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- Literature reviews
The following guide from VU Library provides an overview of the literature review process including useful tips and advice on effective searching and managing of resources. The guide is intended as a starting point for any student or researcher new to the literature review process.
In the Literature Review library guide, refer to the section on using the PICO and SPIDER framework to help formulate a clear and focused research question, which you can then use to convert into an effective search strategy for your review.
Note: The key databases and journals for Sport and Exercise Science literature are listed under the databases and journals section.
The below guide will show you how to design, research, analyse and write up your literature review.
In addition, each of the resources below provides comprehensive instructions on how to conduct a literature search:
A document from Winston-Salem State University outlining main types of quantitative approaches to research.
A chapter from the book: Denscombe, M. (2012) Research proposals: A practical guide. McGraw-Hill Education.
Research Proposals: a Practical Guide by
"This indispensable guide to writing research proposals takes the reader on a carefully planned journey, which is clearly sign-posted from the outset to the destination of the final proposal ... Denscombe demystifies the academic jargon inherent in proposal writing, instilling confidence in all those writing proposals, from undergraduate to doctoral level." Dr Kate Adams, Reader in Education, Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, UK "This much-needed handbook provides a guide for any researcher to turn a research idea into a successful research proposal ... Denscombe offers both a clear framework for organising the research thought process and plentiful hints for crafting a persuasive case for why a research proposal deserves financial support for getting it done." Dr Alberto Asquer, Lecturer of Business Strategy and Policy, Faculty of Economics, University of Cagliari, Italy "This is a clear and unambiguous guide covering all the essentials needed to build strong research proposals. It will prove to be invaluable not only to those new to writing research proposals but as a fast reference point for those already familiar with the requirements." Jennifer Grant, PhD researcher, University of Sunderland, UK "This how-to guide is 'a candle in the dark' for many who want to start writing research proposals. It is ... brimming with straightforward strategies which anyone can use to overcome the key fears associated with 'keeping on track' and 'selling your' research to convince funders and even your professors!" Hosea Handoyo, Boehringer - Ingelheim Fonds Research Fellow, Germany Whether you are an undergraduate student doing your final year project, a masters student writing your dissertation, or a PhD student applying for acceptance onto a doctoral programme, this practical book will help you to produce a successful and persuasive research proposal. Written by an experienced and best-selling author, this handbook uniquely draws a parallel between a research proposal and a sales pitch. The book provides guidance on what to include and what to omit from your proposal and demonstrates how to 'sell' your research idea. Denscombe ably guides you through each stage of the process: Choosing a research topic Reviewing the literature Formulating the research question Explaining the research methods Estimating the costs and planning the time involved Obtaining research ethics approval With top tips throughout, this book provides an insight to the logic behind research proposals and the way that good proposals address 7 basic questions that readers will ask when they evaluate any proposal.
You may find it useful to organise your literature search using visual mind-mapping tools.
There are a number of free software tools available to use such as:
The Literature Review by
From daunting to doable in six steps. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including: A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy's process. Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter, prompting readers to direct metacognitive activities. Links to online guides and resources.
Succeeding with Your Literature Review: a Handbook for Students by
"An excellent and accessible text that will help all students and scholars to develop a strong review and enable them to outline and analyse the key ideas for their study. The structure of the book is really well thought out and the chapters are written in a way which readers will find helpful and easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book to research students." Professor Mark Brundrett, Liverpool John Moores University, UK This step-by-step handbook provides comprehensive and practical guidance on the process of researching a range of relevant literature on a subject, as well as planning and writing a literature review. The book takes a student friendly approach to offer complete novices a simple review of a process which is often central to producing a research study. Succeeding with your Literature Review will enable you to: Design a literature review which is related to the main facets of a research project Conduct a logically-planned search for relevant literature Determine which literature is most suited to inclusion in your study Analyse the literature, drawing comparisons and connections where appropriate Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of relevant literature Write logically and rationally about the key features of literature Write a literature review in a sound academic style Understand how to relate a literature review to other elements of your study or dissertation Written by an author with extensive experience of supervising and examining undergraduate, Masters and doctoral dissertations, this book covers the latest trends, such as: RSS feeds, wikis, grey literature, blogs and forms of open access publishing. The book also includes examples of common pitfalls, good practice, key terms and questions to reinforce student learning and reflection. Succeeding with your Literature Review is relevant in all subject areas and is essential reading for third year undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of articles on sport published in leading business studies journals within marketing, organisational studies and strategy.
Citation:
Laurell, C. and Soderman, S. (2018). Sport in business studies: a state-of-the-art literature review, Sport, Business and Management, 8(5), 529-546. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-09-2017-0042
The Thesis Whisperer 'blog newspaper' provides lots of useful advice and tips for researching and writing.
A great resource on developing research questions from The University of Melbourne, Academic skills team.