There are many terms for the various types of Literature Reviews:
However, while the terms for these different reviews appear quite different, and they may have different approaches, their core principles are consistent. A key feature of any literature review is that it is guided by a clear research question. This question, in turn, is shaped by the purpose and focus of the review.
Examples include:
Effectiveness questions: What impact does intervention X, compared with intervention Y, have on outcome Z?
Methodological questions: What research methods have been used to study phenomenon X?
Conceptual questions: How has phenomenon X been defined and understood? Which theories explain it?
The two most common types of literature reviews are the narrative review and the systematic review. A narrative review explores and discusses the current state of knowledge on a topic from a theoretical or contextual perspective. In contrast, a systematic review follows a structured, transparent process—commonly used in biomedical and healthcare research—to evaluate evidence on the effectiveness of interventions.
Go to this page to see a more detailed overview of the different types of reviews.
Whatever approach to reviewing is adopted, you have to make certain decisions concerning the following:
Interested in how good literature reviews can look like? See two examples under Suggested: a peer-reviewed publication (article) in the biomedical field (systematic approach) and a book chapter as part of a thesis (narrative approach).