Nursing Literature Review Examples

How to Use These Nursing Literature Review Examples

• Use them as models, not sources: Each nursing literature review example shows how a strong review is planned, searched, appraised and written. Study the structure and the way arguments are built, then apply the same approach to your own question rather than reusing the wording.
• Look at how the review question is framed: Notice how each example turns a broad clinical interest into a focused question using a framework such as PICO, PEO or PCC. A well-framed question decides which studies are included and keeps the whole review on track.
• Follow how the search is reported: Each example lists the databases searched, the key terms and Boolean combinations, the date range and the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Markers look for this detail because it shows the search could be repeated by someone else.
• See how studies are synthesised, not listed: Strong reviews group findings into themes and compare what different studies found, where they agree and why they differ. Avoid the common mistake of summarising one study per paragraph.
• Use the shared outline as a checklist: Every example follows the same sections: introduction and background, search strategy and methods, key findings, discussion, implications for practice and conclusion. Check your own draft against this outline before you submit it.

Types of Literature Review in Nursing

Systematic review

• Purpose: Answers a tightly focused clinical question by finding, appraising and combining all the relevant research, so the conclusion rests on the full body of evidence rather than a selection of studies.
• Methods: Uses a pre-planned, reproducible search across several databases, clear inclusion and exclusion criteria and screening by more than one reviewer where possible. Each included study is quality-appraised with a recognised tool such as CASP or JBI.
• Reporting: Usually follows the PRISMA statement, including a flow diagram that shows how many records were found, screened, excluded and finally included.
• When to choose it: Best when your brief asks for the effectiveness of an intervention, for example whether an early warning score improves the detection of deterioration.

Scoping review

• Purpose: Maps how much research exists on a broader topic, what kinds of studies have been done and where the gaps are, rather than answering a narrow effectiveness question.
• Methods: Uses a systematic search but with wider inclusion criteria, often covering grey literature and different study designs. Formal quality appraisal is optional because the aim is to describe the evidence, not to judge it.
• Frameworks: Commonly follows the Arksey and O’Malley framework or JBI guidance, and is reported with the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).
• When to choose it: Useful when a topic is new or complex, or when you need to justify a future study by showing what has and has not been researched.

Integrative review

• Purpose: Brings together experimental, non-experimental and qualitative studies to build a fuller understanding of a topic, including both outcomes and people’s experiences.
• Methods: Uses a systematic search and appraisal, then compares and integrates findings across the different study designs into shared themes.
• Frameworks: Often follows the Whittemore and Knafl (2005) approach, which sets out stages for problem identification, searching, evaluation, analysis and presentation.
• When to choose it: Very common in nursing because many practice questions are answered by a mix of trials, surveys and interview studies rather than by trials alone.

Narrative review

• Purpose: Summarises and interprets the literature on a topic to give a broad overview, explain key debates and set the context for further work.
• Methods: The search and selection are less formal and may not be fully reproducible, so the author’s judgement plays a larger role in which studies are discussed.
• Strengths and limits: Readable and flexible, which makes it well suited to background chapters and introductions, but more open to selection bias than a systematic review.
• When to choose it: Appropriate when your assignment asks for an overview or critical discussion rather than a formal evidence synthesis.

Using Nursing Literature Review Examples Responsibly

• Treat them as learning resources: The examples show what good practice looks like in structure, critical appraisal and academic tone. Use them to understand expectations, then produce work that reflects your own analysis.
• Run your own searches: Your module may require specific databases, date ranges or settings, so repeat the search yourself and record your own results. This also lets you include studies published after the example was written.
• Reference everything you draw on: If an example helps you find a study or shapes an idea, cite the original sources in your university’s required referencing style, such as APA 7 or Harvard.
• Write in your own words: Paraphrase and synthesise rather than copying sentences, so your review meets your university’s academic integrity policy and passes similarity checks.