systematic approaches to literature reviewing
DESCRIPTION
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviews. Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing. Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning Development [email protected]. Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning Development http://student-learning.tcd.ie. Finding your way in the woods. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviews
Dr. Mark Matthews
Student Learning Development
http://student-learning.tcd.ie
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
Finding your way in the woods
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
Finding your way in the woods
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
And making your
way back
Workshop Overview
explain elements of the systematic review process
explore how these might be used or adapted to support: - a thesis literature review; - approaches to keeping up-to-date with the literature through a PhD
contextualise this within other approaches to managing and working with the literature
1 Minute Big Picture Interviewer
Interview partner and take notes
The Literature Review ?
“Literature reviews …… introduce a topic, summarise the main issues and provide some illustrative examples.”
from www.eppi.ioe.ac.uk
Agree? Disagree?
If they are to be considered a reliable source of research evidence they should record how the primary studies were sought and selected and how they were analysed to produce their conclusions.
Readers need to be able to judge whether all of the relevant literature is likely to have been found, and how the quality of studies was assessed.
1 Agree? 5 Disagree? 10
The Literature Review ?
1. What is a Literature Review?2. Why do we do Literature Reviews?3. What are the main challenges?
Discussion
Literature Matters
From Holbrook et al (2007)
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarlinessliterature use
Means you need to be: critical = evaluate what you read analyse = extract differing information from what
you read synthesise = show relationships between
studies/sources; differing definitions, concepts, theories etc.
evaluate = methodological approaches used
(Hart, 2005)
Systematic Reviews
a review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyse data from the studies that are included within the review. Statistical methods (meta-analysis) may or may not be used to analyse and summarise the results of the included studies.
from www.sebc.bangor.ac.uk
Student Learning Development, TCD 15
Systematic v.s. Narrative reviews
• Agreed standards• High degree of focus• Minimise bias
• Context and differences• Bias of empirical studies
Strengths of both approaches
“For some review topics, however, the strengths of the SR may turn into weaknesses…do not allow for comprehensive coverage” but “narrative reviews do not reveal how the decisions were made about relevance of studies”
‘Balancing the strengths of systematic and narrative reviews’ (Collins & Fauser, 2004) p. 103-104.
Key features of the systematic review process you might want to adopt or adapt–
1. Explicit and transparent methods2. a standard set of stages
3. Accountable, replicable and updateable
Seven steps (of a Cochrane Review)
1. Formulating a problem 2. Locating and selecting studies 3. Critical appraisal of studies 4. Collecting data 5. Analyzing and presenting results 6. Interpreting results 7. Improving and updating reviews
Workflow for Literature Reviews
1. Search 2. Assess3. Read4. Write
1. Formulating a Problem
1. Formulating a Problem
Example Questions?
Standard SR question containssubject- intervention- outcome- comparator
Does drinking coffee raise people’s blood pressure
(when compared to chocolate)?
Standard SR question containssubject- intervention- outcome- comparator
2. Locating and Finding Research
Where do I start?
Previous ThesesReview PapersRecent Conference PapersSubject librarianSupervisor
a broad but defined, systematic sweep
Defined search terms – record recall and precision
Defined search arena - e.g. databases, citation indices, reference lists from primary and review articles, grey literature, conference proceedings, research registers, the internet, individual researchers/practitioners
Other broad search limits, e.g. language, date,
TIPS! Document the search protocol and record what
research was found
Systematically manage the
search output, e.g. using
endnote
Phase 1- Identify the Research
Phase 2- Selection
select from research using criteria related to your research question
Develop inclusion or exclusion statements, these might relate to study outcomes, research design, methods used, population worked with etc.
e.g. studies with a mixed population of men and womene.g. random control trials onlye.g. maximum exposure time of 10mins
TIPS! Document the
statements and
their purpose (might be
pragmatic or research related)
Date Database Keywords Results
1/11/11 2pm
ACM Digital Library
Role play, role-play, role playing, role-playing, bodystorming, prototyping
10 articles
4/11/11 SpringerLink Role play,Role-play,Role-playing, Fish bowel
5 articles1 book
10/11/11 Scopus
Search Log
Running the search
1. How many titles and abstract can you check? 2. How easy will it be to decide to accept or reject a
record?3. Record the reason for rejection for “Excluded studies”
3. Critical appraisal of studies
“Assessing the quality of methodology is a critical part of the systematic review process”
No standard approach but there are hierarchies in fields of study
Student Learning Development, TCD 32
3. Critical appraisal of studies
What would be appropriate to consider when critically
appraising research in your area?
3. Critical appraisal of studies
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarlinessliterature use
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarlinessliterature use
No standard approach but there are hierarchies in fields of study
Student Learning Development, TCD 34
4. Collect data & analyse
• Evaluate• Synthesise results of literature review
– Tables to compare– Descriptive– Meta-analysis
Student Learning Development, TCD 35
Author Year Aim Methods Conclusions Critique
Student Learning Development, TCD 37
Write up literature review - Structure
BackgroundPurpose/Research questionMethodFindings DiscussionImplications/Recommendations
Voice
Writer as tour guide - voice
Writing Style
1. Assess the value of the literature2. Explain the context research takes place3. Emphasise limitations of existing
research4. Tell a story
Writing Style
IntroductionWhat I will show you?Why?
BodyWhy this area?Don’t leave reader to fill gaps
ConclusionWhat we have seen?How this is relevant to research?
Research evaluation
Evaluation and Literature Review
Comprehensive Literature Review
Coherent synthesis of past and present
research in the domain of study
Source: Dr Hazel Hall, Napier University
What are the main conclusions on
previous research in this area?
What are the key areas of debate in this
area?
Which aspects of this work are of most relevance to my
study?
What are the key concepts in this area?
What have been the main research
questions?
Where is existing knowledge “thin”?
How is this topic approached by
others?Where are the gaps in
literature?
What are the main
perspectives on this topic in
previous research?
Do parallel literatures exist for this topic?
Which discussions?
Which sub-themes? Which writers?
Which work is subject to
challenge?
Who are these
“others”?
Which existing work could be
extended?
In which subject areas has the topic
been studied?
Challenges in Conducting Literature Reviews
Other ideas and options
Speed reading
Endnote
Databases in my area
Google Alerts
SR websites
Centre for Evidence-based Conservation -http://www.cebc.bangor.ac.uk/
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (medical) -http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/index.htm
Cochrane Collaboration (international- medical) -http://www.cochrane.org/
EPPI-Centre, Institute of Education - http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/
Social Policy and Social Care -http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/srspsc/index.htm
If you read one article, an example here of a review of the ways studies in reviews are appraised - http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=521688
If you prefer power-point, how about this one on mixed method reviews http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/methods/events/challenges/documents/JamesThomasESRCMethodologicalchallenges.ppt
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
Finding your way in the woods
Student Learning Development
Thank you for your time
Visit our website at: http://student-learning.tcd.ie