Nursing Literature Review Writings
Understanding the Basics of Literature Reviews
A literature review is a written examination of published information pertaining to a specific topic or field. Authors use literature reviews to establish a foundation and rationale for their research or to demonstrate their knowledge of the current state of a field. This review can take the form of a course assignment or a section within a larger capstone project. The following information will provide guidance on how to create a strong literature review.
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Misconceptions often arise when it comes to understanding the term “literature review,” with students mistakenly perceiving it as a mere collection of source summaries, similar to annotations or article abstracts. While summarizing sources is indeed a component of a literature review, it should be approached as a comprehensive representation of your understanding of a topic or field, showcasing existing research and identifying the need for future research, particularly your own.
Writing a Nursing Literature Review
There is typically no prescribed format or template for Nursing Literature Review Writing. However, certain considerations should be kept in mind when crafting your review:
1. Include an introduction and conclusion:
Even if the literature review is part of a larger document, these paragraphs can serve as bookends to your material. Provide background information to orient your readers, such as references to notable figures in the field at the beginning, and offer closure by discussing the implications of future research in the conclusion.
2. Avoid direct quotations:
Similar to an annotated bibliography, it is advisable to paraphrase all the material presented in a literature review. Successful paraphrasing involves presenting another author’s ideas in your own words, offering your interpretation or explanation. Effective paraphrasing strengthens your academic writing, while improper paraphrasing can lead to unintentional plagiarism. This assignment provides an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the topic, and presenting ideas in your own words ensures you interpret the gathered material for your readers, while maintaining your authorial voice in Nursing Literature Review Writing.
3. Organize by topic or theme rather than by author:
When incorporating multiple sources, the instinct as a writer may be to summarize each source individually and then compare and contrast them at the end. Instead, organize your sources based on identified themes and patterns. This approach demonstrates your synthesis of the material and prevents the review from becoming a series of disconnected book reports.
4. Use headings:
APA style encourages the use of headings in longer pieces of text to indicate shifts in topic and provide visual breaks for readers. In Nursing Literature Review Writing, headings can assist you in organizing your material by theme and identifying subtopics within the field. Headings clarify the logic and organization for readers, establishing a hierarchy of sections in the paper. It is important to note that “all topics of equal importance have the same level of heading throughout a manuscript” (APA, 2010, p. 62). In title case formatting, capitalize only the first letters of words with four or more letters, while leaving all other letters in lowercase. In sentence case formatting, capitalize only the first word of a title, while leaving all other letters in lowercase. The References heading in the reference list should be formatted as a Level 0 heading (or title heading). Refer to APA guidelines for the formatting of headings at different levels.
5. Use comparative terms:
Given that a literature review can be lengthy and dense, it is important to make the text engaging for readers. Employing transitions and comparison terms allows you to highlight areas of agreement or disagreement among authors on a particular topic and showcase your interpretation of the literature. The strength of your argument largely depends on your ability to establish clear connections between your assessments, assertions, and research. Each sentence should build upon the previous one and contribute to the next through the use of transitions. This logical linking guides your readers from one idea to the next and elucidates the relationships between your research and assessments in Nursing Literature Review Writing.
