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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
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
1. What does a Literature Review mean to you ?
Discussion
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 does a Literature Review mean to you ?
2. What are the 3 main challenges?
Discussion
Challenges?
1. What does a Literature Review mean to you?
2. What are the 3 main challenges?
3. Why do we do Literature Reviews?
Discussion
Why do them?
Identify gapsAvoid re-inventing wheelBuild on past workIdentify future colleaguesIncrease your knowledge of the subjectIdentify key works in your areaProvide intellectual context of your workIdentify opposing viewsDemonstrate you can find and analyse researchIdentify ideas & methods relevant to your work
Bourner, 1996
Literature Matters
From Holbrook et al (2007)
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
literature use
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 14
Systematic v.s. Narrative reviews
Agreed standards Context and differences
High degree of focus Bias of empirical studies
Minimise bias
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 methods
2. 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
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
1 Minute Big Picture Interviewer
Interview your partner and take brief notes
2. Locating and Finding Research
Where do I start?
Previous Theses
Review Papers
Recent Conference Papers
Subject librarian
Supervisor
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 articles
1 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”
Don’t stop searching when you’ve stopped searching
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 30
3. Critical appraisal of studies
What would be appropriate to consider when critically
appraising research in your area?
Student Learning Development, TCD 31
3. Critical appraisal of studies
Authority
Validity
Accuracy
Objectivity
Currency - Recency
Coverage
Location
3. Critical appraisal of studies
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
literature use
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
literature use
No standard approach but there are hierarchies in fields of study
Student Learning Development, TCD 33
4. Collect data & analyse
• Evaluate
• Synthesise results of literature review– Tables to compare– Descriptive– Meta-analysis– Index Cards
Student Learning Development, TCD 34
Author Year Aim Methods Conclusions Critique
Student Learning Development, TCD 36
Write up literature review - Structure
Background
Purpose/Research question
Method
Findings
Discussion
Implications/Recommendations
Remember
Not a description of what you found
Not a list of relevant research
Your review must be directed by your research question
Voice
Writer as tour guide - voice
Funnel Method
Writing Style
1. Assess the value of the literature
2. Explain the context research takes place
3. Emphasise limitations of existing research
4. 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?
Writing Style
IntroductionDefine your topic & provide contextWhy are you reviewing literatureExplain the structure of the reviewWhat is included and not
BodyGroup the literatureProvide insight and make connections for readerProceed from general to specific
ConclusionSummarise main points / contributions of literatureEvaluate current “State of Art”Gaps?Issues?
Workflow for Literature Reviews
1. Search
2. Assess
3. Read
4. Write
Research evaluation
Evaluation and Literature Review
Literature Matters
From Holbrook et al (2007)
disciplinary perspective
connection to findings
coverage
working understanding
critical appraisal
scholarliness
literature use
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?
Other ideas and options
Speed reading
Endnote
Databases in my area
Google Alerts
Systematic Approaches to Literature Reviewing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development
Reading
Constructing a Good Dissertation
Erik Hofstee
www.exactica.co.za/dn/exactica-book-literature-review.pdf
Examiner comment on the literaturereview in Ph.D. theses
Allyson Holbrook et al.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03075070701346899
Academic Phrasebank
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/sources.htm
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