Literature Searching

1. What exactly is a literature search?

A literature search is in essence a detailed and organised search for work that has been done in your field of interest. The results are carefully recorded, and the searches themselves should be reproducible.

Broadly speaking, post-graduate and academic research is a source-driven process, and it is likely that during the course of your work you will make use of a greater range of information formats than previously. The picture below indicates some of the source materials you may encounter, although exactly what you use will be determined by your subject. 

It is also the case that the applied nature of certain areas of study and research means that our information needs will often extend beyond scholarly, peer-reviewed academic literature to include professional/vocational information, publications and services.

The prsentation below highlights the important differences between academic information and professional or vocational information:

Academic vs professional information

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2. Scheduling your literature search

Source: Public Domain

The organisation of literature searches will vary somewhat across disciplines, and for every subject the timeline of a literature search will be different. However, it is probable that you will actually do several literature searches during the lifetime of your project. These flash-cards suggest why this is a useful approach:

The key point is to be flexible and prepared either to revisit past searches looking for newly published material, or to construct entirely new searches if you find that your original searches are not producing useful results.

3. Starting your literature search

Source: Pixabay

There are a wide range of search tools that you can use to access the information you need. Investigate these tools when you are confident that you are clear about the main concepts covered in the chapter 'Developing Your Search Techniques'.

Sources can include library catalogues, search engines and gateways, as well as databases. See some examples of sources.

A good starting point for your literature search is the Library website, particularly our QMUL Library Subject Guides.

These webpages list and link directly to databases and high-quality websites.

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4. Using LibKey