Let’s go step-by-step for doing a literature review using Scopus, and then I’ll give you a table format that you can use to collect and organize records from each paper.
Steps to Do Literature Review Using Scopus
1. Define Your Research Scope
Clarify the research question/objective (e.g., “Impact of urban transport design on commuter satisfaction”).
Identify keywords, synonyms, and Boolean combinations.
Example: “urban transport” AND “commuter satisfaction” OR “public transit experience”
2. Search in Scopus
Go to Scopus.
Enter your keywords in the Document Search field.
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine results.
Apply filters:
Year range (e.g., last 10 years)
Subject area
Document type (e.g., article, review, conference paper)
Language
3. Refine & Export Records
Sort results by Relevance or Citations (for seminal works).
Skim abstracts to ensure relevance.
Use the Export function in Scopus:
Export to Excel, RIS, or CSV.
Include: title, authors, year, journal, DOI, abstract, keywords, citations, etc.
4. Read & Annotate
Download full texts (via institutional access or open access links).
Read each paper focusing on:
Research questions
Methodology
Findings
Gaps/future work suggested
5. Organize Data in a Review Table
You’ll collect specific records from each paper for easy synthesis.
Table Structure for Scopus Literature Review (given below is the headings for column name)
Sl. No.
Title of Paper
Author(s)
Year
Country name
Keywords
Research Objective
Methodology
Research tools
Sample size
Source of data
Key Findings
Gaps Identified
6. Analyze & Synthesize
Group findings by themes (e.g., infrastructure design, travel time, accessibility).
Identify trends (e.g., shift from infrastructure to user-experience focus).
Spot research gaps that your work will address.
7. Write the Literature Review
Begin with a thematic structure.
Compare and contrast studies.
Show how your research will contribute.
.
