Writing a Strong Literature Review

FCE Summer Institute, July 2016Lynne Schrum, PhD

Our Goals

• Identifying the strands of literature

• Identifying the types of scholarship

• Recognizing the three parts of a review

• Reminder of APA

My Metaphor

What literature strands?

• Perhaps the most challenging is articulating the strands of literature.

• Typically three and how they overlap (not always)

• Main topic – sub areas, theoretical framework

What are we looking for?

StudentAchievement

PBL

Tech

Another look

What do we know about black males in gifted and talented programs?

Gifted EdBlack males’education

UrbanEducation

What is “in” and “out”?

• Write a “methods” section for your lit review!

• Explicate what types of key words, what you included and excluded

• Peer Reviewed, juried,

• Empirical

• Qualitative and Quantitative

• PRIMARY SOURCES

What is in a literature review?

• Think complex argument/paper/thesis

• Purpose is to analyze critically a segment of published body of knowledge through: summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.

• May be self-contained unit -- an end in itself --or a preface to/rationale for engaging in primary research.

Introduction

• Define or identify general topic, issue, or area of concern, provide appropriate context.

• Point out – overall trends in published work on the topic;

– conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions;

– gaps in research and scholarship;

– a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.

Intro…cont.

• Point of View: Establish your reason for reviewing this literature;

• Sequence: Explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and; and

• Scope: State why certain literature is or is not included.

Body

• Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as:

• qualitative v quantitative approaches,

• conclusions of authors,

• specific purpose or objective,

• chronology, etc.

Body …

• Summarize individual studies or articles (as much or little detail as merits according to its importance in the literature

• Remember that space (length) denotes significance.

• How do you know? Frequency & Authors

• Read the reference list first!!!

Body…more.

• Provide reader with strong "umbrella" sentences at beginnings of paragraphs,

• "signposts" throughout,

• brief "so what" summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.

Conclusion

• Summarize major contributions of significant studies and articles to body of knowledge, maintain focus established in introduction.

• Evaluate current "state of the art" for body of knowledge reviewed, point out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.

• Metaphor of bricks in the wall!!

Conclusion… cont

• Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a profession.

• End with what may not be known, what no one is doing or asking

Additionally

• Before you do anything, go see a reference librarian.

• Please send 5 references from your literature review in APA format to your chair

• Why? So she/he can see the types of articles you are using and give you APA feedback in a safe environment!

Modifying Research Questions

Think about the words you select

•Prove

•Cause

•Words that imply “how much” or “why”

•Instead think:

• explore, understand, evaluate

•What others?

APA – it’s not too bad!

• Neatness counts

• Watch capitals

• Watch periods, commas, or semicolons

• No first names – ever

• Wisdom (from mistakes): get a system to make it work

• ERIC documents (ED) are not good!!!

More APA: In text citations

• Blah blah (Smith, 2005).

• Smith (2005) found blah blah blah.

• Smith and Jones (2005) found blah blah

• Blah blah blah (Smith & Jones, 2005).

• Smith and Jones (2005) stated, “Blah blah” (p. 45).

• “Blah blah blah” said Smith and Jones (2005, p. 200).

Recommendations

• It is not one 300 page document; it is 100 little pieces

• Set aside time every day – even if it is 30 minutes

• Do something

• Remember “Turn it in” and cite everything

• Read the darn APA manual (websites are not 100%)

QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU!!!