Review of the Related Literature
Organizing & Writing a Literature Review
The Literature Review is…
• A discussion of your knowledge about the topic under study
• A discussion of your knowledge that is supported by the research literature
• A foundation for the study
The Literature Review is not…
• A study-by-study, or article-by-article, description of studies previously done
• A re-statement of the studies previously done
• A brief overview of articles
Reviewing the Literature Begin with a search of
the available literature Critically analyze each
article (study) you select Organize the review
with an outline Write the review Summarize the review Using the literature,
present a rationale for your study
Critically Analyzing the Literature
Abstractthe author’s description of
the studyrelated to your area of
interest?conclusions relevant?
Statement of the Problemrestate the topicproblem stated clearly?purpose?significance?
Hypothesis or Research Question(s)Clearly stated?Relevant?Related to your area of
interest?
AssumptionsExplicit assumptions?Implicit assumptionsSimilar to yours?
Critically Analyzing the Literature
DelimitationsHow was the study
narrowed?Which considerations
are relevant to your study?
DefinitionsKey concepts &
terms?
Critically Analyzing the Literature
Methodresearch design?population & sample?measurement?procedures?
Findingsmake sense?what do they say about
your area of interest?
DiscussionPresented clearly?Meaningful interpretations?Implications discussed?Suggestions or
recommendations?Limits to practical
application?
ConclusionWhat did you learn?Re-state your new knowledge
Organizing the Literature Search:the Tree Diagram
subtopic
Topic
subtopic
subtopic
subtopic
subtopic
subtopic
subtopic
Tree Diagram Example
Home visits
Academicachievement
Homeworkassistance
Home-school communication
Parentinvolvement
volunteerism
barriers
Teachers’ beliefs
Involvement indecision making
Tree to Outline Format:Home Visits
I. Home-school Communication
II. Academic Achievement
III. Parent InvolvementA. Barriers to parent
involvement
IV. VolunteerismA. Barriers to
volunteerism
Look! An example!
Writing the Literature ReviewWriting the Literature Review
Always begin with an introduction to the review & end with a summary
Make the connection for the reader between the subtopics & the topic
Use direct quotations infrequently
Always cite your sources
Present your knowledge on the topics & subtopics
Summarize each subtopic
Include a transition paragraph from one subtopic to the next
Reiterate the research problemIntroduce the sub- topics
Introduction
Example paragraph 1
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of poor coordination on the effective delivery of consultant services. Effective organiza-
tional structuresService coordination practicesConsultants’ profes- sional support needs
Example paragraph 2
Organizing the Literature Review
First SubtopicDiscussion should in-clude: How is the subtopic connected to the problem? Your knowledge, based on the literature you have studied Specify subtopics (if any) Summary & transition
Mission & Pur- poseGoals & objectives (planning)Task units
So, given all that, yaddah, yaddah, it is important to note the role of…
Effective Organizational
StructuresIn order for the coor-dination of services to be effective, a struc-ture must exist within which service units are organized and can operate. Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah…
Long range strategic planning characterizes organizations with ef-fective internal struc-tures (Brown, 1997). Key to such an effort is the identification of…
Writing
Use APA style & formatHave your work proofread before
submittingFollow all format guidelinesMust be a thorough review, reflected by the
depth of the discussionShould begin prior to the implementation
of the study
