6.4 Organising and Summarising Articles for Literature Review

Beverley Glass

1. Organising your articles: Narrative review

Abstract:  Provide the structure for the abstract.

2. Decide which articles belong in your Introduction

Introduction:  Providing an appropriate background to the review and stating the specific aims of the study. Please ensure that any abbreviations and all symbols used in equations are fully defined.

  • Clearly identify a knowledge gap to justify when you are undertaking the review.

3. Decide on how you are going to write your Methods

Method:  Important to include search terms, databases, inclusion and exclusion criteria.

4. Decide on your headings for your MAIN CONTENT

Group your articles: Decide on the headings – you can begin with a paragraph connecting these headings – include information from the results and discussion of the papers.
  • Before the conclusion you can include a short paragraph on the strengths and limitations of the review

5. What to put in a Conclusion

Conclusion: Briefly summarise the salient findings of the review to emphasise the contribution made to the field – suggest further research if appropriate.

6. Organising your articles: Scoping Review

Guidelines for summarising an article:
  • Identify the most important details that support the main ideas
  • Summarise in your own words
  • Do not copy phrases or sentences unless they are being used as direct quotations.

Abstract: Provide the structure for the abstract – consult the literature.  Decide which articles belong in your Introduction


Introduction: Providing an appropriate background to the review and stating the specific aims of the study. Please ensure that any abbreviations and all symbols used in equations are fully defined.
  • Clearly identify a knowledge gap to justify when you are undertaking the review. The last sentence in the introduction is usually the aim of the review.
  • Decide on how you are going to write your methods.
Methods: Important to include search terms, databases, inclusion and exclusion criteria etc.
Results: PRISMA Diagram and Table of papers to be included and the narrative.
Discussion: Starting with a short sharp paragraph summarizing the main findings of the study and followed by a critique of the strengths and limitations of the research. The full results should then be discussed in the context of internationally published literature and the contribution made to the field. Please include any policy, practice and research implications.

7. What to put in a Conclusion

Conclusion: Briefly summarise the salient findings of the review to emphasize the contribution made to the field – suggest further research if appropriate. Express the underlying meaning of the article, but do not critique or analyse it.

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