Latino Research Institute

In my opinion, this is the hardest part of the research process.

For a literature review, a search of the literature will inform the scope of your project and your research question. Being that it is an iterative process, don't go into to the exploratory searching with hard boundaries - you will see the need to broaden, narrow and diverge from your initial thoughts around your topic. Allow the research to guide you.

Keep in mind that you are new to the topic and the point of a literature review is to get your bearings in a topic area.

Gather the following:

• Jargon and specialized language that experts use in your topic area
• Controversies, arguments, investments that you can explore more narrowly
• Stakeholders: who is impacted by this topic, specifically, and who is trying to do something about it (types of experts and their professions)

Think about what parameters you want to set. Scope creep is real and can derail you into a space where you never know when to stop your literature review.

1. Select a time frame for relevant search results.
   • Would the most recent five years be appropriate?
   • Is your research from a more historical perspective?
2. Select a geography (and language)
   • Where has this type of research taken place?
   • Will you confine your results to the United States?
   • To English speaking countries?
   • Will you translate works if needed?
3. Choose research constraints
   • Is there a particular methodology, or population that you are focused on?
4. Consider inter-disciplinary fields
   • Are there adjacent fields in which this type of research has been conducted that you would like to include?
5. Consider the organizing structure for your review
   • Is there a controversy or debate in your research field that you want to highlight
   • Are you creating a historical overview? Is this background reading for your research?
   • Is there new technology that can shed light on an old problem or an old technology that can be used in a new way?

For the most part, the following databases will include reference sources unsuitable for a literature review. But they are indispensable starting points for defining the scope of your research.