In the introduction page to systematic literature reviews one of the three principles mentioned was auditability, which is the need to show how you came to find and choose the materials in your review. Having set up your literature review structure it is time to develop your approach to recording your strategic searching process.
You are encouraged to set up a spreadsheet or table to give your research structure. The table willoutline your searching process, recording each step of the process to show how you located the sources you will use.
Use headings such as these:
This section of the literature review does not need any notes on the actual literature itself; the purpose of this section is to track and demonstrate the processes you have undertaken to find the literature you will use in your review.
You will need to repeat this recording process for each resource searched.
Example: Strategic searching process record
Resource |
Date search conducted |
Search type |
Search terms |
Years covered by search |
Refinements |
Results |
Search result refinements |
Refined results |
Notes |
Papers used |
ProQuest |
13/11/2015 |
Advanced |
Teacher training AND special ed* AND high school |
last 6 - from 13/11/2015 - to present |
Full text; peer reviewed, |
8000+ |
Subject area – special education |
193 |
|
10 papers met criteria |
Library catalogue |
09/11/2015 |
Basic |
Teacher training AND special ed* AND high school |
from 31/12/2009 to present |
Full text, journal articles, peer reviewed, |
11670 |
Discipline area _ education Subject area – special Education, disabled students |
698 |
Added Australia to search – reduced to 59 resources |
Around 20 papers met criteria will reduce upon reading |