Need Help with Your Nursing Literature Review?
Don't Struggle with Your Nursing Literature Review Anymore
You're not alone if you're struggling with your nursing literature reviews. Many nursing students find it very challenging to take the time and effort to craft high-scoring nursing literature reviews amidst the tough schedule that nursing students have.
Because of that, getting some help with your nursing literature review is certainly not a bad idea. Getting some professional help to create high-scoring nursing literature reviews can not only boost your academic grades but also help free up time that you can spend studying for the infamously difficult nursing final exams.
Why is Nursing Literature Review Important?
Are nursing literature reviews really that big of a deal that you should be getting professional help? Yes, they are.
A nursing literature review is a tool that lecturers use to see your ability to demonstrate knowledge on a key and relevant area of study in nursing. In a nursing literature review, you will be asked to identify gaps in existing literature review, which eventually lays foundation for the proposed research topic to be studied.
In addition to being important for research, nursing literature reviews are also valuable for clinical practice. By staying up-to-date on the latest research, nurses can ensure they provide their patients with the best possible care. Nursing literature reviews can also help you as a nurse in the future to develop new and innovative ways of delivering care.
An example of the above scenario can be an instance where you, as a nurse, may be interested in developing a new educational program for patients with diabetes. To help you, you may be able to review literature on effective diabetes education programs to help you design a program that is evidence-based and likely to be effective.
To sum it up, nursing literature reviews are important not just for the academic progress of nursing students but also for the advancement of nursing practice and the improvement of patient care for you as a nurse in the future.
What is a Nursing Literature Review?
Now that we have established why a nursing literature review is so important let's now discuss what exactly is a nursing literature review.
Is it just like a normal essay but emphasized on a nursing topic? Not really.
Many students make a mistake in misunderstanding a literature review as merely a summary of the sources that they have found on the topic under research.
But that's not all that a literature review in nursing is about.
It is a critical analysis and evaluation of existing research, which shows how it relates to your research question and hypothesis. Hence, what a well-written literature review shows is how the writer has been able to integrate and synthesize the information from different sources. Furthermore, it highlights how the literature review writer has identified the gaps and limitations in the current knowledge surrounding the field of study.
There are several different types of nursing literature reviews, including:
- ● Systematic reviews: These reviews identify, appraise, and synthesize all the relevant research on a particular topic.
- ● Metasyntheses: These reviews synthesize the findings of qualitative studies.
- ● Integrative reviews: These reviews synthesize the findings of quantitative and qualitative studies.
- ● Narrative reviews: These reviews provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on a particular topic, but they do not use a systematic approach
Main Parts of a Nursing Literature Review
A nursing literature review can be organized in different ways depending on the topic and the level of discipline required by the lecturer. However, there are some common elements that each nursing literature review should include, which are:
a) Clear introduction
This is the first section that a lecturer will read entering into a nursing literature review and is, therefore, very crucial to lay a strong and coherent foundation for the study to follow. The introduction section should first introduce the topic, and then it can go on to define your research question and hypothesis.
Moreover, the introduction should also explain the main scope and focus of the literature review, alongside stating the main objectives and arguments that will be addressed in the nursing literature review.
b) Clear research question and
hypothesisThe research question and hypothesis are usually part of the introduction section of a literature review. For that reason, it needs its own part because it is so important to a literature study.
Therefore, a clear and well-defined research question will help ensure that the literature review is focused and relevant. In contrast, a well-supported hypothesis will help to guide the review to identify the most important and relevant findings surrounding the topic.
c) Clear research methodology
After sorting out the introduction and the research question of the study, the next step is to discuss the methodology used to support the study and come up with the eventual findings. The section on research methods should also assess the reliability of the references employed in the investigation. This enhances the trustworthiness and transparency of the review in nursing.
d) Comprehensive body
In simpler terms, the body is the engine of a nursing literature review. This section will be responsible for organizing the findings from all the sources according to their similarities and differences, as well as their relevance and importance to the research question and/or hypothesis curated by the writer.
It is important for the body part of a literature review to point out the main strengths, flaws, and points of view of each source used. The section should also compare and contrast all the sources used in the literature review to show how they agree or disagree with each other.
e) Effective conclusion
Many students do not pay much attention and effort in the conclusion section of a literature review. Still, it is very important to have a nursing literature review to end the review on a good note, as it may leave a lasting impact on the readers and the lecturer. It is, hence, a key part of any literature review, let alone a nursing literature review.
Start by stating clearly what your research topic is. Think about the specific aspect in your nursing field you want to explore and move on to the next step which is to conduct a comprehensive literature search.
Structure of a Nursing Literature Review
Introduction
Your introduction must establish the significance of the topic. Your introduction should provide answers to the following:
- ● Why you’re writing a review, and why your specific topic is important.
- ● The scope of the review. By this, we’re referring to aspects of the topic that you will discuss.
- ● An outline of research done in that area.
Go ahead and conclude with a thesis statement. There are 2 ways to go about this.
- ● In a standalone literature review, your thesis statement will sum up and give a review of the current state of this field of research.
- ● If this literature review is part of a thesis, your purpose statement should include how your review findings will influence the research on the topic on which you’re about to embark.
Body
Here in the body, you summarize the current state of knowledge in the field. Each body paragraph will deal with a different theme that is relevant to your specific topic. Take note of the major themes or trends and findings that the researchers agree or disagree on.
The body can include the following:
- ● Background
- ● Methodologies
- ● Previous studies on the topic
- ● Arguments and disagreements on specific areas
- ● Critical questions being asked
- ● A sum up of the conclusions being drawn.
Conclusion
Your conclusion should be a sum of:
- ● The main agreements and disagreements in the literature
- ● Any gaps that need to be filed
- ● Your take on the topic.
How to Write a Nursing Literature Review
To write a good nursing literature review, the 4 steps below can be undertaken:
Step 1- Define your research question
This is the main focus of the literature review, which guides the search for sources and their analysis. The research question should be clear, specific, and relevant to allow the reader to understand what the subsequent study will be about clearly.
Step 2- Conduct a literature search
The next step is to find and select the relevant sources for the research question. Writers can use various databases, journals, and other sources to find the most recent and credible research on their chosen topic. Keywords can be selected by the writer to effectively find the most relevant and suitable journal articles and studies that can be included in the literature review.
Step 3- Evaluate and select the sources
After conducting the literature search, the next step is to assess the quality and relevance of the researched sources. Based on the accuracy and relevance of the sources, alongside whether or not they are peer-reviewed, the sources should be selected to be a part of the final literature review.
Step 4- Write the literature review
After carefully planning the literature review in the first three steps, the fourth and final step is to draft the literature review in adherence with the main parts of a literature review discussed in the previous section.
Example of Nursing Literature Reviews
You can check out the following samples of what an actual Nursing Literature Review should look like:
Seek Expert Help for Your Nursing Literature Review
The goal of a nursing literature review is for you to collate evidence on a specific topic and give context to your research paper.
A well-done literature review will help you gain much deeper insight into your field and also help you build your own unique perspective on the topic.
Your Nursing Literature Review Questions Answered: A Comprehensive FAQ
Why Do I Have to Write a Nursing Literature Review?
Writing a nursing literature review will help you understand what’s already known in the nursing field.
How Do I Choose a Topic?
Think about what you find interesting the most in nursing and write about it.
Where Do I Find Sources?
You can use websites like PubMed to find articles and studies.