Skip to Main Content

Politics and Governance

TMU Libraries provide access to a many great resources to help you with your research and assignments. Use this guide to get started!

Research Methods Resources

Literature Review Resources

In essence, a literature review is a comprehensive overview of prior research regarding a specific topic. The overview both shows the reader what is known about a topic, and what is not yet known, thereby setting up the rationale or need for a new investigation, which is what the actual study to which the literature review is attached seeks to do.

from Denney, A. S., & Tewksbury, R. (2013). How to write a literature review. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 24(2), 218-234. doi:10.1080/10511253.2012.730617

Advanced Research Skills: Conducting Literature and Systematic Reviews by Kelly Dermody, Cecile Farnum, Daniel Jakubek, Jo-Anne Petropoulos, Jane Schmidt, and Reece Steinberg.

Publication Date: 2022
A short course for graduate students to increase their proficiency in conducting research for literature and systematic reviews. After taking the mini course graduate students will understand how to conduct their review, how to execute appropriate searches, manage their results and demonstrate strategic reading skills. Module 1 provides a quick overview of the different types of academic reviews and the steps involved in conducting them. Module 2 demonstrates how to formulate a research question and how to search for sources. Module 3 discusses how to select and organize sources. Finally, Module 4 outlines techniques for reading and assessing the quality of sources. The course contains interactive H5P activities for students to test their learning. Students have access to a workbook of reflective activities to document their research process. The intended outcome is to ensure graduate students understand how to conduct and manage their own research for their academic success and future careers.
 
 

Graduate Research Support Modules