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Qualitative research: literature review .
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Exploring the literature review
Literature review model: 6 steps.
Adapted from The Literature Review , Machi & McEvoy (2009, p. 13).
Your Literature Review
Step 2: search, boolean search strategies, search limiters, ★ ebsco & google drive.
1. Select a Topic
"All research begins with curiosity" (Machi & McEvoy, 2009, p. 14)
Selection of a topic, and fully defined research interest and question, is supervised (and approved) by your professor. Tips for crafting your topic include:
- Be specific. Take time to define your interest.
- Topic Focus. Fully describe and sufficiently narrow the focus for research.
- Academic Discipline. Learn more about your area of research & refine the scope.
- Avoid Bias. Be aware of bias that you (as a researcher) may have.
- Document your research. Use Google Docs to track your research process.
- Research apps. Consider using Evernote or Zotero to track your research.
Consider Purpose
What will your topic and research address?
In The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students , Ridley presents that literature reviews serve several purposes (2008, p. 16-17). Included are the following points:
- Historical background for the research;
- Overview of current field provided by "contemporary debates, issues, and questions;"
- Theories and concepts related to your research;
- Introduce "relevant terminology" - or academic language - being used it the field;
- Connect to existing research - does your work "extend or challenge [this] or address a gap;"
- Provide "supporting evidence for a practical problem or issue" that your research addresses.
★ Schedule a research appointment
At this point in your literature review, take time to meet with a librarian. Why? Understanding the subject terminology used in databases can be challenging. Archer Librarians can help you structure a search, preparing you for step two. How? Contact a librarian directly or use the online form to schedule an appointment. Details are provided in the adjacent Schedule an Appointment box.
2. Search the Literature
Collect & Select Data: Preview, select, and organize
AU Library is your go-to resource for this step in your literature review process. The literature search will include books and ebooks, scholarly and practitioner journals, theses and dissertations, and indexes. You may also choose to include web sites, blogs, open access resources, and newspapers. This library guide provides access to resources needed to complete a literature review.
Books & eBooks: Archer Library & OhioLINK
Databases: scholarly & practitioner journals.
Review the Library Databases tab on this library guide, it provides links to recommended databases for Education & Psychology, Business, and General & Social Sciences.
Expand your journal search; a complete listing of available AU Library and OhioLINK databases is available on the Databases A to Z list . Search the database by subject, type, name, or do use the search box for a general title search. The A to Z list also includes open access resources and select internet sites.
Databases: Theses & Dissertations
Review the Library Databases tab on this guide, it includes Theses & Dissertation resources. AU library also has AU student authored theses and dissertations available in print, search the library catalog for these titles.
Did you know? If you are looking for particular chapters within a dissertation that is not fully available online, it is possible to submit an ILL article request . Do this instead of requesting the entire dissertation.
Newspapers: Databases & Internet
Consider current literature in your academic field. AU Library's database collection includes The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Wall Street Journal . The Internet Resources tab in this guide provides links to newspapers and online journals such as Inside Higher Ed , COABE Journal , and Education Week .
The Chronicle of Higher Education has the nation’s largest newsroom dedicated to covering colleges and universities. Source of news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators
The Chronicle features complete contents of the latest print issue; daily news and advice columns; current job listings; archive of previously published content; discussion forums; and career-building tools such as online CV management and salary databases. Dates covered: 1970-present.
Offers in-depth coverage of national and international business and finance as well as first-rate coverage of hard news--all from America's premier financial newspaper. Covers complete bibliographic information and also subjects, companies, people, products, and geographic areas.
Comprehensive coverage back to 1984 is available from the world's leading financial newspaper through the ProQuest database.
Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (U.S.), international and regional newspapers. In addition, it offers television and radio news transcripts from major networks.
Provides complete television and radio news transcripts from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, and more.
Search Strategies & Boolean Operators
There are three basic boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT.
Used with your search terms, boolean operators will either expand or limit results. What purpose do they serve? They help to define the relationship between your search terms. For example, using the operator AND will combine the terms expanding the search. When searching some databases, and Google, the operator AND may be implied.
Overview of boolean terms
About the example: Boolean searches were conducted on November 4, 2019; result numbers may vary at a later date. No additional database limiters were set to further narrow search returns.
Database Search Limiters
Database strategies for targeted search results.
Most databases include limiters, or additional parameters, you may use to strategically focus search results. EBSCO databases, such as Education Research Complete & Academic Search Complete provide options to:
- Limit results to full text;
- Limit results to scholarly journals, and reference available;
- Select results source type to journals, magazines, conference papers, reviews, and newspapers
- Publication date
Keep in mind that these tools are defined as limiters for a reason; adding them to a search will limit the number of results returned. This can be a double-edged sword. How?
- If limiting results to full-text only, you may miss an important piece of research that could change the direction of your research. Interlibrary loan is available to students, free of charge. Request articles that are not available in full-text; they will be sent to you via email.
- If narrowing publication date, you may eliminate significant historical - or recent - research conducted on your topic.
- Limiting resource type to a specific type of material may cause bias in the research results.
Use limiters with care. When starting a search, consider opting out of limiters until the initial literature screening is complete. The second or third time through your research may be the ideal time to focus on specific time periods or material (scholarly vs newspaper).
★ Truncating Search Terms
Expanding your search term at the root.
Truncating is often referred to as 'wildcard' searching. Databases may have their own specific wildcard elements however, the most commonly used are the asterisk (*) or question mark (?). When used within your search. they will expand returned results.
Asterisk (*) Wildcard
Using the asterisk wildcard will return varied spellings of the truncated word. In the following example, the search term education was truncated after the letter "t."
Explore these database help pages for additional information on crafting search terms.
- EBSCO Connect: Searching with Wildcards and Truncation Symbols
- EBSCO Connect: Searching with Boolean Operators
- EBSCO Connect: EBSCOhost Search Tips
- EBSCO Connect: Basic Searching with EBSCO
- ProQuest Help: Search Tips
- ERIC: How does ERIC search work?
★ EBSCO Databases & Google Drive
Tips for saving research directly to Google drive.
Researching in an EBSCO database?
It is possible to save articles (PDF and HTML) and abstracts in EBSCOhost databases directly to Google drive. Select the Google Drive icon, authenticate using a Google account, and an EBSCO folder will be created in your account. This is a great option for managing your research. If documenting your research in a Google Doc, consider linking the information to actual articles saved in drive.
EBSCO Databases & Google Drive
EBSCOHost Databases & Google Drive: Managing your Research
This video features an overview of how to use Google Drive with EBSCO databases to help manage your research. It presents information for connecting an active Google account to EBSCO and steps needed to provide permission for EBSCO to manage a folder in Drive.
About the Video: Closed captioning is available, select CC from the video menu. If you need to review a specific area on the video, view on YouTube and expand the video description for access to topic time stamps. A video transcript is provided below.
- EBSCOhost Databases & Google Scholar
Defining Literature Review
What is a literature review.
A definition from the Online Dictionary for Library and Information Sciences .
A literature review is "a comprehensive survey of the works published in a particular field of study or line of research, usually over a specific period of time, in the form of an in-depth, critical bibliographic essay or annotated list in which attention is drawn to the most significant works" (Reitz, 2014).
A systemic review is "a literature review focused on a specific research question, which uses explicit methods to minimize bias in the identification, appraisal, selection, and synthesis of all the high-quality evidence pertinent to the question" (Reitz, 2014).
Recommended Reading
About this page
EBSCO Connect [Discovery and Search]. (2022). Searching with boolean operators. Retrieved May, 3, 2022 from https://connect.ebsco.com/s/?language=en_US
EBSCO Connect [Discover and Search]. (2022). Searching with wildcards and truncation symbols. Retrieved May 3, 2022; https://connect.ebsco.com/s/?language=en_US
Machi, L.A. & McEvoy, B.T. (2009). The literature review . Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press:
Reitz, J.M. (2014). Online dictionary for library and information science. ABC-CLIO, Libraries Unlimited . Retrieved from https://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_A.aspx
Ridley, D. (2008). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
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