Theme 4 - Communication

Literature Review

Literature includes journals, books and reports and is a rich source of information. You will need to use a fairly structured approach to gather information that exists in the available literature.. This is because there is so much literature available that you will be swamped with information of minimal relevance if you do not take a systematic approach.

Key steps in the process are:

• Know what you want
• Write down the key words that define your topic
• Write down the names of any experts in the field
• Use a library catalogue or database to search for information using the keywords
• Decide which literature is the most relevant

Database searching

A database is a large organised collection of information. There are a number of databases available, covering a wide range of subjects. Some databases can be accessed through the Internet. Local, State and University libraries have access to many databases and staff can indicate the best databases for your topic and help you to use them.

Monash university has a useful site for developing a search strategy.

Deciding on the most relevant literature

Deciding on the most relevant literature will depend on your topic and your audience. For example

• If your topic is government policy and your audience is state government, then policy research and government policy documents will be the most relevant
• If your topic is health prevention for chronic disease and your audience is your local health professionals, then medical research and health promotion literature will be the most relevant
• If your topic is health prevention for chronic disease and your audience is the local community, then brochures and literature provided by non-government organisations and the government health departments will be the most relevant