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Research Guides

Literature Searches and Literature Reviews in Transportation

Literature searches and literature reviews are key components of research projects sponsored by state departments of transportation. A literature search seeks to confirm what is known about a particular topic, and a literature review uses the literature search to help to clarify the scope of the research project. This resource guide addresses:

  • How to conduct literature searches.
  • Where to search for transportation information.
  • How to put it all together as a quality literature review.

The guide is adapted from Transportation Research E-Circular 194: Literature Searches and Literature Reviews for Transportation Research Projects (2015). For a more detailed discussion, review the literature search and literature review sections of the e-circular.

Practical Tips

  • When conducting a literature search, keep in mind that information is available in numerous places. While running a search on Google may be a useful place to start, a wealth of additional resources, including databases, search engines, websites and catalogs, will provide valuable contributions to a thorough search effort.
  • Remember to contact your librarian during the search. A librarian can help to identify databases and catalogs, and can often locate documents that aren't available online or in your library. 

Definitions

Literature search — a series of searches across multiple resources that produces a list of citations which are relevant to a topic or subject matter. The results are compiled and structured to help a researcher understand the scope, breadth and relevance of the literature on a topic.

►  Example: Micro-Rail Exploration Study, California Department of Transportation, March 2021.

Literature review — a narrative that is based on the findings of a literature search. The narrative is organized by topic, drawing connections among citations and presenting cited works according to their importance and relevance.

►  Example: Snow Removal at Extreme Temperatures, Clear Roads Pooled Fund, Minnesota Department of Transportation, March 2013.