Finding & Appraising the Literature Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering literature reviews, source types, search strategies, systematic synthesis, and critical reading stages.

Literature Review

A key research-process step and study section that systematically summarizes, critically appraises, and synthesizes adequate scholarly literature, including positive and negative findings.

Literature Search

The process of locating relevant scholarly sources prior to evaluating their strengths, limitations, and evidence gaps.

Primary Sources

Sources that report original data, theory, or research firsthand.

Secondary Sources

Sources that summarize, critique, or analyze existing work and interpretations of original research.

Data-based Articles

Scholarly literature, also termed empirical or scientific articles, that reports research studies.

Conceptual Literature

Scholarly literature that addresses theory, literature reviews, or "how-to" material.

Systematic Review

A study that uses rigorous methods to identify, appraise, and synthesize primary studies to judge practice effectiveness and summarize a body of literature or data.

Meta-analysis

A form of systematic review that statistically integrates quantitative findings from multiple studies addressing a similar question.

PICOT / PECOT Structure

A framework used to formulate an answerable clinical question consisting of Population, Intervention/Event/Exposure, Comparison, Outcome, and Time.

Boolean Operator OR

A search operator used within synonym groups that retrieves either related term and broadens search results.

Boolean Operator AND

A search operator used between distinct concept groups that requires all connected concepts and narrows search results.

Boolean Operator NOT

A search operator that excludes unwanted terms and narrows search results, requiring cautious use to avoid losing relevant records.

Phrase Searching

The placement of quotation marks around multiword phrases to retrieve exact matches and narrow search results.

Critical Thinking

The rational examination of assumptions, arguments, conclusions, beliefs, and actions through disciplined, self-directed reasoning and research critique.

Critical Reading

An active dialogue with the writer that searches for assumptions and key concepts, which improves with knowledge of the research process.

Preliminary Reading Stage

The initial stage of critical reading that involves skimming, identifying concepts, and clarifying terms.

Comprehensive Reading Stage

The reading stage focused on identifying the purpose, main theme, and research-design steps of a study.

Analytical Reading Stage

The reading stage that assesses a study's value, validity, and applicability.

Synthesis Reading Stage

The final reading stage that integrates the whole article with broader knowledge and identifies strengths and weaknesses.