A literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings and other resources which are relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory and provides context for a dissertation by identifying past research. Research tells a story and the existing literature helps us identify where we are in the story currently. It is up to those writing a dissertation to continue that story with new research and new perspectives but they must first be familiar with the story before they can move forward.
Greenfield, T. (2016). Research methods for postgraduates. 3rd ed. London: Arnold. (eBook)
Systematic reviews attempt to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. Systematic reviews follow a defined protocol and include a reproducible search methodology, conducted in multiple databases. Retrieved citations are reviewed by multiple people, compared to a predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, and checked for bias. It is not unusual for a systematic review to take 18-24 months to conduct.
A scoping review provides a preliminary assessment of the potential size and scope of available research literature. It aims to identify the nature and extent of research evidence (usually including ongoing research).
There is also a type of search that follows the systematic review procedure, but only has one person doing the screening and data extraction. This type of review can be published as a "Systematized Review".
The term "systematic review" is often used when what is needed is a thorough literature search, that covers multiple databases, which is often needed for a thesis or dissertation.
