we enumerate important factors in deciding what to review. We briefly describe traditional research databases and their usage, as well as nontraditional options for obtaining information. Of course, not all information is good information. As such, critical evaluation is an essential part of the literature review process. Accordingly, guidelines for evaluating published work are described. Finally, when an investigator has critically reviewed the literature and has selected that subset of information most central to his or her research purposes, the essence of this body of work must be efficiently and parsimoniously conveyed to others. Consequently, this chapter concludes with suggestions for expressing the results of a critical literature review.
