Selecting the Literature for Systematic Review: Process and Implications

Running head: SELECTING THE LITERATURE
Selecting the literature
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SELECTING THE LITERATURE
Selection of the Literatures
A literature search is defined as a process of systematic search undertaken to search
for all the articles that were already published over certain specific topic. Search of the
literary articles can be done quickly but requires a systematic yet organised approach.
Therefore it is important to have records of all the searchers made and the subsequent
information elucidated (Wakefield 2015).
One of the first steps of the systematic review process is selection of appropriate study
that falls under the scope of the chosen topic based on multiple database search. The search
process is mainly based on the inclusion criteria selected by the reviewers before they start
the process of selecting, locating and retrieving the research articles in order to address the
problems of the evidence-based practice. The inclusion and the exclusion criteria selected for
the literature search for systematic review is subject to change but some criteria are
fundamental and are essential for collecting rigorous and defensible set of data for the
projected systematic review. The eligibility criteria are liberally selected in the beginning of
the article search in order to ensure that relevant studies which fall under the scope of the
research are included and no study is excluded without thorough evaluation. At the beginning
the studies are only excluded from the search if they failed to meet one or more of the
exclusion criteria (Pompeo et al. 2009).
Data extraction
The data extraction sheet offers a framework to focus over the structure that will be
used to examine the quality of the articles in an organised and in a consistent manner. Thus,
via examining the articles in the same approach indentified via employing the same
framework eradicates the chance of missing the information. While employing the data

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SELECTING THE LITERATURE
extraction sheet, the crucial details that must be taken into account are the focus group of the
study, sample size, the nature of study, the study approach used, how the main themes or the
statistical data are represented in the study. Via summarising the information of the study in a
structure manner, the researcher will be able to identify the patterns of ideas presented in the
literature (Wakefiled 2014).
Thematic analysis
Thematic analysis is a popular method used for the analysis of the qualitative
research. Braun and Clarke (2006) are of the opinion that the thematic analysis is the
foundational method for data analysis. However, it is required to be defined and described in
order to solidify its place in the qualitative research.
Thematic analysis is easy to use and thus can be easily employed by the novice
researchers who are not familiar with the complex qualitative or quantitative research design.
Thematic analysis enables flexibility over the choice of the researcher over the theoretical
framework of the study. The main aim of thematic approach is to identify the patterns in the
data representation and to address the research questions. A good thematic analysis helps in
easy summarizing of data. However, researchers make mistakes via using the interview
questions and themes of the research and this reflects that the data is organised and
summarise and not analysed (Clarke and Braun 2013).
Thematic review describes particular area of literature of a definite educational
approach or learning model. The main purpose of the outcome is to identify weakness
followed by the dissemination of the principal steps for the overall improvement of any
particular issue. It also provides provision for in-depth examination of the procedures and
principles of the research via evaluation of relevant objectives. It focuses over the central
element of the research which is taken under consideration from different viewpoints. It can