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This page includes a few resources to help you understand more about writing a literature review.

Basics

Ebooks on Literature Reviews

Scholarly, Popular, Trade? What's in a name?

Different types of publications have different purposes and different audiences. When we talk about journals, we can usually divide these publications into three broad categories: scholarly, popular, and trade publications.
 
Journal Type
  Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals Popular Journals (Magazines) Trade Journals
Purpose Informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. Sometimes also called "Peer-reviewed" journals/articles Entertains and informs a general audience without providing in-depth analysis. Reports on industry trends and new products or techniques useful to people in a trade or business.
 Authors Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field. Articles are written by journalists,freelance writers, or an editorial staff. Articles are written by specialists in a certain field or industry.
 Audience  Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, and experts. Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists. Intended for practitioners in a particular profession, business, or industry.

 

Grey Literature

Grey literature in a general sense is defined as materials that are not in formally published resources such as journals or books. Government reports, association or technical reports are some examples.

On this page are some sources that can help you find grey literature. You may also want to search the web for reports from specific organizations or associations.

Most will be available for free but at times you may need to reach out to the author or source of the publication.