REVIEW OF LITERATURE

INTRODUCTI0N:
Review of literature is an essential step in research project. it provides bases for further investigation; justify the need for study; throw light on the flexibility of study, reveals constraints of data collection and reveals the findings from the study of another with a hope to establish a comprehensive study of scientific knowledge in a professional discipline, from which valid theories developed. A literature review helps to lay the foundation for the study and also inspire new research ideas

MEANING OF LITERATURE REVIEW:

A literature review is a description and analysis of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. it gives an overview of what has been said, who the key writers are, what are prevailing theories and hypothesis, what questions are being asked ,and methodologies are appropriate and useful.

DEFINITION
A literature review is an evaluation report of information found in the literature related to selected area of study.The review describes, summarizes, evaluates and clarifies this literature. It gives a theoretical base for the research and helps to determine the nature of research. (Queensland University, 1999)

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE REVIEW

Identification of useful research problem and development or refinement of research question. Generation of useful research question or project/activities for the discipline. Orientation to what is known and not unknown about an area of inquiry to ascertain what research can best contribute to knowledge. Determination of any of gaps or inconsistencies in a body of knowledge.

Discovery of unanswered questions about subjects,concepts,or problems. Identification or development of new or refined clinical interventions to test through empirical research. Development of hypothesis to be tested in a research study.
Helps in planning methodology of the present research study related to selected area of study.

The review describe summarize, evaluates and clarifies this literature .it gives a theoretical base for the research and helps to determine the nature of research.

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE OF REVIEW

It also helps in development of research instruments. Identification of suitable design and data collection methods for a research study.

PURPOSES OF LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of literature review is to convey to the readers previous knowledge and the readers previous knowledge and facts establish on a topic and their strengths and weakness. The literature review allows the reader to be updated with a state of research in a field. Place each in the context of its contribution to the understanding of subjects under review. Describe the relationship of each study to other research studies consideration Identify new ways to interpret and shed light on any gaps in previous research. Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of efforts. Point away forward for further research. See what has and has not been investigated Develop general explanation for observed variations in behavior or phenomenon

Learn how others have defined and measured key concepts. Develop alternatives research projects. Discover how a research project in related to the work of others.

SOURCES OF LITERATURE REVIEW PRIMARY SOURCES: Literature review mostly relies on primary sources i.e research
reports, which are description of studies written by researchers who conducted them. A primary source is written by a person who develops the theory or conducts the research or is the descriptive of an investigation written by the person who conducted it. Most primary sources are found in published literature e.g. a nursing research article. SECONDARY SOURCES: Secondary source research document are description of studies prepared by someone other than the original researcher. They are written by people other than the individual who developed the theory or conducted the research. The Secondary sources may be used when primary sources are not available or if researchers want external opinions on an issues or problems or even the results of their own research. EXAMPLE: A literature review on patient experiences in the ICU: Stein-par bury, J. &McKinley. (2002).Patient experience of being in an intensive care unit: a select literature review. American care journal of critical care, 9; 20-27

OTHER MAIN SOURCES ARE: ELECTRONIC SOURCES: Computer-assisted literature search has revolutionized the review
of literature. These searches however, for a variety of reasons may not provide the desired references. Electronic literature search through web may be useful, but sometimes it can be time consuming and unpredictable because there are many websites and overload and confusions. However, the most relevant nursing database is as follows:

O CINAHL :( Cumulative index to nursing and allied health literature)

Accessible at http://www.cinahl.com.It contains citations of nursing literature published after 1988. Even full-text articles available on CINAHL Plus

O MEDLINE: (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieved System Online). It is another

electronic source of literature review commonly used by nurses. Generally abstracts of research articles are provided free of cost.

o MEDLINE PLUS: It is the national library of medicines web sites for consumer health
information.

O Cochrane Database of System Review: Health care related literature can be

searched from these sources, available at library org.

O ERIC: It is the largest sources of education reformation o Dissertation abstracts online: Abstracts of masters and doctoral thesis are available on this
electronic database O Cancer Lit (Cancer Literature) O EMBASE (Exrepta Medica.Database) O ETOH (Alcohol and alcohol problem science database) O Health Star (Health services technology administration and research) O Radix (Nursing and management care database) O CD-ROM (Compact disc-read only memory with research database.

PRINTED SOURCES: Printed research summary may be located from published

abstracts such as nursing research abstracts, psychological abstracts, dissertation abstracts international etc.following are the main printed sources that can be used to review literature. JOURNALS:(National Nursing Journals) Nursing and midwifery research Journals.

 Indian Journals of nursing Research. Applied Nursing Research. Advances in Nursing Sciences
Research reports

Unpublished dissertation and thesis Magazines and newspaper Conferences paper and proceeding Books

Steps and Process in literature review:

Conducting a literature review is little bit like doing a fully fledged study, in the sense that a review must start with question and implement plan for gathering information, and analyze and interpret the information. Then the findings must be summarized in a written product. Figure below summarized the literature review process:Formulate and refine primary and secondary question

Devise search strategy (e.g. select databases, identify keywords, etc.)

Search for identify and retrieve potential primary source material

Screen sources for relevance, ap Critique/ evaluate studies

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY QUESTIONS FOR A REVIEW

For free-standing literature review and evidence based practice projects, the reviewer may seek to summarize research evidence on a single focused question, for those who are understanding a literature review as a part of a new study, the primary questions for the literature review is typically the same as the actual research questions for the new study. The researcher wants to

know, what is current state of knowledge on the questions that I will be addressing in my study? If you are doing a review for a new study, you inevitable will need to search for existing evidence on several secondary questions as well. This is because you will need to develop an argument for the new study in the problem statement-that is, you will need to provide a rational with supporting evidence to justify the new research. Example: suppose that we are conducting a study to address the following research questions: What characteristics of nurses are associated with effective pain management for hospitalized pediatric patients? In other words our primary question is about whether there are characteristics of nurses that are associated with appropriate responses to children's pain This simplified problem statement suggests a number of secondary questions for which research evidence from the literature will need to be located and evaluated. Examples of such secondary questions in this include the following:
How many childrens are hospitalized annually

What types and levels of pain do hospitalized children experience?

What are the consequences of untreated pain in children?

How can pain be reliably assessed in children?

LOCATING RELEVANT LITERATURE FOR A RESEARCH REVIEW

Next step in the literature review process is devising a strategy to locate relevant studies. The ability to identify and locate documents on a research topic is an important skill that requires adaptability-rapid technological changes, such as the expanding use of the internet, we urge you to consult with librarian, colleagues, or faculty at your institution for updated suggestions.

FORMULATING A SEARCH STRATEGY

There are many ways to go about searching for research evidence, and it is wise to begin a search with some strategies in mind. Copper (1998) has identified several approaches, the first of which is one to which we devote considerable attention in this chapter: searching for references through the use of bibliography database. A second approach called the ancestry approach is to use the citations from relevant studies to track down earlier research upon which the studies are based( the "ancestors").A third method called the descendancy approach ,is to find a pivotal early study and to search forward in citation indexes to find more recent studies ("descendents") that cited the key study. Other strategies involve methods for tracking down is grey literature, which refers to studies with more limited distribution, such as conferences papers, unpublished reports, dissertations, and so on.

SEARCHING BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES

Printed-based literature search resources that must be searched manually are becoming outmoded. Reviewers typically begin by searching bibliographic database that can be accessed by computer. Before undertaking a search of an electronic database, you should become familiar with the features of the software you are using to access the database. The software will give you options for restricting your search, for combining the results of two searches, for saving your search, and so on.

KEY ELECTRONIC DATABASE FOR NURSES RESEARCHERS:

CINAHL Database AIDSEARCH(includes more than 20 AIDS research database) Cancer Lit Cochrane Database of systematic reviews

SCREENING AND GATHERING REFERENCES

References that have been identified through the literature search need to be screened. One screen is totally practical-is the reference readily accessible? A second screen is the relevance of the, which you can usually (but not always) true by reading the abstracts. if abstracts are not available in the bibliography database, you will need to take a guess about relevance based on the title. We strongly urge you to obtain full copies of relevant studies rather than simply taking notes. it is often necessary to re-read a report or to get further details about an aspects of a study, which can easily be done if you have a copy of the articles. each obtained articles should be stored in a manner that permits easy access.

DOCUMENTATION IN LITERATURE RETRIEVAL

If your goal is to do a thorough review, you will be using a variety of database, key-words, and strategies. As you meander through the complex world of research information, you will likely lose track of your efforts if you do not document your actions. It is highly advisable to maintain a notebook (or computer database program me) to record your search strategies and results. Make notes of information such as database searched; limits put on your search; specific keywords, subject headings and author used to direct the search. By documenting your actions, you will be able to conduct a more efficient search -that is, you will be able to conduct a more efficient search. LITERATURE REVIEW PROTOCOL: One method of systematically recording and organizing

information from research articles is to use a formal protocol. Protocols are means of recording various aspects of a study systematically.

ABSTRACTING AND RECORDING INFORMATION

Tracking down relevant research on a topic is only the beginning of doing a literature review. Once you have stack useful articles, you need to develop a strategy for making sense of the mass of information contained in the articles. if the literature review is fairly simply, it may be sufficient to jot down notes about key features of the studies under review, and to use those notes as the basis for your integration. However, literature reviews are often more elaborate. Protocols are means of recording various aspects of a study systematically including the full citations, theoretical foundation, methodological features, and findings and conclusion. There is no fixed format such as protocol. You must decide what elements are important to consistently record across studies to help you organize and analyze information.

CRITIQUING STUDIES AND EVALUATING THE EVIDENCE

A research critique is a careful appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of a study. A good critique objectively identifies areas of adequacy and inadequacy, virtues as well as faults. Many researcher critique focus on a single study rather than on a whole body of research. For example, most nursing journals that publish research articles have a policy of independent, anonymous critique by two or more peer reviewers who prepare written critique and make a recommendation about whether or not to publish the report. Peer reviewers' critique can address a wide array of concerns, but they typically are brief and focus primarily on key substantive and methodological issues. Student taking a research methods course also may be asked to critique a study, to provide evidence of their mastery of methodological concepts. Such critique are usually expected to be comprehensive; students are expected to critique various dimensions of a report, including substantive and theoretical aspects to critique various dimensions of a report, including substantive and theoretical aspects, ethical issues methodological decisions, interpretations, and the reports organization, thoroughness, and presentation. The purposes of such a thorough critique is to cultivate critical thinking, to induce students to use newly acquired skills in research methods, to obtain documentation of these skills, and to prepare students for a professional nursing career in which evaluating research will almost surely play a role.

ANALYZING AND SYNTHESIS INFORMATION

Once all the studies have been retrieved read, abstract, and critiqued, the information has to be analyzed and synthesized. As previously noted, we find the analogy between doing a literature review and doing a qualitative study useful, and this is particularly true with respect to the analysis

of the data (that is information from the retrieved studies):in both, the focus is on the identification of important themes. A number of different type themes can be identified, including the following; Substantive themes: What is the pattern of evidence? How much evidence is there? How powerful are the observed effects? Theoretical themes: What design and methods have been used to address the questions? What methodological strategies have not been used? Generalizability/transferability themes: to what types of people or setting do the findings apply? Do the findings vary for different types of people or setting Historical themes: Have there been substantive, theoretical, or methodology trends over time? Is the evidence getting better? Researcher themes: Who has been doing the research, in terms of discipline, specialy area, nationality, prominence and so on?

PREPARING A WRITTEN LITERATURE REVIEW ORGANIZING THE REVIEW

It is important to develop an outline to structure the flow of presentation. if the review is complex, a written outline is recommended ; a mental outline may be sufficient for simpler reviews. The outline should list the main topics or themes to be discussed and indicate the order of presentation. The important plan is to have a plan before starting to write so that the review has a meaningful and understandable flow. Lack of organization is a common weakness in first attempts at writing a research literature review.

WRITING A LITERATURE REVIEW

Content of the Written Literature Review: A written research review should provide readers with an objective, well-organized synthesis of the current state of evidence on a topic. A literature review should be neither a series of quotes nor a series of abstracts. The central tasks are to summarize and critically evaluate the overall evidence so as to reveal the current state of knowledge on a topic with regards to themes deemed to be important-not simply to describe what researcher have done. The literature should be summarized in your own words. The review should demonstrate that consideration has been given to the cumulative worth of the body of research. Stringing together quotes from various documents fails to show that previous research has been assimilated and understood The review should be objective, to the extent possible. Studies that are at odds with your hypothesis obviously should not be omitted. The review also should not ignore a study because its

findings contradict other studies. A literature review typically concludes with a concise summary of current evidence on the topic. The summary should recap key findings and indicate how credible they are should also make note of gaps in the evidence. If the literature review is conducted as part of a new study, this critical summary should demonstrate the need for the research and should clarify the context within which any hypotheses were developed. Style of a Research Review Students preparing a written research review often have trouble adjusting to the standard style of such reviewers. In particular, students sometimes accept research results without criticism or reservation, perhaps reflecting a common misunderstanding about the conclusiveness of research. You should keep in mind that hypotheses cannot be proved or disproved by empirical testing, and no research questions can be definitely answered in a single study. Every study has at least some methodological limitations. The fact that hypotheses cannot be ultimately proved or disproved does not, of course, mean that we must disregard research evidence-especially if findings have been replicated. The left-hand column of table represents several examples of stylistic flaws. The right-hand column offers recommendations for rewording the sentences to confirm to a more acceptable form for a research literature review. Many alternative wordings are possible. PROBLEMATIC STYLE OR WORDING IMPROVED STYLE OR WORDING

Women who do not participate in childbirth Researchers have found that women who preparation classes manifest a high degree of participate in children preparation classes tend to anxiety during labor manifest less anxiety than those who do not(keehn, 2006; Kim, 2007; yepsen, 2006 Attitudes cannot be changed quickly Attitudes have been found to be relatively stable, enduring attributes that do not change quickly(Nicolet & Ryan,2007; Walsh 2005) Studies by fortune(2006) and cramp ton(2007) suggest that many doctors and nurses do not fully understand the psychobiologic dynamics of recovery from a myocardial infarction.

Studies have proved that doctors and nurses do not fully understand the psychobiologic dynamics of recovery from a myocardial infarction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Suresh k Sharma, nursing research and statistics .reprint 2012.Elsevier Page no: 70-80 Denise f. Polit & Cheryl Tatano Beck, Nursing Research, eighth edition Page no: 105-137