1. Conducting a Literature Review.
This quick guide provides you with an introduction into the different steps
involved in carrying out a literature review.
What is a literature review?
A literature search is an organised, step by step search for all the material
available on a topic.
4 Steps
1. Define your research topic and Identify your keywords
2. Search the main databases relevant to your subject.
3. Download/ collate the articles of highest relevance
4. Analyse the citations/references at the end of each of the sources to
provide further relevant references.
1. Define your research topic and Identify your keywords
Look at your research topic and try to identify a list of words or phrases likely to
obtain results. From this list try to choose up to 5 that are the most likely to yield
results. Think about which words you want to exclude and include.
2. Search the main databases relevant to your subject.
What are the most appropriate sources of information for your research topic?
 Ask your Faculty Team Librarian for help.
 You can access an Information Skills module on Blackboard (VLE) via the
Student Portal. There is a section on Literature Searching that includes
subject specific tutorials, live searches and videos describing how to carry
out a search on a database.
Dave Hirst, JRUL: Conducting a Literature Review: May 2011

2. Databases
Now you have defined a specific list of keywords you now need to search the key
databases in your field.
Go to the EEE Subject Pages and search the relevant databases.
3. Download/ collate the articles of highest relevance
Endnote – Reference Management Software
After searching the databases you will need to keep a record of your search
results. The University supports Endnote which is a popular bibliographic
reference manager package, available for both Windows and Mac.
Endnote enables you to download references from a wide range of databases,
store, organise and retrieve your references, cite them in your dissertations and
articles and produce bibliographies and reading lists in a variety of formats.
The JRUL offers training in Endnote and you can also access an online tutorial.
4 Analyse the citations/references at the end of each of the sources to provide
further relevant references.
Spend some time checking the references at the end of the articles you have
located to see if there are any other relevant articles.
Online interactive tutorials.
Anomalous Hall Effect in Ferromagnetic Semiconductors: is an online interactive
tutorial that introduces Electrical and Electronic engineering undergraduates to
the Compendex database and how to use it to generate information for project
and dissertation work.
Quantum Efficiency in a Solar Cell is an online interactive tutorial that introduces
Aerospace engineering undergraduates to the Scopus database and how to use
it to generate information for project and dissertation work.
ENDNOTE - an online interactive tutorial that provides a basic introduction to this
reference tool manager.
Dave Hirst, JRUL: Conducting a Literature Review: May 2011