When commencing a literature review, a good place to start is by finding out whether any systematic reviews have been conducted on your topic. Why? Because systematic reviews sit on top of the evidence hierarchy:
If you are conducting research on a health-related topic, I recommend checking out the Cochrane Library (you should have full access via your university library). The Cochrane Library is home to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, which is the leading database for systematic reviews in health-care treatments and interventions. In practice, Cochrane Reviews help practitioners in evaluating whether a health-care treatment or intervention will do more good than harm, and whether it will be better than another.
The Cochrane Library provides systematic reviews on diverse topics related to mental health, for example:
Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare students
Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients
Prevention of depression in adults with long‐term physical conditions
Psychological therapies for women who experience intimate partner violence
Cochrane Reviews represent the highest level of evidence in health-care. They are massive - 100+ pages - and are SO good at highlighting limitations of previous research, and issues for consideration (👋 to everyone who has done my workshop - this might be your gap!).
Happy Researching!
***If you want more strategies on conducting a literature review, you can enrol in my on-demand workshop, Learn How to Write a Kick Ass Thesis: Part 1 - Setting Yourself up For Success***
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