Literature Review: A Self-Guided Tutorial for NUR 288

A literature review (or lit review, for short) is an in-depth critical analysis of published scholarly research related to a specific topic. Published scholarly research (the "literature") may include journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and thesis, or conference proceedings. 

For the QI Project, focus on finding sources from:

• journal articles
• book chapter
• national nursing Guidelines

A solid lit review must:

• be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you're developing
• synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known
• identify areas of controversy in the literature
• formulate questions that need further research

View the video below for a brief explanation of lit reviews. (It's not just for grad students!)

The Literature Review video was created for graduate students, but the information can be applied to students at Washtenaw Community College.