How can you conduct a literature review that covers current research?

"Utilize a FUNNEL search pattern, beginning with a broad search and progressively refining it. Start by searching the database using keywords from your research title and research questions to pinpoint precisely what you are looking for."

I find two or three meta-analyses that are well-cited and read some of the articles that are used in the analysis. I try to get different perspectives - which sometimes doesn't happen, and work from there. It has been a good strategy in the past and one that I will continue.

Get organized. I find it helpful to get the resources page developed before even thinking of writing anything else. The last time I wrote a literature review, I utilized at least two dozen sources for it. I searched Google Scholar, state and local government websites, federal health agencies, scholarly journals, textbooks, university research, ResearchGate, and more. Save all links you find. Do not discard any until you know you are not going to use it. You may never find it again!

In my opinion, this is the hardest part. I probably logged over 100 hours of research and reading before even beginning to write my literature review. I ended up using 29 references for mine. I had one semester to complete it, and it had to have a minimum of 20 pages (not counting reference pages). I started looking for sources in week one, and never wrote a single word until the last week of the semester. I spent the whole time diving into the topic/research and making notes. Doing it like that, allows me to become well-versed on the topic, and thus, making the next step of writing so much easier.

Make sure your literature review is actually a literature review. It is not like other papers such as an argumentative paper, cause and effect, or a definition paper. Literature reviews are very specific and if you were told/asked to write one, write one! Know what goes into one, what the layout is, and what the purpose of one is. Do that, before even thinking about a topic or anything else.

I believe that if it might be really helpful to consider having a collaborator when it counts to writing a review. This will help in getting more perspectives into the review. For example, if you are a theoretical researcher, it might be useful to getting a few more theoretical researchers, as well as experimentalists into the panel if that’s possible. It broadens the scope of the review and makes it rich due to the varied perspectives.