Search for information

How to do a literature search

A literature search is a detailed and organised, step by step search for all the material available on a topic. The main stages of a literature search are listed below, as are some issues to consider and some useful external web pages.

Stages of the search

1. Decide on a search topic Formulate a question or hypothesis to define the topic. If you have been given the topic make sure you understand what has been asked of you - consult academic staff if needed.
2. Think about the scope of the search topic What to include and exclude i.e. publication date, geographic restrictions, language, gender issues and so on.
3. Consider the keywords to use while searching See the page on search techniques for more information about deciding on keywords.
4. Think about the type of information you want This could be books, journal articles, systematic reviews, government papers, legal documents, and so on.
5. Think about where to locate the relevant information sources Which libraries do you need to access, will you need to use databases or the internet and can you get access to all the sources needed?
6. Plan out the stages of the search Allow plenty of time for all stages of the search.
7. Carry out the searching See the page on search techniques for more information about how to get the most out of searching.
8. Review your progress Have you found too many or too few references - do the keywords or search limits need altering. You may have to go back to stage 2.
9. Obtain copies of the information Allow sufficient time to acquire all information - for example if you have had to request an interlibrary loan it may take some weeks to arrive.
10. Read, evaluate and absorb Remember to evaluate the material you have found - it should always be relevant to your topic and level of study. See the section further down the page for more information about evaluation.
11. Consider if suitable and useful information has been found Do the search parameters need altering and the search restarting? You may have to go back to stage 2.
12. Write up the work Remember to reference correctly!

Issues to consider

Record keeping

It is essential to keep records of all stages of the search. You should record where you searched and what terms you used. Also keep full bibliographic records of all of the results you find and look at. This avoids duplication of work and means you have all relevant details when writing up your work. Additionally remember to keep backups of your work.

Referencing

It is important to reference correctly, for information about the referencing styles required by RGU. Please go to the following page:

Sources of information

Looking at what RGU has to offer is a good place to start. There are many sources to consider when planning where to find relevant information and some of them are subject specific. The list below has some ideas:

Tidy books

Identifying relevant material

You will need to ensure that you assess the value of the material you find. Remember it is quality, not quantity of references that you should be looking for. You could begin assessing the value of the material you have found by checking it meets the following criteria:

These criteria are simply a starting point for assessing the relevance and usefulness of your material. You should decide on a set of guidelines that you are happy with and that are specific to your information needs and apply them to all the material you find.

Search techniques

To aid with retrieving the best results possible there are numerous search tecniques you can employ. For more information about these follow this link:

Some useful online tutorials and web pages

The following tutorials and web pages offer extra guidance about finding information and performing literature searches:


Last Revised: 24th August 2006

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