Literature Reviews Unleashed: Unlocking Three Approaches for the Critical Realist

This chapter gives scholars and practitioners insight into different approaches to literature reviews, specifically those conducted from a critical realist stance. Because of their paradigmatic stances, some researchers have predetermined ideas about conducting a literature review. This makes sense for researchers belonging to the positivist paradigm, who favor a meta-analysis review (systematically and empirically reviewing quantitative studies). In contrast, researchers belonging to the interpretivist paradigm will prefer to conduct metasynthesis reviews (reviewing qualitative studies and their interpretations). Different approaches are available for critical realists, who embrace the wide variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods, with the main proviso that reviews undertaken are done consistently and transparently. This chapter focuses on the critical realist options and provides researchers with an overview of three different review approaches: systematic, meta-analysis, and metasynthesis. This chapter does not give an exhaustive account of all existing reviews; rather, it gives scholars and practitioners insight into the varieties that exist and prepares scholars to actively choose which approach to embark upon in connection with its purpose and objectives.