Research a Literature Review

• Library search tips. Browse Develop a Search Strategy for more information on structuring your search strategy.
• Scan your results. To save time, review the abstracts of applicable articles. Browse our Evaluate Sources guide for criteria to help you ensure your results are from credible sources.
• Build on existing research. Look at the references of articles and dissertations you have already found to locate other applicable articles. Note publication dates when doing this to ensure that it falls within the time frame parameters.

• Advanced search techniques. Have you used techniques like truncation, Boolean operators, nesting, and proximity searches? Check out our video on Advanced searching. The suggestions highlighted in the library search can be applied across individual databases.
• Research databases. Have you expanded your search into individual databases? See Research Databases under Searching the Literature in this guide for more information.
• Search terms. Each database assigns subject terms to its resources. Using these subject terms can help you find articles covering your topic. Subject terms can usually be found near or within the article abstract.
• Citation chaining. Look at the articles that cited your original article to find the latest research on your topic. Google Scholar is the best place to find citing articles. Look for the "Cited by" link under a Google Scholar search result to see newer sources of information that have cited the original resource. Look for similar "cited by," "citing articles," and "times cited links" in other library databases. See the citation chaining FAQ for more information.
• Related articles. Google also offers a "related articles" link, which can be used to uncover research articles related to those you have already located. Be aware of the date of the related articles; if they are older than your five-year parameter and not considered seminal research, they may not be considered relevant.
• Uncheck the full-text limiter. Make sure the "full text" limiter is deselected. This limiter is specific to the resources in our library. An article or resource that may be critical to your research but not available in our collections might be surfaced with its abstract. You request your document through Ask Us to see if we can obtain the full text.
• Have you consulted with your advisor? Faculty, colleagues, and researchers in your field may be able to provide insight and tips to expand your research into relevant areas that you may not have considered.
• Book an appointment with a librarian. Meet one-on-one with a librarian to get the most out of our databases. A librarian can work with you on your specific research and help set up search alerts for your topic to capture the most recent research. This will reduce the time you need to re-research current research later. Review our Toolkits for instructions on setting up search alerts.
• Stay updated with search alerts. Exhausting the literature refers to locating foundational research in your topic regardless of the time frame and research within the last five years. Set up search alerts for your topic to capture the most recent research, reducing the time you need to re-research current research later. Review our Toolkits for instructions on setting up search alerts.

Our team of research librarians is available to help you if you have a question or get stuck in your research. You can either submit your question to us through our email Ask Us service or schedule a one-on-one Teams video chat appointment with a librarian.

• The Reviewing the Literature section of the Sage Research Methods Project Planner walks you through the literature review process and answers questions about researching the literature.
• Use Ulrichsweb to identify peer-reviewed journals. Look for the referee shirt icon to indicate that the journal is peer-reviewed.
• Use the Tips for Effective Research Checklist to make sure you don't miss any steps in your research process.