Conducting and Writing Literature Reviews

Literature Review:  Generic term: published materials that provide examination of recent or current literature. Can cover wide range of subjects at various levels of completeness and comprehensiveness. May include research findings.

Critical Review:  Aims to demonstrate writer has extensively researched literature and critically evaluated its quality. Goes beyond mere description to include degree of analysis and conceptual innovation. Typically results in hypothesis or model.

Scoping Review:  Preliminary assessment of potential size and scope of available research literature. Aims to identify nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research).

Umbrella Review:  Specifically refers to compiling evidence from multiple reviews into one accessible and usable document. Focuses on broad condition or problem for which there are competing interventions, and highlights reviews that address these interventions and their results.

For more information visit Brown University @ https://libguides.brown.edu/Reviews