Psychology Research Guide

In a  literature review you explore research that has come before you and is relevant to your topic. It can help you identify:

• core research in the field
• experts in the subject area
• methodology you may want to use (or avoid)
• gaps in the literature -- or where your research would fit in

Helpful approaches:

• see what literature reviews already exist on your topic (databases like Oxford Bibliographies Online: Social Work,  PubMed and PsycInfo -- they can help you get started, and save you a lot of time.) For PsycInfo, restrict by literature review, for PubMed by review.
• citation slogging (aka "snowballing") -- work your way back through citations (or footnotes) to key articles
• forward citation -- see who has cited key articles using Google Scholar and Web of Science Citation Indexes.
• see the American Psychological Association's Literature Review Guidelines or Purdue OWL: Social Work Literature Review for some helpful tips.