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Literature Reviews (in the Health Sciences)

Step by step guide to one possible process to use for a literature review.

This guide provides one possible process for developing and writing a literature review. There is no single process for developing and writing a literature review; this is only one example. If you are writing a literature review for a class, as part of a research project, or for publication, examine the requirements and suggestions from your faculty instructor, research team lead, or the editor, and adapt these steps as needed. You can also find different processes for literature reviews in other handbooks and textbooks.

While this is presented as a single process, you may find yourself conducting the steps in a different order, or repeating some steps multiple times. Every person approaches a literature review differently-- this is expected.