1. What is the primary purpose of a literature review?
A. To publish a research paper
B. To summarize textbooks
C. To identify what is already known and what is still unknown about a research topic
D. To collect research data
Answer: C
2. Literature review is considered an important step because it:
A. Eliminates the need for research
B. Links existing knowledge with knowledge gaps
C. Replaces data collection
D. Guarantees publication
Answer: B
3. Research is defined as:
A. Memorizing scientific facts
B. A systematic investigative process to increase or revise existing knowledge
C. Writing review articles only
D. Collecting references
Answer: B
4. Which type of research mainly aims to increase existing scientific knowledge?
A. Applied research
B. Basic research
C. Clinical trial
D. Implementation research
Answer: B
5. Applied research primarily aims to:
A. Increase theoretical knowledge only
B. Develop new processes, products, or practical applications
C. Prepare literature reviews
D. Conduct surveys only
Answer: B
6. Which of the following is NOT a purpose of conducting a literature review?
A. Saving research time
B. Understanding the subject better
C. Suggesting new research questions
D. Eliminating ethical approval
Answer: D
7. Literature review helps researchers save time because it:
A. Removes statistical analysis
B. Identifies already existing validated tools and information
C. Avoids reading scientific papers
D. Eliminates data collection
Answer: B
8. A researcher finds a standardized questionnaire through literature review instead of creating a new one. This illustrates:
A. Random sampling
B. Saving research effort
C. Publication bias
D. Confounding
Answer: B
9. Literature review helps researchers identify:
A. Journal publishers only
B. Existing knowledge gaps
C. Funding agencies
D. Statistical software
Answer: B
10. Which of the following can generate a new research question?
A. Identifying lacunae in existing literature
B. Increasing sample size
C. Publishing previous studies
D. Statistical analysis
Answer: A
11. Literature review is:
A. Only a summary of previous studies
B. An organized and critical evaluation of existing evidence
C. A list of references
D. A bibliography
Answer: B
12. Which of the following best describes the first activity in literature review?
A. Data analysis
B. Information seeking
C. Statistical testing
D. Hypothesis formulation
Answer: B
13. Information seeking involves:
A. Conducting experiments
B. Efficiently searching literature using manual or computerized methods
C. Publishing review articles
D. Interviewing researchers
Answer: B
14. Which of the following can serve as a source for literature review?
A. Textbooks
B. Published articles
C. Conference proceedings
D. All of the above
Answer: D
15. After collecting literature, the next important step is:
A. Ignore weak studies
B. Critical appraisal
C. Submit the manuscript
D. Collect data
Answer: B
16. Critical appraisal means:
A. Criticizing authors personally
B. Evaluating the quality, validity, and usefulness of studies
C. Copying research findings
D. Counting references
Answer: B
17. During critical appraisal, the researcher should identify:
A. Useful and valid studies
B. Famous authors only
C. Journals with high impact factors
D. Expensive publications
Answer: A
18. Which statement about critical appraisal is TRUE?
A. Every published study should be accepted without evaluation.
B. Only recent studies should be considered.
C. Studies should be evaluated for quality and relevance.
D. Critical appraisal is unnecessary.
Answer: C
19. Literature review is NOT simply a summary because it also:
A. Critically evaluates evidence
B. Generates knowledge gaps
C. Organizes information
D. All of the above
Answer: D
20. Organized literature review requires researchers to:
A. Arrange information according to the research question
B. Read only abstracts
C. Use textbooks only
D. Ignore contradictory evidence
Answer: A
21. One major purpose of synthesizing literature is to:
A. Increase the number of references
B. Summarize what is known and what is unknown
C. Avoid statistical analysis
D. Reduce publication costs
Answer: B
22. Identifying lacunae in literature mainly helps researchers to:
A. Increase citations
B. Develop new research questions
C. Avoid literature review
D. Eliminate bias
Answer: B
23. Which of the following BEST describes a “lacuna” in literature?
A. A statistical error
B. A gap in existing scientific knowledge
C. A publication style
D. A study objective
Answer: B
24. A researcher reviews available diagnostic tests for tuberculosis and finds no rapid diagnostic tool for a specific type. This is an example of identifying:
A. Publication bias
B. Random error
C. Research gap (lacuna)
D. Sampling error
Answer: C
25. Which statement BEST summarizes the role of literature review in biomedical research?
A. It replaces experimental research.
B. It systematically organizes, evaluates, and synthesizes existing evidence to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research.
C. It is only a collection of references.
D. It is useful only for systematic reviews.
Answer: B
26. Information retrieval in literature review primarily refers to:
A. Collecting laboratory samples
B. Identifying relevant documents from a large database using search queries
C. Writing research objectives
D. Preparing statistical tables
Answer: B
27. Which of the following best defines a database in biomedical research?
A. A printed laboratory register
B. A collection of scientific information stored electronically or in print
C. A research protocol
D. A bibliography
Answer: B
28. Which of the following is an example of a scientific database?
A. PubMed
B. Scopus
C. Google Scholar
D. All of the above
Answer: D
29. Database indexing primarily helps researchers to:
A. Increase publication fees
B. Retrieve relevant information efficiently
C. Reduce sample size
D. Avoid critical appraisal
Answer: B
30. In information retrieval, search queries are mainly:
A. Fixed by publishers
B. User-defined according to the research question
C. Determined by journal editors
D. Based only on article titles
Answer: B
31. Which of the following is recommended for obtaining reliable general health information?
A. Social media
B. HON-certified websites
C. Personal blogs
D. Wikipedia only
Answer: B
32. HON certification mainly indicates that a health website provides:
A. Paid advertisements
B. Reliable and accredited health information
C. Free journal subscriptions
D. Clinical trial registration
Answer: B
33. Which database is considered one of the largest collections of biomedical citations?
A. PubMed
B. YouTube
C. Facebook
D. Instagram
Answer: A
34. Google Scholar is mainly used to:
A. Purchase textbooks
B. Search scholarly literature across multiple disciplines
C. Conduct laboratory experiments
D. Register clinical trials
Answer: B
35. Which of the following provides archived full-text scientific articles?
A. Open-access repositories
B. Institutional libraries
C. Fee-based libraries
D. All of the above
Answer: D
36. Which source generally provides the highest level of evidence?
A. Case reports
B. Expert opinion
C. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
D. Editorials
Answer: C
37. Which organization is well known for publishing systematic reviews?
A. Cochrane Library
B. Google Scholar
C. PubMed Central
D. Scopus
Answer: A
38. PubMed is maintained by:
A. World Health Organization
B. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
C. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
D. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Answer: B
39. PubMed is primarily a database of:
A. Biomedical literature citations and abstracts
B. Hospital records
C. Clinical laboratory reports
D. Medical textbooks
Answer: A
40. PubMed Central (PMC) mainly provides:
A. Paid journal subscriptions only
B. Free full-text biomedical articles
C. Conference registrations
D. Research grants
Answer: B
41. MeSH stands for:
A. Medical Search Hub
B. Medical Subject Headings
C. Medical Scientific Handbook
D. Medical Study Highlights
Answer: B
42. MeSH is maintained by:
A. WHO
B. National Library of Medicine (NLM)
C. ICMR
D. CDC
Answer: B
43. The primary purpose of MeSH terms is to:
A. Increase article length
B. Improve indexing and retrieval of biomedical literature
C. Replace keywords
D. Write research objectives
Answer: B
44. Using MeSH terminology in PubMed searches generally:
A. Reduces search accuracy
B. Improves retrieval of relevant articles
C. Eliminates Boolean operators
D. Restricts access to journals
Answer: B
45. Which of the following search methods is available in PubMed?
A. Author search
B. Year-wise search
C. Study design search
D. All of the above
Answer: D
46. Which Boolean operator retrieves only articles common to both search terms?
A. OR
B. NOT
C. AND
D. XOR
Answer: C
47. Searching “Diabetes AND Hypertension” retrieves:
A. Articles on diabetes only
B. Articles on hypertension only
C. Articles containing both diabetes and hypertension
D. All medical articles
Answer: C
48. Which Boolean operator broadens the search by retrieving records containing either search term?
A. AND
B. OR
C. NOT
D. ONLY
Answer: B
49. Which Boolean operator excludes unwanted search results?
A. AND
B. OR
C. NOT
D. WITH
Answer: C
50. Which Boolean query would be most appropriate to retrieve studies specifically related to lung infections?
A. Lung OR Infection
B. Lung NOT Infection
C. Lung AND Infection
D. Lung ONLY Infection
Answer: C
51. The Boolean operator AND is mainly used to:
A. Broaden the search
B. Retrieve records containing both search terms
C. Exclude unwanted articles
D. Search author names only
Answer: B
52. Which Boolean operator retrieves the largest number of search results?
A. AND
B. NOT
C. OR
D. NEAR
Answer: C
53. Which Boolean operator is useful for excluding irrelevant articles from search results?
A. OR
B. AND
C. NOT
D. PLUS
Answer: C
54. A researcher searches “Tuberculosis AND Diabetes”. The search results will include:
A. Articles on tuberculosis only
B. Articles on diabetes only
C. Articles discussing both tuberculosis and diabetes
D. All infectious diseases
Answer: C
55. Which search strategy is MOST appropriate when searching for articles on malaria but excluding pregnancy-related studies?
A. Malaria OR Pregnancy
B. Malaria NOT Pregnancy
C. Malaria AND Pregnancy
D. Malaria ONLY Pregnancy
Answer: B
56. Which Boolean operator should be used to obtain the widest range of articles?
A. AND
B. OR
C. NOT
D. NEAR
Answer: B
57. Before selecting studies for a literature review, researchers should first:
A. Conduct statistical analysis
B. Retrieve relevant articles using a structured search
C. Write the discussion section
D. Prepare references
Answer: B
58. The first step in selecting studies for literature review is:
A. Tabulating study findings
B. Reading and critically appraising retrieved studies
C. Writing the summary
D. Publishing the review
Answer: B
59. Critical appraisal should be:
A. Personal and emotional
B. Scholarly and objective
C. Focused only on study weaknesses
D. Based on journal impact factor
Answer: B
60. During critical appraisal, researchers should primarily evaluate:
A. The author’s popularity
B. Scientific quality and relevance of the study
C. Number of references
D. Cost of publication
Answer: B
61. Scholarly critical appraisal means:
A. Rejecting all previous studies
B. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, and research gaps objectively
C. Criticizing authors personally
D. Ignoring study limitations
Answer: B
62. Identifying that most studies were conducted in Western populations but not in Indian populations represents identifying a:
A. Random error
B. Knowledge gap (lacuna)
C. Statistical significance
D. Publication bias
Answer: B
63. Comparing methods used in previous studies mainly helps researchers to:
A. Increase sample size
B. Select appropriate methodology for their own study
C. Avoid literature review
D. Eliminate statistical analysis
Answer: B
64. Which of the following should be compared during literature review?
A. Study methods
B. Results
C. Major findings
D. All of the above
Answer: D
65. The final organizational step before writing a literature review is:
A. Conducting laboratory experiments
B. Tabulating study information
C. Selecting a journal
D. Statistical analysis
Answer: B
66. A literature review table commonly includes:
A. Citation
B. Study design
C. Sample size
D. All of the above
Answer: D
67. Which column is generally included in a literature review summary table?
A. Study objectives
B. Measurable outcomes
C. Authors’ conclusions
D. All of the above
Answer: D
68. Studies in a literature review table are preferably arranged:
A. Alphabetically
B. Randomly
C. Chronologically from recent to older studies
D. According to journal impact factor
Answer: C
69. Organizing studies chronologically mainly helps researchers:
A. Reduce publication bias
B. Understand the evolution of evidence over time
C. Increase citation count
D. Eliminate weak studies
Answer: B
70. Which of the following is NOT usually included in a literature review table?
A. Sample size
B. Study population
C. Authors’ conclusions
D. Researcher’s salary
Answer: D
71. Tabulating literature primarily helps researchers to:
A. Memorize references
B. Compare studies systematically
C. Avoid reading full-text articles
D. Replace critical appraisal
Answer: B
72. A literature review table improves:
A. Organization of information
B. Comparison between studies
C. Identification of research gaps
D. All of the above
Answer: D
73. Which of the following BEST represents a high-quality literature review?
A. Listing article titles only
B. Summarizing studies without evaluation
C. Systematically organizing, comparing, and critically appraising evidence
D. Using only textbooks
Answer: C
74. A researcher compares sample sizes, study designs, methodologies, and outcomes across multiple studies. This process is called:
A. Data collection
B. Comparative literature analysis
C. Randomization
D. Meta-analysis
Answer: B
75. Which statement BEST summarizes the study selection process in literature review?
A. Retrieve studies → Critically appraise → Compare → Tabulate
B. Retrieve studies → Publish → Collect data
C. Collect data → Write discussion → Review literature
D. Write references → Select journal → Submit manuscript
Answer: A
76. The first section of a literature review write-up is:
A. Summary
B. Introduction
C. Discussion
D. References
Answer: B
77. The introduction of a literature review should explain:
A. Statistical analysis only
B. Purpose of the review and how the literature was organized
C. Study results
D. Authors’ conclusions
Answer: B
78. The main body of a literature review is commonly referred to as:
A. Empirical literature
B. Bibliography
C. Appendix
D. Methodology
Answer: A
79. The empirical literature section mainly contains:
A. Research budget
B. Relevant quality studies related to the research question
C. Personal opinions
D. Statistical formulas
Answer: B
80. While writing the empirical literature section, studies should be presented using:
A. Direct quotations only
B. Paraphrasing with scholarly critical appraisal
C. Bullet points only
D. Personal comments
Answer: B
81. The summary section of a literature review should:
A. Introduce new studies
B. Present only references
C. Summarize existing knowledge and identify research gaps
D. Contain statistical analysis
Answer: C
82. Which of the following should NOT be included in the summary of a literature review?
A. Existing knowledge
B. Research gaps
C. New experimental data
D. Major conclusions
Answer: C
83. Which statement best describes a good literature review?
A. It copies published articles.
B. It organizes, synthesizes, and critically appraises existing evidence.
C. It contains only recent references.
D. It avoids discussing study limitations.
Answer: B
84. Which ethical principle should always be followed while writing a literature review?
A. Modify results to support the research question.
B. Present information honestly without distortion.
C. Include only positive findings.
D. Ignore contradictory evidence.
Answer: B
85. While reviewing published studies, weaknesses should be discussed:
A. Personally
B. Emotionally
C. Scholarly and objectively
D. Aggressively
Answer: C
86. Which of the following is considered research misconduct during literature review?
A. Honest paraphrasing
B. Distorting the findings of published studies
C. Using recent references
D. Critically appraising studies
Answer: B
87. Which ethical practice is essential while citing published work?
A. Cite only textbooks.
B. Accurately document all information sources.
C. Cite only famous authors.
D. Avoid using reference styles.
Answer: B
88. Which referencing style is most commonly used in biomedical journals?
A. APA
B. MLA
C. Vancouver
D. Chicago
Answer: C
89. Which of the following is another commonly used referencing style mentioned in the lecture?
A. IEEE
B. Harvard
C. OSCOLA
D. ACS
Answer: B
90. Accurate referencing is important because it:
A. Reduces sample size
B. Gives proper credit to original authors and avoids plagiarism
C. Improves statistical significance
D. Eliminates publication bias
Answer: B
91. Which statement regarding plagiarism is CORRECT?
A. Copying published material without citation is acceptable.
B. Proper citation helps prevent plagiarism.
C. Plagiarism is allowed in review articles.
D. References are optional.
Answer: B
92. Which sequence correctly represents writing a literature review?
A. Summary → Introduction → Empirical Literature
B. Introduction → Empirical Literature → Summary
C. Empirical Literature → References → Summary
D. Results → Introduction → Discussion
Answer: B
93. Which of the following is MOST important while critically reviewing a published article?
A. Journal cover page
B. Scientific quality and relevance
C. Number of pages
D. Publisher’s location
Answer: B
94. Which statement about literature review is TRUE?
A. It should include only studies supporting the hypothesis.
B. It should objectively include all relevant evidence.
C. Only positive studies should be cited.
D. Contradictory evidence should be ignored.
Answer: B
95. A researcher identifies that no Indian studies exist on a particular intervention despite several Western studies. This finding mainly represents:
A. Publication bias
B. Knowledge gap (lacuna)
C. Random error
D. Selection bias
Answer: B
96. Which of the following resources provides the highest level of scientific evidence?
A. Case reports
B. Expert opinions
C. Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses
D. Narrative reviews
Answer: C
97. Which search strategy will retrieve articles containing either COVID-19 or Influenza?
A. COVID-19 AND Influenza
B. COVID-19 OR Influenza
C. COVID-19 NOT Influenza
D. COVID-19 ONLY Influenza
Answer: B
98. Which search strategy will retrieve only articles discussing both COVID-19 and Vaccination?
A. COVID-19 OR Vaccination
B. COVID-19 NOT Vaccination
C. COVID-19 AND Vaccination
D. COVID-19 ONLY Vaccination
Answer: C
99. Which statement BEST summarizes the importance of literature review in biomedical research?
A. It replaces laboratory experiments.
B. It identifies existing evidence, evaluates study quality, discovers research gaps, and guides future research.
C. It is required only for postgraduate students.
D. It is mainly used for writing references.
Answer: B
100. Which statement BEST summarizes Lecture 03: Literature Review?
A. Literature review is only a summary of previous studies.
B. Literature review is a systematic process of searching, critically appraising, organizing, synthesizing, and ethically presenting existing scientific evidence to identify research gaps and support future research.
C. Literature review is limited to PubMed searching.
D. Literature review is useful only for systematic reviews.
Answer: B
