Library - Honours Research PathFinder: Unit 6: Conducting your literature review

1. Define your research topic and scope.

• Narrow your topic: Avoid being too broad; focus on a specific question or theme.
• Identify key concepts: What are the main ideas or terms related to your research?
• Consider boundaries: Think about the timeline, geographic focus, or specific subfields relevant to your review.

Example: 

Instead of simply searching for general literature on climate change, refine your focus to align with your research topic: "The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Cities in South Africa: Challenges and Adaptation Strategies." Consider specific aspects such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, urban resilience, and policy responses to ensure a more targeted and relevant search.

2. Search for Relevant Literature

Search academic sources for high-quality information.

• Use academic databases such as Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, Scopus etc.
• Use the "Advanced search" option in the library databases/Google Scholar to apply Boolean operators when searching for literature (see below). This helps you find more relevant articles by narrowing your search by keywords, author, publication date, and more—saving you time and improving the quality of your sources. 
  • AND: Narrows results (e.g., "climate change AND adaptation strategies")
  • OR: Broadens results (e.g., "urban planning OR city development")
  • NOT: Excludes terms (e.g., "climate change NOT Arctic")
• When searching the library databases or Google Scholar, use the "Advanced search" option to filter by publication date, peer-reviewed sources and specific disciplines.

BOOLEAN SEARCH EXAMPLE:

Topic: The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Cities in South Africa

Boolean Search Query:

("climate change" OR "global warming") AND ("coastal cities" OR "coastal areas") AND ("South Africa") AND ("impact" OR "effects") AND ("adaptation" OR "mitigation")

Explanation:

• ("climate change" OR "global warming") → Finds sources that mention either term.
• ("coastal cities" OR "coastal areas") → Ensures coverage of different ways researchers might phrase this.
• ("South Africa") → Narrows results to South Africa.
• ("impact" OR "effects") → Expands results to include both terms.
• ("adaptation" OR "mitigation") → Ensures coverage of response strategies.

Learn more about BOOLEAN Operators here. See this example on how to use BOOLEAN operators. 

 Tip: Keep a list of search terms and databases you have used for easy reference.

OTHER EFFECTIVE SEARCH STRATEGIES

Truncation (*)

Truncation helps find variations of a word by replacing the ending with an asterisk (*). 

Example:

• climat* → Finds climate, climates, climatic
• adapt* → Finds adapt, adaptation, adaptive

 Tip: Use truncation when searching for terms with multiple endings to broaden your search.

Quotation Marks ("")

Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.

Example:

• "climate change" → Ensures results contain this exact phrase instead of separate words.
• "coastal erosion" → Retrieves sources specifically mentioning this term.

Tip: Use quotation marks when looking for specific concepts or proper names.

Wildcards (?)

A wildcard replaces a single letter within a word.

 Example:

• wom?n → Finds woman and women
• organi?ation → Finds organization and organisation

Tip: Useful for searching words with different spellings (e.g., British vs. American English).

Parentheses (())

Parentheses group search terms and control the order of operations.

Example:

• ("climate change" OR "global warming") AND ("coastal cities" OR "urban areas")

Tip: Use parentheses when combining Boolean operators to ensure the correct interpretation.

3. Evaluate and select sources

Not all sources are of the same quality, prioritize the most credible ones.

Key questions to ask:

• Is the information relevant to your research?
• Is the source reliable and unbiased?
• How current is the research

Learn more here

4. Analyse and synthesize information

Go beyond simply summarizing articles—look for patterns and relationships.

•  Identify common themes or recurring arguments.
•  Note contradictions and gaps in the research.
• Compare different methodologies and perspectives.

💡 Tip: Use visual tools like concept maps to see connections between studies.

If you are considering doing a systematic review or meta-analysis, this step-by-step guide aims to support you along the way. It explains the background to these methodologies, what is involved, how to get started, keep going and finish!

1. Defining the Research Problem

• Literature search role: Identifies existing gaps, key debates, and the significance of your topic.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Search for review articles and foundational studies to understand past research.
  ✅ Use Boolean searches:
  • ("climate change" OR "global warming") AND "coastal cities" AND "South Africa"

2. Developing Research Questions & Hypotheses

• Literature search role: Helps refine and justify your research focus.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Search for similar studies to shape your research questions.
  ✅ Use citation tracking to find influential works.

3. Choosing a Research Methodology

• Literature search role: Guides your choice of qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Look for studies using methods you’re considering.
  ✅ Search with keywords:
  • "case study" AND "climate adaptation"
  • "quantitative analysis" AND "coastal resilience"

4. Data Collection & Analysis

• Literature search role: Helps identify best practices and analytical frameworks.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Search for studies using similar data sources (e.g., surveys, GIS mapping).
  ✅ Look for analysis techniques:
  • "thematic analysis" AND "climate change"
  • "regression analysis" AND "sea level rise"

5. Interpreting & Discussing Results

• Literature search role: Provides context for comparing findings and drawing conclusions.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Search for related studies to validate or contrast your results.
  ✅ Identify gaps your study addresses:
  • "urban adaptation" AND "policy gaps"

6. Writing the Conclusion & Recommendations

• Literature search role: Supports your claims and recommendations with evidence.
• Example strategy:
  ✅ Look for best practices or policy recommendations in similar research.
  ✅ Use terms like:
  • "climate policy recommendations" AND "South Africa"
  • "coastal city resilience strategies"