Bringing it all together: Interpreting literature reviews
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Comparing Bibliometric Analysis Using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Databases
Published on: October 24, 2019
Shaun Prentice1, Andrew Killcross2, Ashley Blowes3
1BPsychSc (Hons), MPsych (Clin), PhD,@Clinical Associate Lecturer, School of Psychology,@The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA; Research@Officer, General Practice Training Research Team,@The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners,@Adelaide, SA.
Background:
Literature reviews can summarise a range of evidence on a topic, making them a valuable resource. However, decisions made during different processes within literature reviews can affect the appropriateness of applying their findings to clinical encounters.
Objective:
To support general practitioners (GPs) in understanding and critiquing literature reviews so they can incorporate evidence into their practice.
Discussion:
This paper offers nine key questions to consider when reading literature reviews. These range from considering the sources researchers use to locate evidence, to the rigour of deciding which papers to include, to the way researchers interpret results. Consideration must also be given to the types of evidence included in the review and how applicable these are to your clinical situations. An example literature review is referred to throughout to provide specific examples of applying these questions to support you in discerning the utility of literature review findings.
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