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SCWK 550/650 (All Classes)

This is a guide to help students in SCWK 550/650 work on their research projects.

Managing the Literature Review

Document and save what you find - work smarter, not harder!

  • Document your plans, thoughts and choices at the beginning and as you go along including databases used and search terms used in those databases
  • Use a plain, old notebook or a Word or Google Docs file; maybe you're familiar with Evernote or Dropbox - those are also great places to organize your search process and findings
  • Save the full-text documents you find - think about how you want to name and organize them
  • Save citations for sources you think you will use

Consider using:

  • A matrix to organize your findings (a Word document or Excel template)
  • Citation management software 

Modified from Kent State University's Managing the Review. This is a great source for more detailed information on managing a literature review search.