Spring 2008

Teresa CortezThe University of Texas at El Paso

Spring 2008

The Literature Review

Spring 2008

• Systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents

Literature Review

Spring 2008

Literature Review Goals

1. Demonstrate familiarity with a body of knowledge—establishes your credibility.

2. Show the path of previous research—how your current project is linked to it.

3. Places your research project in a context.

Spring 2008

4. Integrate and summarize what is known—pulls together and synthesizes different results.

5. Indicates direction for future research.

6. Learn from others and stimulate new ideas.

Literature Review Goals (cont.)

Spring 2008

7. Identifies blind alleys and hypotheses for replication.

8. Divulges procedures, techniques, research designs worth copying.

9. Points out areas where researchers agree, where they disagree, and where major questions remain.

Literature Review Goals (cont.)

Spring 2008

• Why??– Assists in formulating research question– Points out possible research strategies– Points out possible measuring devices– Introduces you to significant research

personalities– May replicate or extend previous study– May find inconsistencies in studies

Literature Review

Spring 2008

– May question applicability of findings to different samples, cultures, regions

– Study may already have been conducted– Provides a context-rationale for study– Facilitates interpretation of study results– Studies already conducted related to your research

question– Provides suggestions about what studies need to still

be conducted

Literature Review (cont.)

Spring 2008

Process of conducting a literature search:

1. Analyze the research problem or area of concern

2. Determine the type of search

3. Select the reference service (Databases such as EBSCO, ERIC, JSTOR)

4. Select the descriptors and key terms

5. Conduct the search

6. Locate the references

Spring 2008

• Always keep your research problem central

• Discuss the documents you have read

• Have a plan of ATTACK

• Begin discussion like inverted pyramid

• Broad topic to specific nature of research proposal

Preparing to Write

Spring 2008

• Headings and subheadings

• Strive for clarity

• Emphasize relatedness between research question and literature reviewed

• Integrate-integrate-integrate

Preparing to Write (cont.)

Spring 2008

• Avoid quotes

• Paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase

• At the end of the literature review section, summarize your findings

• Answers “What does all this mean?”

Preparing to write (cont.)

Spring 2008

• Make an outline

• Main topics ordered

• Subtopics under each main topic

• Analyze references with outline

• Read most recent ones first, oldest last

• Seminal (influential, decisive, shaping) works are very important

Preparing to write (cont.)

Spring 2008

• Read abstracts first--is article appropriate?

• Sort references where fit in outline

• Use data-based, empirical (experimental, observed) studies

• Opinion pieces, descriptive research helpful in introduction--set stage

Preparing to write (cont.)

Spring 2008

• Do not ignore studies that differ from majority or personal bias.

• Related literature review is NOT a series of abstracts or annotations

• Integrate-integrate-integrate

• Not a literary production---be clear and concise

Preparing to write (cont.)

Spring 2008

Spring 2008

Sources

• Journal articles, journal reviews, ERIC papers, monographs, online materials, books, periodicals, abstracts, government documents, and dissertations

• Includes: theoretical discussions, reviews of literature, philosophical papers, descriptions and evaluations of current practices, and empirical research

Spring 2008

• Primary Source -- description of study written by person who conducted it.– Primary sources are the original studies or writings by a

theorist or researcher, which are found by using indexes to journals, educational documents, government documents, and dissertations.

• Use Primary Sources to the most extent possible.

Source Guideline

Spring 2008

• Secondary Source -- much briefer description of study written by other than original researcher– Secondary sources are syntheses of the

research-based knowledge on a topic and are usually articles in general and specialized educational journals, annuals, yearbooks, encyclopedias, or books.

• Use Primary Sources to the most extent possible.

Source Guideline

Spring 2008

Judging Literature Review

• A lit review is judged adequate in the context of the proposal.

• A lit review is NOT judged by its length nor by the number of citations.

• The quality of a lit review is judged according to whether it increases the understanding of the status of knowledge of the problem and provides a rationale for the study.

Spring 2008

Literature ReviewSome of questions the Review

of Literature can answer

– What are the origins and definitions of the topic?– What are the key sources?– What the key theories, concepts, and ideas?– What are the major issues and debates about the

topic?– What are the political standpoints?

Spring 2008

Some questions the Review of Literature can answer (cont.)

– How is knowledge on the topic structured and organized?

– What are the main questions and problems that have been addressed to date?

– How have approaches to these questions increased our understanding and knowledge?