Writing Up and Referencing

PT4 MOst
Literature Reviews - purpose

The purpose of a literature review is to objectively

report the current knowledge on a topic and base this
summary on previously published research.

A literature review provides the reader with a

comprehensive overview and helps place that
information into perspective

Green BN, Johnson CD & Adams A. (2006). Writing narrative literature reviews for
peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade. J Chiropr Med.. 5 (3), 101117.
Structure and Word Count
Approx. word count
Title N/A
Introduction 250-300
Description of topic
Rationale (i.e. justification for choice of topic)
Osteopathic relevance and context
Literature Search details (incl. key words, MeSH terms 50
and databases) - This can be tabulated

Critical literature review of published research articles 1,000

with at least 2 sub-headings e.g.
Sub-headings relevant to topic content
Sub-headings relevant to methods of investigation
Summary and Conclusions 200
References At least 20 in total
Choosing your Title
Why is this so important?

A literature review to investigate

eg A narrative literature review to investigate the
effectiveness of ballroom dancing for pain relief in knee
osteoarthritis

Or Statement: A Literature Review

eg The effectiveness of ballroom dancing for pain relief in
knee osteoarthritis: A literature review
Introduction - 250-300 words
Description of topic
General introduction
Definition of specialist terminology

Rationale (i.e. justification for choice of

topic)
Prevalence in population
Cost to individual and society eg work days
lost, health care resources used, patient
disability

Osteopathic relevance and context

prevalence in osteopathic practice
Use NCOR data (Standardised Data
Collection, OPeN project etc)
Methodology of your review

1. Search strategy databases, search terms

2. Inclusion/exclusion criteria given (1 & 2 could be tabulated)
3. Critical appraisal methodology and quality rating provided

NB Like the studies you have

reviewed, your own methodology
must be reliable (ie reproducible),
valid and unbiased

Avoid prove research can rarely prove;

it can simply provide (or fail to provide)
evidence to support a hypothesis
Literature Search key words, MeSH
terms, databases
Maintain the flow introductory sentence

Search number Search terms Database Limiter No. of hits

1 Osteopathy TITLE 856

2 Osteopathic medicine [MeSH] 2811

Search 1 OR search
3 Pubmed none 3421
2

4 Back pain TITLE 14786

Search 3 AND search

5 none 31
4
Critical literature review
What it does need to do
Organise and summarise what you have found out
Report the conclusions of the papers you have reviewed
you might want to back these up with some results and
statements of significance (p values etc)
Weigh up the conclusions of the studies in the light of
their methodological quality
Note:
A study should not be judged by its
findings/conclusions, but by the
strength of its methodology
Was is biased?
Was it reliable?
Was it valid?
Critical literature review
What it does NOT need to do
Report all of the characteristics
of each paper you have
reviewed
Describe every paper you have
reviewed, one by one
This is why referencing is so
important your reader knows
where they can check your
facts

In the well-conducted RCT conducted by Davis et al (2013), soft tissue manipulation

to the trapezius muscle was found to have greater duration of effect than
Similarly, Clarke (2014) found that
The effectiveness of ballroom dancing for pain relief in knee
osteoarthritis: A literature review

Your focus might be

The main themes
Latin vs Ballroom
Teacher-led vs independent
participation
Frequency of activity
OR
Critical literature
review
The method of investigation
RCT
Qualitative
Questionnaire/Focus group

What were the main outcome measures?

VAS
OR
Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis
Pain (ICOAP)
Dallas Pain Questionnaire (DPQ)
Summary and Conclusions
Re your specific title Despite limited research on the subject, there is

Overall conclusion from your papers evidence that some forms of ballroom dancing may

weighed up in relation to their reduce pain in osteoarthritis of the knee. Benefits

methodological quality appear greatest for low-medium impact forms such as,

Clinical relevance of conclusions and this may be due to the physiological effects on

Gaps in existing research/directions for Debate exists with regards to frequency and duration of

further research activity; however, the best quality evidence suggests

that

This study has looked only at pain as an outcome

measure and, as such, there may be justification for

recommending ballroom dancing as exercise to patients

with knee OA. Further research may be desirable to

investigate its effect on other outcome measures such

as quality of life and/or physical mobility.

Help your reader
Definitions
Unfamiliar/technical
terms
Provide the source of
the definition include
in reference list
State abbreviation in
full on first use with the
abbreviation in brackets
Avoid jargon
Keep writing style simple but
academic
If punctuation skills are weak, keep
sentences short and clear
Capital letters, commas, apostrophes
Lead your reader through your work

Remind your reader what you have already said

As has been shown
In short/to summarise

Signpost your reader where you are going

Having considered X, Y will now be discussed
First second third

Reference, reference, reference