Doing Your Literature Review

The literature review is a compulsory part of research and, increasingly, may form the whole of a student research project. This highly accessible book guides students through the production of either a traditional or a systematic literature review, clearly explaining the difference between the two types of review, the advantages and disadvantages of both, and the skills needed. It gives practical advice on reading and organising relevant literature and critically assessing the reviewed field.

Contents include:

- using libraries and the internet
- note making
- presentation
- critical analysis
- referencing, plagiarism and copyright.

This book will be relevant to students from any discipline. It includes contributions from two lecturers who have many years experience of teaching research methods and the supervision of postgraduate research dissertations and a librarian, each offering expert advice on either the creation and assessment of literature reviews or the process of searching for information. The book also highlights the increasing importance for many disciplines of the systematic review methodology and discusses some of the specific challenges which it brings.

Jill Jesson entered higher education as a mature student. She won a First Class Honours BSc in Behavioural Science, and in 1988 was awarded her PhD for a pioneering doctoral thesis on black businesses, both from Aston University. Since then she has worked with multi-disciplinary research teams within the Aston School of Pharmacy, Aston Business School and with M-E-L Research, an independent public services research consultancy. Her publications cover community pharmacy practice, public health and social care. Her special interest in literature review and the idea for this book developed as a result of teaching applied research to pharmacy undergraduates and Business School Masters students.

Lydia Matheson is an Information Specialist working for Library & Information Services at Aston University. She undertook her BA Honours in English at York University and her PG Diploma in Librarianship at the University of Central England. Her current role includes supporting business school students and developing the library's online learning module for staff and students. She is currently Secretary of the Business Librarians Association and a member of CILIP. Before 2002, she worked on Stories from the Web for Birmingham Libraries and the SENCO Electronic Communications Project for the National Council for Educational Technology.

Fiona M. Lacey is a Glasgow native and graduate in Pharmacy, from Strathclyde University. She has been a registered pharmacist since 1982, practicing mainly in community pharmacy. Following a PhD in pharmacology, she gained post doctoral experience of R&D as a laboratory scientist in a UK-based multinational pharmaceutical company. She has been at Aston University since 1997, where she has taught various scientific and professional aspects of Pharmacy to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her interest in literature review and the systematic review came through years of supervising student research projects. She is currently Associate Dean in the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University.