Research Methodology

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Topic 2.2 of Research Design and Literature Review

The Literature Review Process

What a literature review is actually for, the six stages that take a topic from vague interest to a named research gap, how to build a Boolean search string, and how snowballing catches what keyword search misses.

~35 min total·4 quadrants of structured content

By the end of this topic, you will

Explain the four things a literature review does beyond summarising prior work
List the six stages of a literature review in order
Build a Boolean search string that groups synonyms with OR and joins distinct concepts with AND
Apply backward and forward snowballing to extend a database search

Quadrant 1 · e-Tutorial

Video lectures and walkthroughs

1 video lesson 1 EZ Byte 9:16 total

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EZ Bytes · quick recaps

The Six Stages of a Literature Review Explained

41s

Video lesson

Quadrant 2 · e-Content

Articles and case studies

The Literature Review Process

A literature review is not a summary of everything ever written on a topic. Six stages, a worked search-string example, and why snowballing catches papers that keyword search quietly misses.

Quadrant 3 · Web Resources

Downloadable material and curated external links

Downloadable reference material

EBook

Research Methodology — eBook

v1.0

Open resource

Cheatsheet

Research Methodology — Cheatsheet

v1.0

Open resource

Question Bank

Research Methodology — Question Bank

v1.0

Open resource

MCQ Bank

Research Methodology — MCQ Bank

v1.0

Open resource

Quadrant 4 · Self-Assessment

Test your knowledge, earn a certificate on first pass

Research Design and Literature Review

Twenty questions on research design types, the six-stage literature review, Boolean search, PRISMA, systematic vs narrative reviews, academic databases, grey literature, and reproducibility findings.

20 questions30 minPass: 60%

Research Methodology: Complete Assessment

Comprehensive 100-question assessment covering all five chapters of the Research Methodology eBook 2026.

100 questions120 minPass: 60%

Quadrant 5 · Play

Lock it in with a game

Ungraded practice for The Literature Review Process: games and hands-on Skill Labs that use this topic, plus the crossword for Research Design and Literature Review. It never affects your unit assessment, and clearing a game or lab for the first time earns EZ Board points when you are signed in.

Lab

Citation Detective: Audit a Literature Review

14 tasks from this unit. Free to play. Earn 30 EZ Board points on your first clear.

Play

Crossword

Research Design and Literature Review

10 key terms from this unit. Free to play.

Play Leaderboard

Race

Literature Lane

6 checkpoints from this unit. Free to play. Earn 30 EZ Board points on your first clear.

Play

Discussion · 0 comments

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This is the discussion thread for the lesson "The Literature Review Process" (Research Methodology, Unit 2). Ask questions, share real-world examples, and help classmates who are stuck. Conversation starters. Try explaining one of these in your own words: - Explain the four things a literature review does beyond summarising prior work - List the six stages of a literature review in order - Build a Boolean search string that groups synonyms with OR and joins distinct concepts with AND

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