Secondary Literature Review - Tagged (1)

Secondary Literature Review (Scoping Review) Research Method

Aims of the Session

• Define secondary literature review as a research method.

• Identify components of a secondary research proposal.

• Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative methodologies in secondary research.

What is a Secondary Literature Review?

• A structured method utilizing existing research to answer a specific research question.

• Less extensive than a systematic literature review.

• Involves critical analysis of methods and findings from selected research articles.

• Aims to evaluate the findings to answer the research question.

Why Use a Secondary Literature Review?

• Suitable when an existing body of knowledge is available for examination.

• Provides the opportunity to examine the evidence base for practice.

• Utilized when primary data collection is not feasible (e.g., working with NHS patients).

• Can act as a starting point for further research to determine next steps.

Key Components of a Secondary Research Proposal

• Background Literature: Sets the context and justification for the review.

• Structured Question: Use PICO (for quantitative) or SPIDER (for qualitative).

• Inclusion / Exclusion Criteria: Defines what studies to include or exclude in the review.

• Detailed Search Strategy: Outline of the approach for literature search.

• Analysis of Quality: Assessment of the quality of included studies.

• Data Analysis: Methodology for analyzing collected data.

Background Literature Review

• Similar to primary research in structure.

• Define the problem/population under study.

• Identify which interventions are the focus of the study.

• Clearly outline the research question, aims, and objectives.

Structured Question

• Employ PICO for quantitative research and SPIDER for qualitative research.

• These frameworks help to identify relevant search terms.

Selection Criteria

• Basis for including or excluding articles in the review:

  • Focus of study: specific themes or issues.

  • Sample and age range: demographics of participants.

  • Research methodology: type of research conducted.

  • Research method: e.g., randomized control trials or interviews.

  • Language: e.g., include only English articles.

  • Date range: e.g., studies published since the last review of the topic.

The Four Stages of a PRISMA Flow Diagram

1. Identifying the articles for review.

2. Screening the articles for review.

3. Deciding on the studies' eligibility.

4. Finalizing the list of studies to include in the systematic review.

Flow Diagram Basics

• Identification

  • Number of records returned from the database search.

  • Number of additional records identified from other sources.

  • Number of records remaining after duplicate removal.

• Screening

  • Number of records screened by title and abstract.

• Eligibility

  • Number of records excluded with reasons.

  • Number of articles assessed by full text.

  • Number of articles excluded with reasons.

  • Number of studies included in the systematic review.

  • Number of studies included in the meta-analysis.

Data Analysis

• Quality Analysis: Use tools like CASP for evaluating quality.

• Demographic Comparisons: Analyze age range, sample sizes, inclusion/exclusion.

• Quantitative Focus: Analyze dependent variables (e.g., gait speed).

  • Compare descriptive findings such as means, standard deviations, effect sizes.

  • Evaluate inferential statistics for significance.

• Qualitative Focus: Compare findings and develop new themes by synthesizing results that provide enhanced understanding.

Further Information

• Arksey H & O'Malley L (2005) Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8:1, 19-32, DOI: 10.1080/1364557032000119616, Link

• Pham MT et al (2014) A scoping review of scoping reviews: advancing the approach and enhancing consistency, Research Synthesis Methods, 5, 371-385.