Subject Guides: Psychology: Reviews

Finding Research Reviews

The purpose of research reviews is to survey and synthesize research, and sometimes practice, in a particular area. They can be excellent sources of background reading, research ideas, criticism, and extensive bibliographies.

Reviews come in many forms. Some are books that compile and assess the research to date, or to highlight current developments or advances in a particular subject area. Some are journal articles. Some are literature reviews that are part of a dissertation.

All can be helpful for providing context for your own research.

Where & How To Find Reviews

PsycINFO This link opens in a new window It covers the international literature in psychology. Topics include: applied psychology, communication systems, developmental psychology, education psychology, experimental psychology, personality, physical and psychological disorders, physiological psychology, psychometrics, social psychology and sports psychology. Formats covered by this database are: journal articles, book chapters, dissertations and technical reports.
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In PsycInfo, first do a search for information on your topic. Once you have a result, then click on the link for Additional Limits. Under Methodology you can choose the review types that you wish. This includes 0800 literature review, 0830 systematic review, and 1200 meta analysis.

Web of Science - All Databases This link opens in a new window The Web of Science platform provides online access to their core Citation Indexes, and also hosts a number of subject-specific databases.
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Web of Science does not offer you an option to limit your search by methodology as PsycInfo does. Instead, include review words in your keyword search, such as "review" or "systematic review."

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index This link opens in a new window Also known as:|Dissertations and Theses Global|. Includes contributions from North American graduate schools and European universities. Coverage begins with the first U.S. dissertation accepted in 1861. UofA theses and dissertations are included from 1954 through 2014, with full text available for many, but not all, titles. NOTE: UofA no longer contributes content to this database.
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Most dissertations include a literature review that places the author's research in context. These reviews are a good source for collected research on a given topic. Perform your search to find a dissertation in your area of interest, then preview the abstracts, literature reviews and reference lists for any that seem pertinent to you. Most are available online.

Finding Systematic Reviews

A systematic review is a highly rigorous review that utilises a replicable and extensive search protocol. Systematic reviews aim to find, evaluate, and synthesize all relevant research related to a specific topic, in most cases a clinical query involving a precise phenomenon, population, and intervention.

An excellent introduction to systematic reviews is downloadable here (pdf).

There are several places to find systematic reviews (left).

The Cochrane Library is also a popular source of systematic reviews.

Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window See "more" for brief description about Cochrane Library
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The Cochrane Library includes:
- The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- Cochrane Protocols
- Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL)
- Cochrane Editorials
- Cochrane Clinical Answers
- Cochrane Special Collections

For an extensive introduction to finding and conducting systematic reviews, see this excellent guide from one of our health sciences librarians.