What are the most effective R&D literature review practices and standards?

1 Define your scope and purpose

Before you start searching and reading, you need to have a clear and focused research question or objective. This will help you narrow down your scope and avoid irrelevant or redundant information. You also need to define the purpose and type of your literature review, such as descriptive, integrative, theoretical, or methodological. Depending on your purpose, you may emphasize different aspects of the literature, such as the main findings, the gaps, the methods, or the frameworks.

2 Search and select relevant sources

To find the most relevant and credible sources for your literature review, you need to use appropriate databases, keywords, filters, and criteria. You may also consult bibliographies, references, and citation indexes to expand your search. You should select sources that are recent, peer-reviewed, and authoritative, and that match your scope and purpose. You should also avoid sources that are outdated, biased, or duplicated.

3 Analyze and synthesize the literature

Once you have selected your sources, you need to analyze and synthesize them to identify the main themes, arguments, methods, and gaps in the literature. You can use various tools and techniques to help you with this process, such as tables, charts, matrices, or software. You should also critically evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of each source, and compare and contrast them with each other. You should also look for connections, patterns, discrepancies, and controversies among the sources.

4 Organize and structure your literature review

After you have analyzed and synthesized the literature, you need to organize and structure your literature review in a logical and coherent way. You can use different strategies to organize your literature review, such as chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical. You should also use headings, subheadings, transitions, and summaries to guide your readers and highlight the main points. You should also follow the specific format and style guidelines of your discipline or publication.

5 Write and revise your literature review

The final step is to write and revise your literature review. You should write in a clear, concise, and objective manner, and use your own words and voice. You should also acknowledge and cite your sources properly, using the appropriate citation style and software. You should avoid plagiarism, paraphrasing too closely, or quoting too much. You should also revise your literature review for clarity, coherence, accuracy, and completeness. You should also seek feedback from peers, supervisors, or experts to improve your literature review.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?