Guides: Social Policy & Practice: Literature Reviews + Methodology

Finding Review Literature in Databases

Annual Reviews
Whole journals devoted to literature reviews! While the AnnRev suite does not have a social work title, it does include titles on sociology, psychology, law and social sciences, and organizational psychology that cover social work and social policy.
Sociological Abstracts + Social Services Abstracts
SocAbs isn't consistent in identifying literature reviews. So, add this line to your Advanced Search:
AND (literature N/2 review) OR "systematic review" OR "meta-analysis" OR "scoping review" in Anywhere except full text - NOFT
If that returns only a few results, modify the search line, changing the field tag from NOFT to Anywhere.

APA PsycInfo
Type search terms, then choose Literature Review, Systematic Review, Meta Analysis, and/or Metasynthesis from the Methodology box on the page. Then run search.
HINT! You can also filter your search results for Methodology.
Web of Science
Do a search in Web of Science by topic.
On the left, under Refine Results, Select REVIEWS under Document Types.
Scopus
Do a search in Scopus for a keyword.
Then refine the results by selected under "Document type" - review.
PubMed Plus
Perform a search, then under Article Type on the right, see Reviews or Systematic Reviews.

SAGE Journals
This major social sciences publisher's ejournal site offers a post-search filter for Article Type = REVIEW ARTICLE. That article type is very broad, retrieving book reviews and oddities as well as literature reviews and systematic reviews.
Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing (PEP) Archive
The PEP Archive allows users to search for titles and to read abstracts and extracts of the entire back catalog of journals and classic books in psychoanalysis. (3-5 latest years may not be available)
Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest)
Fulltext for US doctoral dissertations and masters theses, 1997-present and sometimes earlier too, with many foreign universities' dissertations and theses too. Dissertations always have literature reviews, to place the dissertation research into its disciplinary context.

Systematic Reviews

Campbell Collaboration - Library of Systematic Reviews
Systematic reviews in areas such as education, criminal justice, social policy and social care. (The Campbell Collaboration was formally established at a meeting at the University of Pennsylvania on 24-25 February 2000.)

Cochrane Library
Regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases.

Cochrane Collaboration
Cochrane Reviews are systematic reviews of primary research in human health care and health policy. Since 2011, Cochrane has an official partnership with the WHO.
EPPI-Centre
The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) is part of the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London. EPPI develops systematic reviews and developing review methods in social science and public policy.
RISMA stands for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Books on Lit Reviews

Literature reviews in social work / Robin Kiteley and Chris Stogdon.
Online. SAGE, 2016.
A very clear presentation of the process, with bullet points and stock-taking pauses.
"Reviewing the literature" (Project Planner). SAGE Research Methods
A brief overview of the lit review process. Individual steps are linked to useful fulltext using SAGE Research Methods's Methods Map.
"Literature reviews" / Lawrence A. Machi and Brenda T. McEvoy. Oxford Bibliographies : Education, 2016.
An annotated bibliography identifying basic works and specialist works on researching and writing literature reviews, albeit with an education research focus.
Conducting your literature review / Susanne Hempel.
Online. American Psychological Association, 2020.
One in a series of books in the APA's Concise Guides to Conducting Behavioral, Health, and Social Science Research series
Writing literature reviews : a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences / Jose L. Galvan and Melisa C. Galvan. 7th ed.
Online. Routledge, 2017.
Health sciences literature review made easy / Judith Garrard. 6th ed.
Online. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2020.
A very clear presentation with lots of examples. A vigorous demonstration of the Matrix Method for creating lit reviews.
Writing the literature review : a practical guide / Sara Efrat Efron, Ruth Ravid.
Online. Guilford Press, 2019.
A prizewinning book on creating lit reviews. Lots of checklists.
Doing a literature review in health and social care : a practical guide / Helen Aveyard. 2nd ed.
Online. McGraw Hill, 2010.
Writing empirical research reports : a basic guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences / Fred Pyrczak, Randall R. Bruce. 7th ed.
Print. Pyrczak, 2011.
Conducting research literature reviews : from the Internet to paper / Arlene Fink.
3rd ed. Los Angeles : Sage, c2010.
Systematic approaches to a successful literature review / Andrew Booth, Diana Papaioannou, Anthea Sutton.
Print. SAGE, 2012.

Research Methodology

SAGE Research Methods
A great one-stop fulltext source on social sciences research methodologies, from SAGE Publishing, a leading publisher in the social sciences.
• Methods Map is a quick way to find content on your research methodology.
• Project Planner walks through the steps of a research project, linked to Methods Map content.
Pocket guides to social work research methods (book series)
Online and print. Oxford University Press, 2008- .
Titles include:
• Developing cross-cultural measurement in social work research and evaluation.
• Group work research.
• Conducting substance use research.
• Analysis of multiple dependent variables.
Concise guides to conducting behavioral, health, and social science research series (book series)
Online. American Psychological Association, 2018- .
Titles include:
• Designing and proposing your research project.
• Conducting your literature review.
• Selecting and describing your research instruments.
• Managing your research data and documentation.
• Writing your psychology research paper.
Social work research methods : learning by doing / Reginald O. York.
Online. SAGE, 2020.
The handbook of social work research methods / Bruce A. Thyer. 2nd ed.
Online. SAGE, 2010.
Books: Education - Research - Methodology
Franklin subject heading search, sorted by date.
Books: Psychology - Research- Methodology
Franklin subject heading browse, sorted by date.
Books: Social Sciences - Research - Methodology
Franklin subject heading browse, sorted by date.

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Social Policy & Practice

Finding Review Literature in Databases

Systematic Reviews

Books on Lit Reviews

Research Methodology