IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/manrev/v75y2025i2d10.1007_s11301-025-00513-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Half dead or more alive than ever? New, old, and (increasingly) redundant literature review formats

Author

Listed:
  • Jörn Block

    (University of Trier)

  • Leif Brändle

    (University of Hohenheim)

  • Peter Limbach

    (University of Bielefeld)

  • Tobias Röth

    (University of Bremen)

  • Christopher Albert Sabel

    (Erasmus University)

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes academic research, this editorial argues that the role of literature reviews is evolving rather than diminishing. We identify three key trends reinforcing their necessity: the deluge of management research, the rise of interdisciplinary research and challenges, and practitioners’ growing demand for evidence-based insights. While AI enhances literature review methodologies, human expertise remains critical for agenda-setting, interpretation, and synthesis. To meet these new demands, MRQ introduces six distinct literature review formats: field-focused, meta-analytic, method-focused, phenomenon-focused, practitioner-focused, and theory-focused reviews. We outline their methodological approaches and intended audiences and additionally introduce blended reviews that combine these formats to offer new opportunities for advancing scholarship. We attempt to guide authors while inviting further dialogue on the future of literature reviews in management research.

Suggested Citation

  • Jörn Block & Leif Brändle & Peter Limbach & Tobias Röth & Christopher Albert Sabel, 2025. "Half dead or more alive than ever? New, old, and (increasingly) redundant literature review formats," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(2), pages 993-1008, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:manrev:v:75:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11301-025-00513-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11301-025-00513-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11301-025-00513-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11301-025-00513-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leidy Katerine Rojas Molina & José Ángel Pérez López & María Soledad Campos Lucena, 2023. "Meta-analysis: associated factors for the adoption and disclosure of CSR practices in the banking sector," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 1017-1044, September.
    2. Swen Nadkarni & Reinhard Prügl, 2021. "Digital transformation: a review, synthesis and opportunities for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(2), pages 233-341, April.
    3. Arts, Sam & Hou, Jianan & Gomez, Juan Carlos, 2021. "Natural language processing to identify the creation and impact of new technologies in patent text: Code, data, and new measures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(2).
    4. Marie-E. Godefroid & Ralf Plattfaut & Björn Niehaves, 2023. "How to measure the status quo bias? A review of current literature," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(4), pages 1667-1711, December.
    5. Gloria Aparicio & Txomin Iturralde & Ana Vilma Rodríguez, 2023. "Developments in the knowledge-based economy research field: a bibliometric literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 317-352, February.
    6. David Jancsics & Salvador Espinosa & Jonathan Carlos, 2023. "Organizational noncompliance: an interdisciplinary review of social and organizational factors," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 1273-1301, September.
    7. Muñoz, Pablo & Dimov, Dimo, 2023. "Facing the future through entrepreneurship theory: A prospective inquiry framework," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4).
    8. Jinesh Jain & Nidhi Walia & Simarjeet Singh & Esha Jain, 2022. "Mapping the field of behavioural biases: a literature review using bibliometric analysis," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(3), pages 823-855, September.
    9. Josef Welzmueller & Sascha L. Schmidt, 2024. "Consumer identification: an interdisciplinary review of the marketing and sport management literature and future research agenda," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 439-485, February.
    10. Natália L. Figueiredo & João J. M. Ferreira, 2022. "More than meets the partner: a systematic review and agenda for University–Industry cooperation," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(1), pages 231-273, February.
    11. Tanja Burgard & Holger Steinmetz, 2023. "Evidence in management science related to psychology: benefits, tools, and an example of a community-augmented meta-analysis," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 1135-1150, September.
    12. Helen Pearson, 2024. "Can AI review the scientific literature — and figure out what it all means?," Nature, Nature, vol. 635(8038), pages 276-278, November.
    13. Florian Manz, 2019. "Determinants of non-performing loans: What do we know? A systematic review and avenues for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 69(4), pages 351-389, November.
    14. Christian Theres & Stefan Strohmeier, 2024. "Consolidating the theoretical foundations of digital human resource management acceptance and use research: a meta-analytic validation of UTAUT," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(4), pages 2683-2715, December.
    15. Timothy T. Campbell, 2024. "The four-day work week: a chronological, systematic review of the academic literature," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 1791-1807, September.
    16. Christopher Hansen & Holger Steinmetz & Jörn Block, 2022. "How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(1), pages 1-19, February.
    17. Patrick Weber & K. Valerie Carl & Oliver Hinz, 2024. "Applications of Explainable Artificial Intelligence in Finance—a systematic review of Finance, Information Systems, and Computer Science literature," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 867-907, June.
    18. Holger Steinmetz & Jörn Block, 2022. "Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM): new tricks of the trade," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(3), pages 605-626, September.
    19. Karin Knorr & Franziska Hein-Pensel, 2024. "Since Albert and Whetten: the dissemination of Albert and Whetten’s conceptualization of organizational identity," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 597-625, June.
    20. Kieran Conboy, 2009. "Agility from First Principles: Reconstructing the Concept of Agility in Information Systems Development," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 329-354, September.
    21. Elisabeth S. C. Berger & Christine Blanka, 2024. "Comprehensive and multifaceted perspectives on sustainability, urban studies, and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 471-501, February.
    22. James R. Scotter, 2020. "Narcissism in CEO research: a review and replication of the archival approach," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 629-674, November.
    23. Christoph Pott & Christian Spiekermann & Christoph Breuer & Michael ten Hompel, 2024. "Managing logistics in sport: a comprehensive systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(4), pages 2341-2400, December.
    24. Patrick Spieth & Tobias Röth & Thomas Clauss & Christoph Klos, 2021. "Technological Frames in the Digital Age: Theory, Measurement Instrument, and Future Research Areas," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(7), pages 1962-1993, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Xiaolin & Zhang, Mengjie & Li, Weiwen & Chen, Juanyi, 2025. "Looking for new possibilities in emerging industries: The impact of strategic sensing capability on high-tech startups’ product innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    2. Carla Curado & Mírian Oliveira & Dara G. Schniederjans & Eduardo Kunzel Teixeira, 2024. "Control variable use and reporting in operations management: a systematic literature review and revisit," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 1809-1839, September.
    3. Joern Block & Leif Brändle, 2022. "Looking back to look ahead: MRQ's past five years of evidence-based management research in numbers," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 917-926, December.
    4. Tobias Knabke & Sebastian Olbrich, 2018. "Building novel capabilities to enable business intelligence agility: results from a quantitative study," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 493-546, August.
    5. Stefano D’Angelo & Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Francesco Di Lorenzo, 2024. "Understanding corporate entrepreneurship in the digital age: a review and research agenda," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(12), pages 3719-3774, December.
    6. Rafael Martínez-Peláez & Alberto Ochoa-Brust & Solange Rivera & Vanessa G. Félix & Rodolfo Ostos & Héctor Brito & Ramón A. Félix & Luis J. Mena, 2023. "Role of Digital Transformation for Achieving Sustainability: Mediated Role of Stakeholders, Key Capabilities, and Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-27, July.
    7. Malewska, Kamila & Cyfert, Szymon & Chwiłkowska-Kubala, Anna & Mierzejewska, Katrzyna & Szumowski, Witold, 2024. "The missing link between digital transformation and business model innovation in energy SMEs: The role of digital organisational culture," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    8. Dominik Oehlschläger & Andreas H. Glas & Michael Eßig, 2024. "How Digital Twins Impact Responsiveness: A Dynamic Fit Approach to Information Processing for High-Involvement Product Demand Management," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 76(4), pages 661-706, December.
    9. Xin Xie & Shaokang Wu & Ghulam Subhani & Sakina, 2025. "Analyzing how digital orientation contributes to organizational innovation and environmental, social and governance performance through digital inclusion and capabilities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Zahoor, Nadia & Zopiatis, Anastasios & Adomako, Samuel & Lamprinakos, Grigorios, 2023. "The micro-foundations of digitally transforming SMEs: How digital literacy and technology interact with managerial attributes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    11. Markus Menz & Sven Kunisch & Julian Birkinshaw & David J. Collis & Nicolai J. Foss & Robert E. Hoskisson & John E. Prescott, 2021. "Corporate Strategy and the Theory of the Firm in the Digital Age," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(7), pages 1695-1720, November.
    12. Zbysław Dobrowolski & Grzegorz Drozdowski & Józef Ledzianowski, 2021. "The Competency Niche: An Exploratory Study," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-11, October.
    13. Bağış, Mehmet & Kryeziu, Liridon & Akbaba, Yılmaz & Ramadani, Veland & Karagüzel, Ensar Selman & Krasniqi, Besnik A., 2022. "The micro-foundations of a dynamic technological capability in the automotive industry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    14. Zhang, Linyan & Hu, Chunyu & Guo, Chuanyin & Wang, Jianguo, 2024. "Digital economy, technical change and total factor productivity: Empirical evidence from high-tech industry in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9).
    15. Gupta, Manjul & George, Joey F. & Xia, Weidong, 2019. "Relationships between IT department culture and agile software development practices: An empirical investigation," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 13-24.
    16. Yoon, Naeun & Sohn, So Young, 2024. "Assessment framework for automotive suppliers' technological adaptability in the electric vehicle era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    17. Jiang, Cuiqing & Zhou, Yiru & Chen, Bo, 2023. "Mining semantic features in patent text for financial distress prediction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    18. Finja Lena Kind & Jennifer Zeppenfeld & Rainer Lueg, 2023. "The impact of chief executive officer narcissism on environmental, social, and governance reporting," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4448-4466, November.
    19. Costello Gabriel J., 2018. "Proposing an innovation-based view of the firm," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 37(1), pages 65-79.
    20. Zhong Wang & Rui Xu, 2022. "Price Controls and Platform Ecosystem: A Comparative Analysis of Parking Applications between Beijing and London," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Literature reviews; Management practices; New data sources; Research design; Scale development; Systematic literature reviews; Theorizing; Meta-research;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:manrev:v:75:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11301-025-00513-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.