A dissertation literature review guide provides a dissertation student with the steps and transparency to follow a research process. Current dissertations in the health sciences, nursing, psychology, and social sciences demand a structured review, rather than a literature summary. This helps to increase methodological rigor and simplifies the research process in the context of assessing it.
Students who write a systematic literature review dissertation might find it difficult, as each step needs to be recorded systematically. You can always seek practical support to plan or write your dissertation while undergoing the entire process, and the team at Dissertation Help Services can guide you through the entire process of the dissertation.
This Guide provides a step-by-step explanation of a systematic literature review. You will develop a research question, find information in Academic databases, report your methods, draw the PRISMA flow diagram, and write a well-structured review chapter.
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What Is a Systematic Literature Review? (And How It Differs from a Narrative Review)
The systematic literature review is a reproducible and well-structured procedure of locating, selecting, assessing, and summarizing the literature related to a specific question. Each stage is documented according to a protocol, which can be repeated by another researcher to get similar results.
A narrative review is a type of review that is used for a different purpose. It presents a general overview of the current literature, but typically, it is not conducted in a formal screening process or search strategy. This flexibility makes it possible to have more author interpretation in the narrative review, though it may be less transparent.
This difference is called the difference between systematic review and narrative review. Systematic reviews should be consistent, well-documented, and reproducible; narrative reviews should be a summary of the literature or a discussion of literature more broadly.
Step 1: Define Your Research Question and Protocol
The first step in doing a systematic literature review is to develop a focused research question. Your review will be organized, and you won’t have to search for a clear question.
The PICO framework is used in health-related studies:
- Population
- Intervention
- Comparison
- Outcome
There may be other disciplines with other frameworks, but the principle is the same. Your research question should be specific, answerable, and be a question which is related to your dissertation goals.
Then, create a search plan (or protocol) before you start searching. This document provides details on how the review will be done.
Here are the elements you should have in your protocol:
- Research objectives
- Inclusion criteria
- Exclusion criteria
- Publication date limits
- Language restrictions
- Eligible study designs
- Planned screening process
These criteria help minimize bias and enhance the credibility of your search results when you develop them before you start searching.
Step 2: Search Multiple Databases Systematically
A good systematic review search strategy guarantees that studies that are relevant to the scope of the review will be found consistently in several databases. If you only look for information in one place, you may miss out on relevant information.
Choose the appropriate databases to represent your research area. Common examples include:
- PubMed
- Scopus
- Web of Science
- CINAHL
- PsycINFO
Follow the same search method applied throughout the databases, if possible. Write all searches as they are done. This is an integral part of your systematic review methodology.
When searching for a frilly wedding dress, you should look for:
- Database name
- Search date
- Keywords
- Combine words using AND, OR, NOT.
- Filters applied
- The number of results returned.
Accurate records will enable readers and examiners to gain insight into the identification of studies. It also enables your review to be reproduced, a hallmark of systematic studies.
Step 3: Screen and Select Studies
Once you’ve done your searching, you’ll start sifting through the results. First, delete duplicate records that have been gathered from multiple databases. This will allow only one review of each study.
Then use your inclusion/exclusion criteria to filter the titles and abstracts. Eliminate studies that clearly don’t address your research. Then, peruse the entire text of the other articles and decide if they are all eligible.
If possible, have a second reviewer review at least some of the studies independently. This will enhance uniformity and minimize selection bias. While it is recommended to have a second reviewer, dissertations at the undergraduate and master’s level often proceed without a second reviewer and do report the process.
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Step 4: Build Your PRISMA Flow Diagram
The PRISMA flow diagram is one of the most important parts of a systematic review. It gives a graphical overview of the selection process of studies. It gives the examiner insight into your identification and selection of your final studies.
The diagram shows four main stages, which are sometimes referred to as the PRISMA systematic review steps.
- Identification
This stage documents the number of studies retrieved (counted) from all databases and other information sources. It also records the number of duplicate records that were eliminated before screening.
- Screening
Once the duplicate studies have been removed, review the titles and abstracts of the remaining studies. Exclude the articles that don’t meet the inclusion criteria and note the number of articles excluded.
- Eligibility
Read the full paper for the shortlisted studies. Do not include an article if it is not eligible, and document the reason. Typically, the study design, population, or outcome is incorrect.
- Included
The last step indicates how many studies are in your review. The results of these studies will be your evidence for analysis and discussion.
A simplified version of the PRISMA diagram is often incorporated into undergraduate and master’s dissertations. There may be more detail in reporting in doctoral dissertations or published systematic reviews.
Step 5: Extract Data and Assess Study Quality
After choosing studies, extract the information consistently. A data extraction table is provided to standardise the data being extracted from the various papers so that it can be compared across them.
Typical information includes:
- Author(s) and date of publication.
- Country
- Study design
- Sample size
- Population characteristics
- Intervention or exposure
- Main findings
- Study limitations
Extract the data and then examine the quality of each study using an appropriate appraisal tool. There are various types of research designs, and each employs a different quality assessment technique.
Step 6: Synthesise Findings and Write Up
The third step of the systematic review methodology is the synthesis of the evidence, which should be clear and logical.
The narrative synthesis is the most common type of student dissertation. This method involves clustering studies together into similar themes and comparing and contrasting similarities and differences among the results. When studies are comparable, a meta-analysis can be performed to pool the results of the statistical studies. But for many of the dissertations that are written for a master’s or undergraduate degree, this is not necessary.
In writing the method section, make sure to explicitly explain your research question, databases searched, your search strategy, screening process, eligibility criteria, and how you selected the studies. A brief look at the relevant PRISMA checklist items will ensure you have included everything and reported in a transparent way.
Common Mistakes in Student Systematic Reviews
Many students subconsciously edit inclusion/exclusion criteria once they’ve seen the results of the search. Search should be done based on established criteria before starting the search.
The other common error is not noting down the precise search terms and database searches. It is impossible to reproduce the review without this information.
Occasionally, students will also include a PRISMA diagram of numbers not reported in the methods section. Be careful with all the figures and make sure that they are consistent throughout the dissertation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need a full systematic review for my dissertation, or is a PRISMA-style flow diagram enough?
A: It depends on your programme’s requirements — many undergraduate and master’s dissertations use a simplified, PRISMA-style approach to their literature review rather than a full systematic review, so always check with your supervisor or handbook.
Q: What’s the difference between a systematic review and a narrative review?
A: A systematic review follows a pre-defined, documented, and reproducible method for searching, screening, and synthesising studies, while a narrative review is a more flexible, non-standardised summary of relevant literature.
Q: Which databases should I search for a systematic literature review?
A: This depends on your field — common choices include PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, and most reviews search at least two or three databases to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Q: What is a PRISMA flow diagram?
A: It’s a visual summary of your study selection process, showing how many records were identified, screened, assessed for eligibility, and ultimately included, along with documented reasons for exclusion at each stage.
Q: Do I need a second reviewer to screen studies for a student’s systematic review?
A: It’s considered best practice and strengthens reliability, but it’s not always required at undergraduate or master’s level — check your specific programme’s expectations.
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Conclusion
The systematic literature review is a flexible way to become transparent, consistent, and reproducible. These are the characteristics that are expected of dissertation research methodology by the dissertation examiners. A systematic approach, keeping a record of all decisions made, and reporting methods back to the literature in a clear and concise manner, will result in a thorough and believable literature review. For hands-on assistance with literature search strategy, PRISMA flow diagram, and/or literature review chapter, head to Dissertation Help Services and discover expert guidance for dissertation students.