USE CASELITERATURE REVIEWS
Literature Reviews
Search strings, de-duplication, screening and extraction, each step logged so the review can be reproduced. The synthesis, which is the part examiners read for, is yours.
PICO · SEARCH · SCREENING · EXTRACTION · SYNTHESIS
FIG 1ANATOMY
What goes into a literature review, and who does what.
A literature review is judged on how you found the evidence as much as on what you say about it. Systematic reviews make every step explicit; narrative reviews still benefit from the same discipline.
§01 · YOURS ALONE
Question & protocol
MOREMIND DOES
Helps break your question into PICO (or SPIDER, PEO) elements and suggests synonyms for each one to use in search terms.YOU DO
Decide the question and the inclusion and exclusion criteria before you screen anything, and register a protocol if your method requires it.§02 · SHARED
Search
MOREMIND DOES
Runs your search strings across the academic sources it searches, records the date, query and result count for each, and merges duplicate records.YOU DO
Choose the databases your field expects and report the exact strings. Some reviews also need databases your library subscribes to.§03 · SHARED
Screening
MOREMIND DOES
Shows each record against your criteria, records every include or exclude decision with its reason, and keeps the counts for a PRISMA-style flow diagram.YOU DO
Make every screening decision, with a second reviewer if your method calls for one.§04 · SHARED
Extraction & appraisal
MOREMIND DOES
Builds an extraction table with the fields you define and links each extracted value back to the verified source passage.YOU DO
Appraise quality or risk of bias with the tool your field uses.§05 · YOURS ALONE
Synthesis
MOREMIND DOES
Maps which studies cluster by theme and where evidence looks thin, as a starting point.YOU DO
Write across studies, by theme: where they agree, why they conflict and what's missing. This is the review.§06 · SHARED
References
MOREMIND DOES
Verifies every citation against its DOI and quoted passage, and formats the list.YOU DO
Cite the original study, not another review's description of it.FIG 2HOW IT'S ASSESSED
What assessors look for.
Whether it's a chapter, a standalone narrative review or a systematic review, markers look for the same qualities.
FOCUSA clear, bounded question with the scope stated.
TRANSPARENCYDatabases, dates and search strings reported so the search can be repeated.
CRITERIAInclusion and exclusion criteria stated and applied consistently.
APPRAISALStudy quality assessed, not just reported.
SYNTHESISOrganised by theme or finding, comparing studies, rather than a summary of each paper in turn.
GAPSGaps and future directions that follow from the evidence presented.
FIG 3COMMON MISTAKES
Where marks are usually lost, and how MoreMind helps.
What MoreMind can catch, and what it leaves to you.
MISTAKE 01
A summary of each paper instead of a synthesis
The theme map and extraction table put studies side by side, so it's easier to write across them. The synthesis itself is yours.
MISTAKE 02
A search nobody can reproduce
Every query is logged with its date, source and result count, ready to report in your methods or appendix.
MISTAKE 03
Duplicates inflating the counts
Duplicate records are merged before screening, and the log shows which were merged, so your flow-diagram numbers add up.
MISTAKE 04
Citing a review's description of a study
Verification checks the citation against the primary source's DOI and passage, so you cite what the original actually says.
FIG 4WORKFLOW
How a literature review comes together.
The classic review pipeline. Each MoreMind step leaves a record you can report.
Fig 4PICO · SEARCH
01
Question & criteria
you · PICO
02
Search strings
logged
03
De-duplicate
MoreMind
04
Screen
you decide · logged
05
Extract & appraise
table · quality
06
Synthesise
you write
01 · QUESTION & CRITERIASet the question and the inclusion and exclusion criteria before searching.
02 · SEARCH STRINGSBuild strings from your PICO terms and synonyms, then run and log them.
03 · DE-DUPLICATEMerge duplicate records and keep a record of what was merged.
04 · SCREENTitle and abstract, then full text. Each decision and reason is recorded for the flow diagram.
05 · EXTRACT & APPRAISEFill the extraction table and assess study quality with your field's tool.
06 · SYNTHESISEWrite the synthesis by theme, with every claim cited to a verified primary source.
FIG 5EXAMPLE
A theme map, not a reading list.
Included studies are grouped by theme around your review question, so you can see which clusters are dense, which are thin and which studies bridge them. It's a starting point for your synthesis: you decide what the themes really are.
ILLUSTRATIVE · NOT REAL DATA OR A REAL PROJECT
FIG 6BEFORE YOU SUBMIT
Checklist, tools and further reading.
FIG 7FAQ
Common questions about a literature review.
No. It shows each record against your criteria and records your decision and reason. Screening judgements are yours, and a second reviewer's, if your method requires one.
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