sports science literature review example

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Literature Reviews

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Tutorial: Literature Review

What is a literature review.

A literature review is not an annotated bibliography in which you summarize briefly each article that you have reviewed. While a summary of what you have read is contained within the literature review, it goes well beyond merely summarizing professional literature. It focuses on a specific topic of interest to you and includes a critical analysis of the relationship among different works, and relating this research to your work. The review of the professional literature relevant to your research question will help to contextualize, or frame, your research. It will give readers the necessary background to understand your research.

Guidelines for writing a literature review:

• Provide an overview near the beginning of the review
• Near the beginning of a review, state explicitly what will and will not be covered
• Aim for a clear and cohesive essay that integrates the key details of the literature and communicates your point of view (a literature is not a series of annotated articles).
• Use subheadings
• Use transitions to help trace your argument
• Where appropriate, describe why the information within a paragraph or a section is important relative to your study. Help the reader to connect the information to the research study.
• Write a conclusion for the end of the review: Provide closure so that the path of the argument ends with a conclusion of some kind. The conclusion of a paper in which you will be presenting original research usually leads to the research question or questions that will be addressed.
• Check the flow of your argument for coherence.
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Exercise and Sports Science: Literature Review

Searching & reviewing the literature.

• Literature Review
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A literature review is an evaluation of relevant literature on a topic and is usually the starting point for any undergraduate essay or postgraduate thesis. The focus for a literature review is on scholarly published materials such as books, journal articles and reports.

A search and review of relevant sources may be extensive and form part of a thesis or research project. Postgraduate researchers will normally focus on primary sources such as research studies in journals.

A literature review also provides evidence for an undergraduate assignment. Students new to a discipline may find that starting with an overview or review of relevant research in books and journals, the easiest way to begin researching a topic and obtaining the necessary background information.

Source materials can be categorised as:

Primary source : Original research from journals articles or conference papers, original materials such as historical documents, or creative works.

Secondary source : Evaluations, reviews or syntheses of original work. e.g. review articles in journals.

Tertiary source : Broadly scoped material put together usually from secondary sources to provide an overview, e.g. a book.

The Literature Review Structure : Like a standard academic essay, a literature review is made up of three key components: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Most literature reviews can follow the following format: • Introduction: Introduce the topic/problem and the context within which it is found. • Body: Examine past research in the area highlighting methodological and/or theoretical developments, areas of agreement, contentious areas, important studies and so forth. Keep the focus on your area of interest and identify gaps in the research that your research/investigation will attempt to fill. State clearly how your work builds on or responds to earlier work. • Conclusion: Summarise what has emerged from the review of literature and reiterate conclusions.

This information has been adapted from the Edith Cowan University Literature review: Academic tip sheet .

Steps in searching and reviewing the literature:

• Define the topic and scope of the assignment. Ensure you understand the question and expectations of the assignment. It's useful to develop a plan and outline, headings, etc.  
• Check terminology. e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses  
• Identify keywords for searching (include English and American spelling and terminology)  
• Identify types of publications. e.g. books, journal articles, reports.  
• Search relevant databases (refer to the relevant subject guide for key databases and sources)  
• Select and evaluate relevant sources  
• Synthesise the information  
• Write the review following the structure outlined.  
• Save references used. e.g. from the databases save, email, print or download references to EndNote.  
• Reference sources (APA 7th) (see Referencing Library Guide )

When you are writing for an academic purpose such as an essay for an assignment, you need to find evidence to support your ideas. The library is a good place to begin your search for the evidence, as it acquires books and journals to support the disciplines within the University. The following outlines a list of steps to follow when starting to write an academic assignment:

Define your topic and scope of the search

• This will provide the search terms when gathering evidence from the literature to support your arguments.
• Sometimes it is a good idea to concept map key themes.

The scope will advise you:

• How much information is required, often identified by the number of words ie 500 or 3000 words
• What sort of writing you are to do eg essay, report, annotated bibliography
• How many marks are assigned. This may indicate the amount of time to allocate to the task.

Gather the information - Before writing about your topic, you will need to find evidence to support your ideas. 

Books provide a useful starting point for an introduction to the subject. Books also provide an in-depth coverage of a topic.

Journal Articles: For current research or information on a very specific topic, journal articles may be the most useful, as they are published on a regular basis. It is normally expected that you will use some journal articles in your assignment. When using journal articles, check whether they are from a magazine or scholalry publication. Scholarly publications are often peer reviewed, which means that the articles are reviewed by expert/s before being accepted for publication.

Reports : useful information can also be found in free web publications from government or research organizations (e.g. reports). Any web publications should be carefully evaluated. You are also required to view the whole publication, not just the abstract, if using the information in your assignment.

Remember to ensure that you note the citation details for references that you collect, at the time of locating the items. It is often time consuming and impossible to track the required data later.

Analyse the information collected

• Have I collected enough information on the topic?

Synthesise your information

Write the report or essay

• Check the ECU Academic tip sheet: the Academic Essay for some useful pointers
• Remember, in most cases you will need an introduction, body and conclusion
• Record details of references used for referencing. Information on referencing can be located on the ECU Referencing Guide.

Database search tips:

1. Identify main concepts and keywords . Search the main concepts first, then limit further as necessary.

2. Find Synonyms (Boolean  OR broadens the search to include alternative keywords or subject thesaurus terms):

• pediatrics  OR children
• teenagers  OR adolescents

3. AND (Boolean AND  joins concepts and narrows the                search):

• occupational therapy  AND children
• stress  AND (occupation OR job)

4. Be aware of differences in American and English spelling and terminology. Most databases use American spelling and terminology as preferred subject terms.

5. Use Truncation (putting * at the end of a word stem will search all forms of the word):

• disab * (disability, disabilities, disabled)
• child * (child, children, childhood, children's)

6. "...." (inverted commas) use for a phrase

• "mental health"
• "occupational therapy"

7. Wildcard ? will search for any single letter in the space. e.g. wom?n will search women, woman, organi?ation will search organisation, organization.

8. Wildcard * can also be used where alternate spelling may contain an extra character. e.g. p*ediatric, will search paediatric or pediatric, behavio*r, will search behaviour or behavior.

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Guidelines for performing systematic reviews in sports science

Markel rico-gonzález.

1 Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

José Pino-Ortega

2 Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Sport Science, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

Filipe Manuel Clemente

3 Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun’Álvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal

4 Instituto de Telecomunicações, Delegação da Covilhã, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal

Asier Los Arcos

5 Society, Sports and Physical Exercise Research Group (GIKAFIT). Department of Physical Education and Sport. Faculty of Education and Sport. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Most of the reviews carried out in sports science have used the general items suggested by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). Due to the specific requirements of each knowledge area, several modifications of the PRISMA are necessary to optimize the process of the systematic reviews and, in consequence, the quality of the conclusions provided in this type of study. Therefore, this work aimed to adapt PRISMA to provide specific guidelines to carry out systematic reviews in sports science. The methodology criteria (search strategy, databases, and eligibility) and the results section (flow diagrams and study contents) were adapted based on previous studies, and several new considerations were added to design the new guidelines. We compiled 28 items suggested by sports science researchers and included two new items: (i) population/problem (i.e., age, level, and country) and (ii) the entire training process, which is monitored and compared between groups (e.g., total training load). To maximize the benefit of this document, we encourage people to read it in conjunction with the PRISMA statement. The main differences between PRISMA and the PRISMA adapted to sports science were related to registration, search strategy, flow diagrams, and results. Application of the new guidelines could improve the information provided to readers and make it easier to generalize and compare the results in sports science.

INTRODUCTION

Mixed methods research is defined as research in which the investigator collects and analyses data, integrates the findings, and draws inferences using both qualitative and quantitative approaches or methods in a single study or programme of inquiry [ 1 ]. An example of this type of research is the systematic review. Systematic reviews arise from a field of the literature that contains hundreds of thousands of studies for people involved in providing care to identify and consider when making decisions [ 2 ]. In addition, the conclusions of a systematic review could suppose the justification for further research [ 3 ]. So, the collection, analysis, integration, and concluding remarks will be of interest to all researchers and others involved in this field.

The value of a systematic review depends on what was done, what was found, and the clarity of reporting [ 3 ]. Thus, although the reporting quality of the review paper depends on the authors’ ability to conduct the review, reporting items for systematic reviews have to warrant that the methodology is suitable and, subsequently, that the data are reliable. To date, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) (formerly, QUOROM) [ 3 – 6 ], with the terminology used by the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines [ 7 ], is a widely used set of guidelines for performing systematic reviews. Realizing these issues, an international group that included 29 experienced authors, methodologists, clinicians, medical editors, and consumers developed PRISMA as an evolution of the original QUOROM guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of evaluations of health care interventions [ 8 ].

Due to the specific requirements of each knowledge area, several modifications (e.g., the number of groups in the search strategy or the quality checklist) were made to meet the requirements of each research field. Even though the researchers of sports performance areas did not follow the PRISMA guidelines [ 9 , 10 ] or any section of it [ 11 ], most of the reviews have used the general items suggested by PRISMA [ 3 ]. So, it seems pertinent that specific guidelines for sports science adapt and summarize several aspects, such as a quality assessment checklist or flowchart standards on different systematic reviews. This could help sports science researchers to optimize the process of systematic reviews and, in consequence, improve the quality of conclusions provided in this type of study [ 2 ]. This work aimed to adapt PRISMA to provide specific guidelines for carrying out systematic reviews in sports science.

GUIDELINES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS IN SPORTS SCIENCE

Methodology, identification.

The importance of reporting a clear objective for conducting the project is crucial due to its likely influence on the methodology. Once this is done, locating and retrieving the relevant literature is challenging yet crucial to the success of a systematic review [ 2 ]. In this regard, the material sources or databases provide the articles and information from which evidence, conclusions, and future considerations are drawn [ 2 , 8 ]. However, the literature may appear overwhelming [ 3 ], given the vast amount of material to study. Therefore, a systematic strategy is necessary before starting the search process. This strategy should address the problem that the authors want to summarize. In a systematic review of individual studies, the database selection and search strategy should be as varied as possible to maximize the likelihood of capturing all relevant data and minimizing the effects of reporting biases [ 2 ].

According to recently updated guidance, a search of a minimum number (not just at least one database) of electronic databases is recommended [ 6 ]. However, they should be chosen according to the topic of interest. In sports science, a wide range of databases has been used ( Table 1 ). Although it does not seem that each author uses the same databases, PubMed and Web of Sciences (WoS) appear to be the most commonly used in sports settings ( Table 1 ). Beyond this selection, each database has several criteria to limit the search. In this sense, applying period or language restrictions is not recommended, although if there is a lack of access to translation services, the research is usually limited to English articles [ 2 ]. This fact has been named LOTE (not including languages other than English), and although it often seems the most feasible option, it introduces the risk of ignoring key data, introducing bias (referred to as language bias), as well as missing important cultural contexts, which may limit the review’s findings and usefulness [ 12 ]. So, the period restriction could be recommended only for some specific cases, while the language restriction could be limited more often to English because most of the high impact journals publish their articles in this language, although it should be used only when language resources are unavailable (e.g. professional translators). When it is applied, it should be appropriately justified with consideration of the potential consequences of language restriction in the discussion, which aligns with the PRISMA Statement (Item 6: Eligibility criteria, and Item 25: Limitations of the review process) [ 12 ].

Methodology specification in sport systematic reviews.

Note = WoK = Web of Science or Web of Knowledge. *The study selection was made randomized between recently published articles in high impact sport journals.

In Table 1 , thirty systematic review examples were randomly chosen as proof of concept, highlighting the considered checklist, guidelines, search strategy, and databases.

Step number four of PRISMA’s checklist explains that the authors should provide an explicit statement of questions being addressed concerning participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design (PICOS). Issues relating to PICOS impact several PRISMA items (i.e., items 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 18) [ 8 ]. This approach suggests a division of the search strategy in different groups linked with a Boolean search (e.g., “AND”, “OR”, “NOT”), which has become an essential and suitable method. “AND” has commonly been used to link the different groups, and “OR” to link a word into each word cluster; both have become the most popular Boolean words. Researchers should also consider NOT excluding some specific words from the search. However, the use of more than three groups is not widespread in sports science ( Table 1 ), although in many studies, PICOS has been used to compute five inclusion/exclusion criteria [ 32 ]. In sports science, the use of Population (means = population, sport, or a problem) is recommended as a pivotal research word group. This group may be combined with: (1) the Intervention group (if the research question highlights the consequences of this programme); (2) with Outcomes arising (if the research question enhances the Intervention programme used for specific outcomes); or, (3) with both groups (if the systematic review aims to summarize a topic about, specifically, Population , Intervention programme, and Outcomes ). As in other knowledge areas, to minimize the risk of missing relevant articles, checking a reference list of articles captured by the initial search to ensure that keywords of the search strategy are commonly used in the titles and abstracts is recommended.

A review team should be established before commencing the screening phase in which individual analysis will be made. The review team should include at least one person with methodological expertise in conducting systematic reviews and at least one person with expertise on the topic under review [ 2 ]. This group should define databases, search strategies, and inclusion/exclusion criteria.

When the referred authors complete the search, and avoiding manual search processes in order to encourage researchers to perform a more efficient process, they automatically download the main data from the articles (title, authors, date, and database) to an Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel, Microsoft, Redmond, USA). For example, the steps to automatically download data in some databases in sports science are as follows:

PubMed: This includes the following steps: (1) send to; (2) file; (3) format: CSV; (4) create file; (5) open an Excel document; (6) select “import”; (7) “delimited by”: select the characters that separate title, authors, journal name and year of publication, and the information will be provided in columns (in PubMed: comma).

Web of Sciences: (1) export; (2) other file format; (3) select the number of files that can be downloaded (clusters of 500 documents if the search is up to 500 files); (4) tab delimited format; (5) send; (6) open an Excel document; (7) select “import”; (8) “delimited by”: select the characters that separate title, authors, journal name and year of publication, and the information will be provided in columns (in WoS: tab).

SPORTDiscus: (1) select for each page 100 files; (2) results (1–100); (3) folder view; (4) export; (5) CSV. In SPORTDiscus, the authors should download characteristics of papers in clusters of 100 articles; (6) open an Excel document; (7) select “import”; (8) “delimited by”: select the characters that separate title, authors, journal name and year of publication, and the information will be provided in columns.

Cochrane Library: (1) select all; (2) export references; (3) download; (6) open an Excel document; (7) select “import”; (8) “delimited by”: select the characters that separate title, authors, journal name and year of publication, and the information will be provided in columns (in Cochrane: comma-separated).

Eligibility

When the articles are downloaded, all of them should appear in an Excel page in five columns: (1) database; (2) authors; (3) title; (4) source; and (5) year. Selecting the first file (with these five nouns), the authors should choose “filter”. Then, two authors should order the columns of titles in alphabetic order and remove the duplicate records, using the first white column with a numeric code (e.g., 1 for original articles; 2 for duplicates). In the second column, each author should attribute to each paper a number code according to the hierarchical inclusion/exclusion criteria (e.g., 1 = included; 2 = other population; 3 = other intervention programmes). When both authors finish the selection phase, they then compare their results to ensure that the same number of articles was found. Any disagreements regarding the final inclusion/exclusion status should be resolved through a discussion between the reference authors.

Quality assessment

A PRISMA checklist is not a quality assessment instrument intended to gauge the worth of a systematic review [ 3 ]. In the articles, an additional assessment checklist is presented. Due to the qualitative and quantitative studies that can be used, the quality assessment is not mandatory for all articles. Specifically, studies based on a recognized classification method as the nature of the search are descriptive [ 15 , 31 , 43 ]. In this regard, Colomer et al. [ 31 ] suggested a table for suitability and evaluation by a panel of authors before inclusion. All studies had to meet every item on the criteria list to be included in the analysis [ 31 ].

However, to report a quantitative result and conclusion, the individual assessment of the studies is a mandatory step in conducting systematic reviews. In this regard, several checklists have been proposed for health care (i.e., the Downs and Black scale [ 30 ], PEDro scale [ 50 ], Newcastle-Ottawa (NOS) [ 39 ], a Cochrane Collaboration tool (RoB 2) [ 29 , 51 ], and CASP [ 52 ]), for nutrition and dietetics [ 36 ], as well as for physiotherapy/rehabilitation [ 35 ]. In addition, two protocols (STROBE [ 42 ]) and GREOM [ 21 ]) have been proposed for conducting analyses with an observational methodology. In the sports science area, several authors have chosen and adapted these scales to their articles [ 14 , 23 , 44 ]. For example, Sarmento et al. [ 14 , 23 ] and Cummins et al. [ 44 ] modified the Downs and Black (1998) proposal. Other studies propose the use of ad hoc tools to assess the studies included in the systematic review [ 16 , 19 , 46 ].

The development of the technology applied in sports science has contributed to the exponential growth of published papers. Today, technology is used in most quantitative articles. However, none of the aforementioned checklists assessed the use of such technology. Altmann et al. [ 48 ] published a quality checklist about the use of technology, and Adessida et al. [ 53 ] proposed a checklist for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Recently, Rico-González et al. [ 54 ] published an article on specific instruments to assess the use of radio-frequency technology and MEMS and evaluated the quality of the studies individually. In addition to the previous guidelines, we have used these technology surveys and suggested new items to summarize a checklist to assess the quality of the research in sports science ( Table 2 ).

A standardization proposal of a quality assessment checklist in sports science.

NOS = Newcastle–Ottawa Scale [ 39 ]; GPS = Global Positioning Systems; LPS = Local Positioning Systems; VID = semi-automatic multi-camera based systems

As in other fields of knowledge, in sports science, report summary tables and figures help in presenting results in a structured and clear format. In this sense, the results section should include the conclusions about the articles found using a flow diagram ( Figure 1 ), the results of the quality assessment, and a second section in which the study content is explained.

Flow diagram of the studies.

Flow diagram

A PRISMA statement consists of a 27-item checklist and a four-phase flow diagram (i.e., identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion) [ 3 ]. Unlike PRISMA, studies using additional sources should place them after the inclusion/exclusion section while using defined criteria for two main reasons: (1) the included articles are not duplicated and (2) it is common that these articles have been mainly identified through bibliography checking. Therefore, these articles should be included after duplicate identification and after paper checking in the inclusion/exclusion section.

Study content

When the results of a systematic review are presented, they should give the reader the significant conclusions of the review through the provision of answers to the research question, as well as the evidence on which these conclusions are based and an assessment of the quality of the evidence supporting each conclusion [ 2 ]. Presenting the results in this way reduces the workload by limiting data extraction to only relevant information. As is common in sports science, the results should be presented in a structured table. However, it cannot provide a standard due to the many research methods in sport settings. The results of the studies may be clustered in groups meeting the research objective/problem. In any study, this brief abstract is added after the “included articles” section in the flow chart [ 27 ].

CONCLUSIONS

Recently, sports science has had an exponential growth of systematic reviews due to the increase of papers published. In order to optimize the assessment of sports research, this work aimed to adapt PRISMA [ 3 ] to provide specific guidelines for systematic reviews in this field of study. In addition to the suggestions of previous studies, two new items were added: (i) population/problem (i.e., age, level, and country); and (ii) the entire training process, which is monitored and compared between groups (e.g., total training load). These two new items are specific to sports science and help readers to fully understand the context of data collection and make better comparisons between studies. The current purpose is to establish support for sport scientists to improve the information provided to readers and make it easier to generalize and compare results.

Practical application

To maximize the benefit of this document, we encourage people to read it in conjunction with the PRISMA statement [ 3 ], PRISMA’s latest extension [ 5 ], and update [ 6 ]. The main differences between PRISMA and the PRISMA adapted to sports science can be found in Table 3 .

Differing items between PRISMA and PRISMA applied in sports science.

Despite the similarities between health care and sports science, some specificities must be considered, specifically regarding some methodological options. In sports science, the range of experiments is extremely large in that some studies are experimental (e.g., randomized controlled trials, parallel group, or crossover), and many of them are observational analyses (cohorts, cross-sectional and, case-control). This is one of the questions that must be considered during the selection of a risk of bias instrument or protocol register. The register of systematic reviews or meta-analysis in sports science cannot always be accomplished due to the nature of the research question and paper organization. Possibly, studies conducted on non-related health topics may be dismissed from the protocol register in PROSPERO.

In sports science, considering the specificity of study characteristics, it is usually important to use standard procedures to determine the cases of experimental studies (e.g., training interventions) or to better describe the nature of the study (e.g., in the case of crosssectional studies as in match analysis). We recommend in experimental studies that the number of weeks, sessions/week, work volume per session, intensity, work-to-rest ratio, exercises, repetitions, sets, rest between repetitions, and rest between sets be described appropriately. In addition, we suggest the quantification of the external and/or internal training load (TL) of the entire training session to compare with the total TL accumulated during the intervention between intervention groups. In the case of the nature of the study, it is important to describe the context of data collection, the type of samples, a brief characterization of the competitive level of the athletes (if applicable), the type of outcomes collected and their validity and reliability, and the tests used to determine the outcome.

Acknowledgement

Markel Rico-González and Asier Los Arcos: The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of a Spanish government subproject Integration ways between qualitative and quantitative data, multiple case development, and synthesis review as main axis for an innovative future in physical activity and sports research [PGC2018-098742-B-C31] (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico del Sistema I + D + i), that is part of the coordinated project New approach of research in physical activity and sport from mixed methods perspective (NARPAS_MM) [SPGC201800X-098742CV0].

Filipe Manuel Clemente: The author gratefully acknowledge the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior through national funds and when applicable co-funded EU funds under the project UIDB/50008/2020.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

The authors received no potential support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Sport & Exercise Science Guide: Literature Reviews

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• Visit the Library This link opens in a new window
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Writing the Literature Review (Part 1)

Writing the Literature Review (Part 2)

Writing a literature review

Your Liaison Librarian will be able to provide support and advice when you are doing your literature review, so make an appointment with your librarian when you start your research.

• Liaison Librarians
• Literature review template
• The Literature Review Library Guide

Literature review books @ JCU Library

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Master of Sport and Exercise Science

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Master of Sport and Exercise Science : Literature Reviews

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On this page

Literature review guides, literature review resources.

• Mind-mapping tools

Research proposal resources

• The Thesis Whisperer  

Developing a research question

• Evidence-Based Practice

The following guide from VU Library provides an overview of the literature review process including useful tips and advice on effective searching and managing of resources. The guide is intended as a starting point for any student or researcher new to the literature review process.

• The Literature Review Guide

In the Literature Review library guide, refer to the section on using the PICO and SPIDER framework  to help formulate a clear and focused research question , which you can then use to convert into an effective search strategy for your review. See below a short animation that provides a brief introduction to the PICO method of formulating a focused and answerable research question.

Note:  The key databases and journals for Sport and Exercise Science literature are listed under the  databases and journals section.  

Introduction to PICO from Victoria University Library on Vimeo .

In addition, each of the resources below provides comprehensive instructions on how to conduct a literature search: 

• Writing a literature review  - a great resource from Melbourne University on how to write a literature review. 
• Getting started on your literature review, (UNSW)
• What is a review of the literature? Toronto University  
• From Boston College Libraries a step by step guide to writing a literature review
• An excellent resource on report writing from Monash University  
• Conducting advanced reviews: From Search to Synthesis - Training videos from Deakin University

A great resource on developing research questions from The University of Melbourne, Academic skills team.

Evidence Based Practice

Vu Library has designed an Evidence-based practice   guide to assist students to understand and apply the key steps of the Evidence-based practice process. 

Below are links to additional Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) resources;

Intro to EBP  (a tutorial from Duke University Medical centre Library)

What is Evidence-Based Practice?  (PubMed online training) 

• Key Elements of a Research Proposal Quantitative Design A document from Winston-Salem State University outlining main types of quantitative approaches to research.
• What is a good research proposal? A chapter from the book: Denscombe, M. (2012) Research proposals: A practical guide. McGraw-Hill Education.

Systematic Reviews

• VU Systematic Literature Review Guide This guide will explain the process of conducting a formal systematic review as well as provide you with relevant resources to ensure that you're meeting discipline standards.

Searching in PubMed database

• A roadmap for searching literature in PubMed An excellent resource from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on how to build and conduct a systematic search in PubMed.

Mind-mapping

You may find it useful to organise your literature search using visual mind-mapping tools.

There are a number of free software tools available to use such as:

The Thesis Whisperer

The Thesis Whisperer  'blog newspaper' provides lots of useful advice and tips for researching and writing. 

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Exercise Sports Science: Literature Reviews

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What is a Literature Review?

What is a literature review?

Before you start your research paper you need to find out what other research has been done on the topic.  A literature review will include the works you consulted in order to understand and investigate your research problem.  A good literature review is not simply a summary of other research articles. The sources listed should be organized logically with the sources dealing with the same aspects of the topic grouped together.  You should also evaluate the sources, show the relationships among them and explain why they are important (or not) for your own research.  

Literature reviews analyze  critically this segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.

A literature review is an overview of the previously published works on a specific topic. The term can refer to a full scholarly paper or a section of a scholarly work such as a book, or an article. Either way, a literature review is supposed to provide the researcher/author and the audiences with a general image of the existing knowledge on the topic under question. A good literature review can ensure that a proper research question has been asked and a proper theoretical framework and/or research methodology have been chosen. To be precise, a literature review serves to situate the current study within the body of the relevant literature and to provide context for the reader. In such case, the review usually precedes the methodology and results sections of the work.

• Literature Reviews - Handout

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Helps focus your own research questions or problems
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Suggests unexplored ideas or populations
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
• Identifies critical gaps, points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches.
• Indicates potential directions for future research.

Questions to Ask

Some questions to think about as you develop your literature review:

• What is known about the subject?
• Are there any gaps in the knowledge of the subject?
• Have areas of further study been identified by other researchers that you may want to consider?
• Who are the significant research personalities in this area?
• Is there consensus about the topic?
• What aspects have generated significant debate on the topic?
• What methods or problems were identified by others studying in the field and how might they impact your research?
• What is the most productive methodology for your research based on the literature you have reviewed?
• What is the current status of research in this area?
• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?
• How detailed? Will it be a review of ALL relevant material or will the scope be limited to more recent material, e.g., the last five years.
• Are you focusing on methodological approaches; on theoretical issues; on qualitative or quantitative research?

Additional Help:

“Literature Reviews", The Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It

Patricia Cronin, Frances Ryan, and Michael Coughlan, “Undertaking a Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Approach,” British Journal of Nursing, 17, no 1 (2008), 38-43.

A Literature Review is NOT

Keep in mind that a literature review defines and sets the stage for your later research.  While you may take the same steps in researching your literature review, your literature review is not:

Not an annotated bibliography  in which you summarize each article that you have reviewed.  A lit review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.

Not a research paper   where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.  A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.

Steps to Conduct a Literature Review

Finding the literature.

• What Literature?
• Grey Literature
• Conference Papers

When someone talks about “the literature” they are referring to the body of research, scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory.  A literature review is a descriptive summary of research on a topic that has previously been studied. The purpose of a literature review is to inform readers of the significant knowledge and ideas that have been established on a topic. Its purpose is to compare, contrast and/or connect findings that were identified when reviewing researchers' work.

The word  literature  (in 'literature review') broadly refers to the scholarly or scientific writing on a topic.

Common sources of written works include:

•     peer-reviewed journal articles
•     books and book chapters
•     conference papers and government reports 
•     theses / dissertations

A good quality literature review involves searching a number of databases individually.

The  Library databases  are an excellent resource for finding  peer-reviewed journal articles  (and also book chapters and conference papers).

Databases may be multidisciplinary or discipline-specific. The best way to find the relevant databases for your review is to consult a list of databases such as the ones found in:

• The  Databases by Subject library guide
• Relevant subject-based library guides within your faculty area

Books  are often useful for background information when learning about a topic. They may be general, such as textbooks, or specialised.

A good way to find books is to use an online catalog such as the Felician University Library catalog.

• More recent editions may include information not found in previous editions
• Authors may discuss different aspects of a topic or present the information in different ways - reading widely can help understanding
• Once you have a basic understanding of the topic, searching for journal articles may help you to learn more and access the most current information.

Grey literature  is information which has been published informally or non-commercially (where the main purpose of the producing body is not commercial publishing) or remains unpublished.

It can include a range of material, such as government reports, policy documents, statistics, discussion papers, dissertations, conference proceedings and unpublished trial data. The quality of grey literature can vary greatly - some may be peer-reviewed whereas some may not have been through a traditional editorial process.

Grey literature may be included in a literature review to minimize  publication bias .

Key ways of  finding grey literature  include using search engines, databases, government or organization websites and grey literature directories. For example:

• Analysis and Policy Observatory
• OpenGrey (European)
• New York Academy of Medicine grey literature report (US)
• The Global Science Gateway

Additional statistics are available from many government websites. Try limiting by site or domain in  Google Advanced Search  and using the keyword Statistics.

Data Sources (includes Biological Sciences Data/Sets)

re3data.org (Registry of Research Data Repositories)

Dryad Digital Repository

U.S. Government Open Data

NIH Data Sharing Repositories

DataONE (Earth and environmental data)

EPA Environmental dataset gateway

OpenDOAR : Directory of Open Access Repositories is a browsable directory of open access repositories. Search by subject, country of origin and content type.

Health Statistics

CDC SNAPS (county and state level)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  

Community Health Status Indicators Report

County Health Rankings (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)  

Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce  

State Health Facts Online (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Dissertation Databases

PQDT Open (ProQuest)

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

OpenDissertations (EBSCO)

Dissertation Search

Limit to Thesis/Dissertation under Content

Conference papers  are typically published in conference proceedings (the collection of papers presented at a conference), and may be found on an organization or Society's website, as a journal, or as a special issue of journal.

In some disciplinary areas (such as computer science), conference papers may be a particularly well regarded as a form of scholarly communication; the conferences are highly selective, the papers are generally peer-reviewed, and papers are published in proceedings affiliated with high-quality publishing houses.  

Tips for finding conference papers:

• The year of publication may be different to the year the conference was held. If applying a date limit to your search, try a range of years.
• Try searching for the conference title rather than the title or author of the paper. The entire conference proceedings may be cited under a special title. You can also try searching for the conference location or sponsoring organization.

Literature Review vs. Systematic Review

You might have heard the term 'Systematic Review'. A systematic review goes further than a literature review in that it aims to locate and evaluate all studies, published and unpublished, relevant to a specific research question. Systematic reviews use explicit, systematic methods to minimise bias and enable verification and replication. 

When you are writing your own primary literature review you must:

(a) use recent articles that report research tightly connected to the same specific current research problem (not simply any primary articles somehow related to the same general topic), and;

(b) write paragraphs that explicitly compare the objectives, methods, and findings of the articles with each other and with your proposed research project or findings*

*A literature review is not simply summarizing each article separately one after the other -- that would be more like an annotated bibliography and does not connect the details to your own methods/findings in your research proposal (BIO 450) or discussion/conclusion (BIO 451).

Write about how the specific research objectives, methods, and findings of the articles are similar and how are they different from each other as well as yours. 

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TIP #1: SEED ARTICLE Begin your research with a "seed article" - an article that strongly supports your research topic.  Then use a citation database to f ollow the studies published by finding articles which have cited that article, either because they support it or because they disagree with it.

TIP #2: SNOWBALLING Snowballing is the process where researchers will begin with a select number of articles they have identified relevant/strongly supports their topic and then search each articles' references reviewing the studies cited to determine if they are relevant to your research.

BONUS POINTS: This process also helps identify key highly cited authors within a topic to help establish the "experts" in the field.

Begin by constructing a focused research question to help you then convert it into an effective search strategy.

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Web Resources

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of published information on a subject area. Conducting a literature review demands a careful examination of a body of literature that has been published that helps answer your research question (See PICO). Literature reviewed includes scholarly journals, scholarly books, authoritative databases, primary sources and grey literature.

A literature review attempts to answer the following:

• What is known about the subject?
• What is the chronology of knowledge about my subject?
• Are there any gaps in the literature?
• Is there a consensus/debate on issues?
• Create a clear research question/statement
• Define the scope of the review include limitations (i.e. gender, age, location, nationality...)
• Search existing literature including classic works on your topic and grey literature
• Evaluate results and the evidence (Avoid discounting information that contradicts your research)
• Track and organize references
• Preparing Scholarly Reviews of the Literature
• How to conduct an effective literature search.
• Social Work Literature Review Guidelines (OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab)

Understanding a Study

The Study Design 101 tutorial help you understand the different kinds of studies and each studies strengths and weaknesses.

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What is a literature search?

A  literature search  is a systematic and comprehensive search for information.  By carrying out a literature search you can find out what has already been written about a subject area, enabling you to identify the main themes or trends. This information will inform, underpin and /or shape your research. 

The information may be found in books, journal articles, reports, case studies, policy documents, conference proceedings etc.

A systematic literature search is a critical component of the systematic literature review process.  It involves a systematic search for articles (studies) and aims for a transparent report of how the articles were identified.

• Searching for journal articles
• Where can I find good examples of systematic reviews?
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Journal Articles about literature searching

• Finding the Best Evidence, Part 1: Understanding Electronic Databases
• Finding the Best Evidence, Part 2: The Basics of Literature Searches
• How to perform a literature search
• Needle in a haystack? Effective literature searching for research
• Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach

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Effective Literature Searching

5 Tips for literature searching (VH/LSI) on Biteable .

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Guidelines for performing systematic reviews in sports science

Affiliations.

• 1 Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
• 2 Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Sport Science, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
• 3 Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun'Álvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
• 4 Instituto de Telecomunicações, Delegação da Covilhã, Lisboa 1049-001, Portugal.
• 5 Society, Sports and Physical Exercise Research Group (GIKAFIT). Department of Physical Education and Sport. Faculty of Education and Sport. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
• PMID: 35309539
• PMCID: PMC8919872
• DOI: 10.5114/biolsport.2022.106386

Most of the reviews carried out in sports science have used the general items suggested by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). Due to the specific requirements of each knowledge area, several modifications of the PRISMA are necessary to optimize the process of the systematic reviews and, in consequence, the quality of the conclusions provided in this type of study. Therefore, this work aimed to adapt PRISMA to provide specific guidelines to carry out systematic reviews in sports science. The methodology criteria (search strategy, databases, and eligibility) and the results section (flow diagrams and study contents) were adapted based on previous studies, and several new considerations were added to design the new guidelines. We compiled 28 items suggested by sports science researchers and included two new items: (i) population/problem (i.e., age, level, and country) and (ii) the entire training process, which is monitored and compared between groups (e.g., total training load). To maximize the benefit of this document, we encourage people to read it in conjunction with the PRISMA statement. The main differences between PRISMA and the PRISMA adapted to sports science were related to registration, search strategy, flow diagrams, and results. Application of the new guidelines could improve the information provided to readers and make it easier to generalize and compare the results in sports science.

Keywords: Evaluating sports research; Quality; Reporting guidelines; Research methodology; Systematic review.

Copyright © Biology of Sport 2021.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Flow diagram of the studies.

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• How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

• Search for relevant literature
• Evaluate sources
• Identify themes, debates, and gaps
• Outline the structure
• Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

• Quick Run-through
• Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

• Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
• Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
• Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
• Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
• Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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See an example

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

• Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
• Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
• Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
• Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

• Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
• Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
• Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

• Your university’s library catalogue
• Google Scholar
• Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
• Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
• EconLit (economics)
• Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

• What question or problem is the author addressing?
• What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
• What are the key theories, models, and methods?
• Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
• What are the results and conclusions of the study?
• How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

• Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
• Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
• Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
• Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
• Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

• Most research has focused on young women.
• There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
• But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

• Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
• Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
• Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

• Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
• Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
• Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
• Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

• To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
• To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
• To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
• To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

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Conducting Systematic Reviews in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity

• © 2019
• David Tod 0

School of Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

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• Offers a thorough, logical, and progressive guide to systematic reviews
• Provides pedagogical features allowing readers to apply the methods to their own content area of interest
• Debunks common misunderstandings and out-of-date thinking relating to meta-analyses and qualitative research

15k Accesses

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About this book

This book offers a conceptual and practical guide to the systematic review process and its application to sport, exercise, and physical activity research. It begins by describing what systematic reviews are and why they assist scientists and practitioners. Providing step-by-step instructions the author leads readers through the process, including generation of suitable review questions; development and implementation of search strategies; data extraction and analysis; theoretical interpretation; and result dissemination.

Conducting Systematic Reviews in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity clarifies several common misunderstandings including the difference between qualitative systematic reviews and meta-analyses . Each chapter begins with a set of learning objectives focused on practical application, illustrated with examples from reviews published within the sport, exercise, and physical activity fields. Once a reader has completed all the learning activities along the way, they will have designed a systematic review and have written a protocol ready for registration. The book ends with a collection of advice from internationally regarded scientists with substantial experience in systematic reviews.

• systematic review methodology
• sport psychology
• sport and exercise research
• physical activity research
• inclusion and exclusion criteria
• data extraction procedures
• Disseminating results
• meta-analysis
• key constructs
• methodological rigour
• exercise psychology
• psychology textbook
• how to do a literature review

Table of contents (13 chapters)

Front matter, introducing systematic reviews, planning a review, defining suitable review questions, justifying the review, inclusion and exclusion criteria, undertaking search strategies, data extraction, critical appraisal, data analysis and synthesis, assessing the systematic review, disseminating results, topics related to managing a review, top tips from the experts, back matter, authors and affiliations, about the author.

David Tod is Senior Lecturer in sport psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He teaches modules in systematic reviewing and supervises postgraduate students undertaking systematic reviews and meta-analyses. He is part of a systematic review research group at Liverpool John Moores University. David is Associate Editor for three journals and regularly reviews systematic reviews and meta-analyses. 

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Conducting Systematic Reviews in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity

Authors : David Tod

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12263-8

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Cham

eBook Packages : Behavioral Science and Psychology , Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-030-12262-1 Published: 11 September 2019

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-12263-8 Published: 29 August 2019

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : IX, 189

Number of Illustrations : 1 b/w illustrations, 9 illustrations in colour

Topics : Sport Psychology , Research Methodology , Sport Science , Health Psychology , Psychological Methods/Evaluation

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Sports Literature Reviews Samples For Students

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