Literature Review

Dr. Harris Shah Abd HamidDepartment Of Psychology

International Islamic University Malaysia11/7/2014

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the purpose and basic requirements of an effective literature review.

• Able to critically assess research materials.

• Able to develop strategies for writing a literature review.

• Use a tool to manage sources appropriately.

Overview Introduction to LR Conducting an LR Writing an LR Options for Citations

Introduction to LR

What is LR?

A research literature review is a systematic, explicit and reproducible method for

identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing the existing body of

completed and recorded work produced by researchers, scholars,

and practitioners.

Fink, A. (2005). Conducting Research Literature Reviews. London: Sage.

What is LR? Literature = books, journal articles, electronic

journals, newspapers, magazines, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, reports, and documentaries.

Literature reviews a section of the paper. a paper in itself.

What is LR? A summary is a recap of

the important information of the source

As synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of information.

effective evaluation of selected documents on a research topic.

a critical synthesis of previous research.

To give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations.

To trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates.

To evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.

research question(s)

What is LR?

A ‘good’ LR

…synthesis of available research …critical evaluation …appropriate breadth and depth …clarity and conciseness …uses rigorous and consistent methods

A ‘poor’ LR.

..an annotated bibliography

.. confined to description

.. narrow and shallow

.. confusing and longwinded .. constructed in an arbitrary way

How to do it wrongly

• Google search as if searching for a gossip• Download lots of pdf to fill up LR folder• Prints lots of pdf to fill up thesis ring binder• Cut from pdf and paste onto doc

Why write LR?

The literature review is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to the work that you are carrying out.

To provide background information To establish importance To demonstrate familiarity To “carve out a space” for further research

Why write LR? For a research paper on a thesis, the

literature review provides a background to the study being proposed.

The background may consider one or more of the following aspects Theoretical background – past, present or future Clinical practice – previous or contemporary Methodology and/or research methods Previous findings Rationale and/or relevance of the current study

Why write LR? In a broader context  Hart (1998) lists the

following purposes of a review: Distinguishing what has been done from what

needs to be done; Discovering important variables relevant to the

topic; Synthesising and gaining a new perspective; Identifying relationships between ideas and

practice; Establishing the context of the topic or problem;

Why write LR? Rationalising the significance of the problem; Enhancing and acquiring the subject

vocabulary; Understanding the structure of the subject; Relating ideas and theory to applications; Identifying methodologies and techniques that

have been used; Placing the research in a historical context to

show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments.

Conducting an LR

7 tasks in LR1. Selecting research questions2. Selecting your sources3. Choosing search terms4. Running your search5. Applying practical screening criteria6. Applying methodological screening

criteria7. Synthesizing the results

Steps for Writing a LR

Planning Reading and Research Analyzing Drafting Revising

How to review? Find similarities and differences between

studies at different levels, e.g.:- philosophy- epistemology- morality- methodology- methods- types of data- data analysis- interpretation

Pitfalls to avoid Vagueness due to too much or inappropriate

generalisation Limited range Insufficient information Irrelevant material Omission of contrasting views Omission of recent work

Principles of Organisation

• explaining key themes or issues relevant to the topic Theme

• discussing interdisciplinary approaches to a topic or when discussing a number of studies with a different approach

Methodology

• historical changes that are central to explaining the topic. Chronology

QuestionsBroad: What is the prevalence of atrial fibrillation?

Narrow: What costs are associated with hospitalization for

atrial fibrillation?

Very Narrow: What strategies have been utilized in Hospital

Kuala Lumpur to reduce length of stay for patients with atrial fibrillation?

Questions & search results

Relevancy

Retrieval(# of search results)

Broad Questions

Narrow Questions

High = lots of articles

Low = very few articles

High = directly relevant articles

Low = mostly irrelevant articles

Google Scholar Search Job satisfaction: 2,020,000 hits Job satisfaction among nurses: 240, 000 hits Job satisfaction among nurses acute care: 54, 000 Job satisfaction among nurses acute care burnout:

17, 000

Data for LR1. Online public bibliographic databases2. Commercial bibliographic databases3. Specialized bibliographic databases4. Manual or “hand searches” of references lists5. “Grey literature”6. Web reports7. Expert opinions

Where to search

Bibliographic Databases Medicine

o PubMed (or Ovid MEDLINE), EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO

Multidisciplinaryo Scopuso Web of Science

Nursing and Allied Healtho CINAHL

Websites Associations, Organizations & Government

o World Health Organization, Health Canada, Canadian Medical Association, etc.

Other “Grey Literature”

o Dissertations & Theses, SCOPUS (conference proceedings), Web search engines

Screening Criteria: Methodology

Is the study’s research design internally & externally valid?

Are the data sources used in the study reliable & valid?

Are the analytic methods appropriate? Are the results meaningful in practical &

statistical terms?* *Fink, A. (2005). Conducting Research Literature Reviews. London:

Sage.

Planning

Focuso What is the specific thesis, problem, or

research question that my literature review helps to define?

o Identifying a focus that allows you to:• Sort and categorize information• Eliminate irrelevant information

Typeo What type of literature review am I conducting?o Theory; Methodology; Policy; Quantitative;

Qualitative

Planning

Scopeo What is the scope of my literature

review?o What types of sources am I using?

Academic Disciplineo What field(s) am I working in?

Reading and Researching

Collect and read material. Summarize sources.

o Who is the author? o What is the author's main purpose? o What is the author’s theoretical perspective?

Research methodology?o Who is the intended audience? o What is the principal point, conclusion, thesis,

contention, or question? o How is the author’s position supported? o How does this study relate to other studies of the

problem or topic? o What does this study add to your project?

Select only relevant books and articles.

Analyzing Sources A literature review is never just a list of

studies—it always offers an argument about a body of research

Analysis occurs on two levels:o Individual sourceso Body of research

Four Analysis Tasks of the Literature Review

TASKS OF LITERATURE

REVIEW

SUMMARIZE SYNTHESIZE CRITIQUE COMPARE

Summary and Synthesis

In your own words, summarize and/or synthesize the key findings relevant to your study.

What do we know about the immediate area?

What are the key arguments, key characteristics, key concepts or key figures?

What are the existing debates/theories?

What common methodologies are used?

Sample Language for Summary and Synthesis

Normadin has demonstrated… Early work by Hausman, Schwarz, and Graves was

concerned with… Elsayed and Stern compared algorithms for handling… Additional work by Karasawa et. al, Azadivar, and

Parry et. al deals with…

Summary and Synthesis

Under the restriction of small populations, four possible ways [to avoid premature convergence] were presented. The first one is to revise the gene operators. . . .Griffiths and Miles applied advanced two-dimensional gene operators to search the optimal cross-section of a beam and significantly improve results. The second way is to adjust gene probability. Leite and Topping adopted a variable mutation probability and obtained an outperformed result.

When patients are in hospital or sick at home and visited by a nurse, it is important that the care they receive is recorded properly.  Nurses record a wide variety of information about a patient’s care and progress.  For example, nurses would record a patient’s status while in ICU every hour, or when and how pain medication should be given and when it was given, or the progress of a pregnant  woman visiting a clinic.  These nursing records are a way for nurses to share care information with other nurses, other health care professionals and sometimes with patients.  This is Information that can ensure patient care is consistent when staff changes shifts or information that can be used later as a history of previous care. But what is the best way to record and share this information? Is there a system or way of recording care information that is best?  It has been suggested that there may be a difference in how nurses practice or how well a patient does with the use of one record system compared to another.  A review of the effect of different nursing record systems was conducted.  After searching for all relevant studies, 9 studies were found.  These studies compared nursing records filled out on paper with nursing records done on computer; nursing records that were held by patients themselves to records kept at a hospital or clinic; and nursing records which used different types of forms. The evidence shows that nursing record systems which aim to fix a specific problem, such as reducing lost notes, decreasing the time required for data entry, or the amount of paper files, may be successful at fixing that problem.  But it is uncertain whether changing an entire system of recording nursing care may improve how nurses practice or how well a patient does. What this review did show, is that there needs to be more work with the nursing professions to understand exactly what needs to be recorded and how it will be used, and that it is important to involve the nursing staff in the design and development of the nursing record systems.   

Six randomized controlled trials involving 749 workers were included in this systematic review. In five studies the workers had musculoskeletal disorders and in one study they had mental health problems. The results of this review show that there is moderate-quality evidence to support the use of workplace interventions to reduce sickness absence among workers with musculoskeletal disorders when compared to usual care. However, workplace interventions were not effective to improve health outcomes among workers with musculoskeletal disorders. Considering all the types of work disability together, the results showed low-quality evidence that workplace interventions are more effective than usual care in reducing absence from work because of sickness. Unfortunately, no conclusions could be drawn regarding interventions for people with mental health problems and other health conditions due to a lack of studies. In conclusion, care providers could implement workplace interventions in guiding workers disabled with musculoskeletal disorders if the main goal is return to work.

Summary and Synthesis

Piaget’s theory of stages of cognitive development and Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development are commonly used for educational psychology courses (Borich & Tombari, 1997; LeFrancois, 1997; Slavin, 1997). Piaget described characteristic behaviors, including artistic ones such as drawing, as evidence of how children think and what children do as they progress beyond developmental milestones into and through stages of development.

Comparison and Critique

Evaluates the strength and weaknesses of the work:

How do the different studies relate? What is new, different, or controversial?

What views need further testing?

What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradicting, or too limited?

What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory?

Sample Language for Comparison and Critique

In this ambitious but flawed study, Jones and Wang… These general results, reflecting the stochastic nature of

the flow of goods, are similar to those reported by Rosenblatt and Roll…

Example: Comparison and Critique

The critical response to the poetry of Phillis Wheatley often registers disappointment or surprise. Some critics have complained that the verse of this African American slave is insecure (Collins 1975, 78), imitative (Richmond 1974, 54-66), and incapacitated (Burke 1991, 33, 38)—at worst, the product of a “White mind” (Jameson 1974, 414-15). Others, in contrast, have applauded Wheatley’s critique of Anglo-American discourse(Kendrick 1993,222-23), her revision of literary models…

Comparison and Critique

The situationist model has also received its share of criticism. One of the most frequently cited shortcomings of this approach centers around the assumption that individuals enter into the work context tabula rasa.

Evaluative Adjectives

Unusual Small Simple Exploratory Limited Restricted Flawed

Complex Competent Important Innovative Impressive Useful Careful

AnalyzingOnce you have summarized, synthesized, compared, and

critiqued your chosen material, you may consider whether these studies

Demonstrate the topic’s chronological development.

Show different approaches to the problem.

Show an ongoing debate.

Center on a “seminal” study or studies.

Demonstrate a “paradigm shift.”

Analyzing: Putting It All Together

What do researchers KNOW about this field?

What do researchers NOT KNOW?

Why should we (further) study this topic?

What will my study contribute?

Writing the LR Report

Drafting: An Overview

To help you approach your draft in a manageable fashion, this section addresses the following topics:

Exigency Thesis Statement Organization Introduction and conclusion Citations

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement offers an argument about the literature. It may do any of or a combination of the following:

Offer an argument and critical assessment of the literature (i.e. topic + claim).

Provide an overview of current scholarly conversations. Point out gaps or weaknesses in the literature. Relate the literature to the larger aim of the study.

Examples: Thesis Statements

1) In spite of these difficulties we believe that preservice elementary art teachers and classroom teachers need some knowledge of stage theories of children’s development…[then goes on to review theories of development]

2) Research on the meaning and experience of home has proliferated over the past two decades, particularly within the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, psychology, human geography, history, architecture and philosophy. . . . Many researchers now understand home as a multidimensional concept and acknowledge the presence of and need for multidisciplinary research in the field. However, with the exception of two exemplary articles by Després (1991) and Somerville (1997) few have translated this awareness into genuinely, interdisciplinary studies of the meaning of home.

Examples: Thesis Statements

3) Polyvalency refers to the simultaneous binding of multiple ligands on one entity to multiple receptors on another. Polyvalent interactions are ubiquitous in nature, with examples including the attachment of viruses to target cells, bacteria to cells, cells to other cells, and the binding of antibodies to pathogens. . . . In this article, I review recent developments in polyvalency and discuss the numerous opportunities for chemical engineers to make contributions to this exciting field, whose applications include drug discovery, tissue engineering, and nanofabrication.

4) In this article, we review and critique scholarship on place-based education in order to consider the ingredients of a critical place-based pedagogy for the arts and humanities. . . We begin by reviewing ecohumanism's call for a more locally responsive education in light of the marginalization of place and community…

Organization

Five common approaches to organizing the body of your paper include:

Topical Distant to close Debate Chronological Seminal Study

Topical: Characteristics Most common approach

Breaks the field into a number of subfields, subject areas, or approaches

Discusses each subsection individually, sometimes with critiques of each

Most useful for organizing a large body of literature that does not have one or two studies that stand out as most important or a clear chronological development

Topical: Typical Language

Three important areas of this field have received attention: A, B, C.

A has been approached from two perspectives F and G. The most important developments in terms of B have been… C has also been an important area of study in this field.

Distant to Close: Characteristics

A type of topical organization, with studies grouped by their relevance to current research.

Starts by describing studies with general similarities to current research and ends with studies most relevant to the specific topic.

Most useful for studies of methods or models.

Distant to Close: Typical Language

Method/Model M (slightly similar to current research) addresses …

Drawing upon method/model N (more similar to current research) can help . . .

This study applies the procedure used in method/model O (most similar to current research) to . . .

Debate: Characteristics

Another type of topical approach, with a chronological component.

Emphasizes various strands of research in which proponents of various models openly criticize one another.

Most useful when clear opposing positions are present in the literature.

Debate: Typical Language

There have been two (three, four, etc.) distinct approaches this problem.

The first model posits…

The second model argues that the first model is wrong for three reasons. Instead, the second model claims…

Chronological: Characteristics

Lists studies in terms of chronological development

Useful when the field displays clear development over a period of time

o Linear progression

o Paradigm shift

Chronological: Typical Language

This subject was first studied by X, who argued/found…

In (date), Y modified/extended/contradicted X’s work by…

Today, research by Z represents the current state of the field.

Seminal Study: Characteristics

Begins with detailed description of extremely important study.

Later work is organized using another pattern.

Most useful when one study is clearly most important or central in laying the groundwork for future research.

Seminal Study: Typical Language

The most important research on this topic was the study by X in (date).

Following X’s study, research fell into two camps (extended X’s work, etc.)

Introductions

Indicate scope of the literature review. Provide some background to the topic. Demonstrate the importance or need for

research. Make a claim. Offer an overview/map of the ensuing

discussion.

Example: Introduction There is currently much controversy over how nonhuman

primates understand the behavior of other animate beings. On the one hand, they might simply attend to and recall the specific actions of others in particular contexts, and therefore, when that context recurs, be able to predict their behavior (Tomasello & Call, 1994, 1997). On the other hand, they might be able to understand something of the goals or intentions of others and thus be able to predict others’ behaviors in a host of novel circumstances. Several lines of evidence (e.g., involving processes of social learning; Tomasello, 1997) and a number of anecdotal observations (e.g., Savage-Rumbaugh, 1984) have been adduced on both sides of the question, but few studies directly address the question: Do nonhuman primates understand the intentions of others?

Conclusions

Summarize the main findings of your review.

Provide closure. Explain “so what?” Implications for future research.

OR Connections to the current study.

Example: Conclusion In summary, although there is some suggestive evidence

that chimpanzees may understand others’ intentions, there are also negative findings (e.g., Povinelli et al., 1998) and a host of alternative explanations. As a consequence, currently it is not clear whether chimpanzees (or other nonhuman primates) distinguish between intentional and accidental actions performed by others. In contrast, there are several studies indicating that children as young as 14 months of age have some understanding of others’ intentions, but the lack of comparative studies makes it difficult to know how children compare to apes. This study is the first to directly compare children, chimpanzees, and orangutans with the use of a nonverbal task in which the subjects were to discriminate between the experimenter’s intentional and accidental actions.

Citing Sources

If it’s not your own idea (and not common knowledge)—DOCUMENT IT!

Paraphrase key ideas.

Use quotations sparingly.

Introduce quotations effectively.

Use proper in-text citation to document the source of ideas.

Maintain accurate bibliographic records.

Citing Sources: Things to Avoid

Plagiarism Irrelevant quotations. Un-introduced quotations.

Examples: Citing Sources

Quoting: Despite pleasant depictions of home life in art, the fact remains that for most Seventeenth-century Dutch women, the home represented a curtailment of some degree of independence. Art historian Laurinda Dixon writes that “for the majority of women, however, home was a prison, though a prison made bearable by love and approval” (1995, p. 136 ).

Paraphrasing: Despite pleasant depictions of home life in art, the fact remains that for most Seventeenth-century Dutch women, the home represented a curtailment of some degree of independence. Art historian Laurinda Dixon argues that the home actually imprisoned most women. She adds that this prison was made attractive by three things: the prescriptions of doctors of the day against idleness, the praise given diligent housewives, and the romantic ideal based on love and respect (1995, p. 136).

Some Tips on Revising

Title: Is my title consistent with the content of my paper? Introduction: Do I appropriately introduce my review? Thesis: Does my review have a clear claim? Body: Is the organization clear? Have I provided headings? Topic sentences: Have I clearly indicated the major idea(s) of

each paragraph? Transitions: Does my writing flow? Conclusion: Do I provide sufficient closure? Spelling and Grammar: Are there any major spelling or

grammatical mistakes?

Writing a Literature Review: In Summary

As you read, try to see the “big picture”—your literature review should provide an overview of the state of research.

Include only those source materials that help you shape your argument. Resist the temptation to include everything you’ve read!

Balance summary and analysis as you write. Keep in mind your purpose for writing:

o How will this review benefit readers?

o How does this review contribute to your study? Be meticulous about citations.

Writing Issues

Language focus Create a balance between direct quotation

(citation) and paraphrasing. Avoid too much direct quoting. The verb tense chosen depends on your emphasis:

When you are citing a specific author's findings, use the past tense: (found, demonstrated);

When you are writing about an accepted fact, use the present tense: (demonstrates, finds); and

When you are citing several authors or making a general statement, use the present perfect tense: (have shown, have found, little research has been done).

Dr. Lili Ann SMM4999 - Literature Review 71

Ethical Issues Content from studies must be presented honestly

and not distorted to support a selected utilization project.

The weaknesses of a study need to be addressed, but it is not necessary to be highly critical of a researcher’s work.

Criticism should focus on the content, be related to your project, and be neutral and scholarly rather than negative and blaming.

Sources should be accurately documented.

Problems with citation

Human errorso Typoso Un-

alphabeticalo Missed periodso Copy and

pasted the wrong details

I’m-just-a-human erroro Can’t spell correctlyo Can’t remember the

correct styleo Can’t detect mistakeso Can’t type fast

enough

How to do citations

Manual: o Write and typeo Laborious, time inefficient, error-prone

Autoo Clap and smileo Pure fantasy

Semi-autoo Point and click o More time efficient, less error, instill confidence,

motivating

Electronic Referencing

Stand-alone systemo RefWorko Mendeleyo EndNotes

Packagedo Reference Manager in MS Wordo Google ‘cite’ function

RefWorks EndNote Mendeley

Where can I use it?

Anywhere with web access

On computers with EndNote installed. Recently released EndNote web 

Anywhere with web accessAnd on computers with Mendeley installed

How much does it cost?

Free to members of subscribing institution

Individual copy must be purchased.

Free. Upgrade can be purchased

Is it easy to learn?

Basics are easy to learn Medium

Basics are easy to learn

Where are my files stored?

Remotely, on the web (local backups may be made as well)

Locally, on your computer

Locally, on your computerAnd remotely, on the web. Can synchronise the files.

Introduction to Mendeley

Mendeley

With Mendeley, you can …

• Automatically generate bibliographies• Collaborate easily with other researchers online• Easily import papers from other research

software• Find relevant papers based on what you’re

reading• Access your papers from anywhere online• Read papers on the go, with our new iPhone app

What EXACTLY can it do?• Insert citation into text• Insert references• Build reference list• Import citation data• Export citation data

How to Do it?• Create Mendeley account (www.mendeley.com)• Download and install Mendeley Desktop• Install Mendeley Add-on for MS Word• Build a library of references• Use library items

o Send citation to texto Create reference list

Sign up www.mendeley.com

Online Dashboard

Desktop Dashboard

Install plugin from Mendeley desktop

Mendeley plug-in in MS Word

How to add items Add individual files Add folders Add item manually (or, is it?)

Add an entry manually

Thank you DOI

Insert a citation

1

2

3

4

Text with highlighted citations

Create a references list

Ta daaa….

Google Scholar• Bugs• Cannot edit reference list• Authors with multiple entries• Similar names of multiple authors• Upgrades cost money

Cite

Recap Nature of LR Steps in doing LR How to write an LR report Using a references manager