Why, When, Who, What, How, and Where for Trainees Writing Literature Review Articles
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Annals of Biomedical Engineering (Ó 2019) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-019-02290-5
Why, When, Who, What, How, and Where for Trainees Writing Literature Review Articles GERRY L. KOONS,1,2,3 KATJA SCHENKE-LAYLAND,4,5,6 and ANTONIOS G. MIKOS1,2 1 Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; 2Center for Engineering Complex Tissues, Houston, TX, USA; 3Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 4Department of Women’s Health, Research Institute for Women’s Health, Eberhard Karls University Tu¨bingen, Tu¨bingen, Germany; 5Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) at the University of Tu¨bingen, Reutlingen, Germany; and 6Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
(Received 19 February 2019; accepted 15 May 2019) Associate Editor Jane Grande-Allen oversaw the review of this article.
Abstract—Literature review articles provide a valuable mechanism for remaining informed amidst an ever-increasing body of scientific work. Condensing current advances into this disseminatable form is a critical activity for any research trainee. To systematize this multifaceted process, we present the ‘‘why, when, who, what, how, and where’’ of composing a literature review article. Commentaries include selection of a review topic, conducting modern literature searches using online databases, stepwise strategies for manuscript drafting, and prevention of plagiarism. The current work provides structures and guidance for this fundamental effort which can establish the basis for a trainee’s development of original research objectives. Keywords—Review articles, Literature review, Academic writing, Research training, Graduate education, Scientific integrity.
WRITING LITERATURE REVIEW ARTICLES Why: Motivation for a Literature Review Today’s researchers enjoy the ease of accessibility and searchability of scientific articles featured in online journal databases. However, with this convenience comes a great burden of expectation to remain updated on the incessantly growing body of work in one’s field.1 While such a quantity of scientific developments continues to be produced and shared, it is a valuable and necessary exercise to communicate about combinations of these findings, in order to understand what
has been revealed in the past, what is being explored currently, and what can and should be pursued next. It is therefore highly beneficial for the scientific community to receive compilations of published work in the form of review articles. In an academic setting, reading review articles is often the first step of a new trainee’s initiative to learn about their research topic, and this exercise also provides the current impression of a field for seasoned principal investigators or for those venturing into new scientific territory. Commonly, trainees are the executors of literature reviews and contributing authors of the resulting manuscripts. In addition to providing these valuable resources for the community, the
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