RA: Literature Review Description of RA

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Review of the Literature

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Review of the Literature

What is a Literature Review?

• A literature review is an original work based on a critical examination of the literature on a topic (Pan, 2008, p. v).

• An organized overview of the state of knowledge on a topic (Pan, 2008, p. v). • A written summary that describes past and current information (Creswell, 2005).

Skills to Create a Literature Review

• Evaluate – Available evidence – Relevant theories

• Identify gaps – What is not addressed? – What is minimally discussed?

• Synthesize – Creating a comprehensive overview

Science and Art

• Science – Evaluate original research through critical examination by

• Searching for errors in research • Determining strength of evidence

• Art

– Subjective judgment to create cohesive synthesis • What to emphasize? • How to combine sources? • Where are the gaps?

Methodological Orientations

• Quantitative orientation – Statistics – Research methods

• Qualitative orientation – Words, narratives – Lack of statistics, numbers

• Meta-analysis – Quantitative orientation – Numerous studies combined mathematically to determine strength/direction of results

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Preparing a Literature Review in Seven Steps (Pan, 2008)

1. Select a topic 2. Locate and read literature for an overview 3. Establish specific purposes 4. Evaluate and interpret the literature 5. Synthesize the literature 6. Plan and write the first draft 7. Have the first draft evaluated and revise it

Step 1—Topic Selection

• Of interest, passion to researcher • May arise from searching the literature • Often needs to be:

– Narrowed or

– Broadened or

– Adjusted

Step 2—Create overview from Literature

• First, locate literature on topic – Identify relevant databases, journals, authors

• As you read, guiding questions: – What are the main issues discussed? – What issues are minimally discussed? – What are the main concepts and principles associated with the topic? – Are there any controversies about the topic? – What theories are related to the topic?

Step 3—Establish Specific Purposes

• What are the primary concepts associated with the research topic?

• Begin with initial written ideas about purposes, i.e. – How is topic defined? – What is associated with the topic? – Why is the topic worthy of examination? – What controversies exist about the topic?

• Update/revise written purposes as you explore the literature.

Step 4—Evaluate and Interpret the Literature

• Read the abstract and then scan the individual article • Think about the following before highlighting, underlining, or making notes:

o Is the article specifically related to your topic?

o Does the article seem well written and well researched?

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o What questions come to mind that you might not have thought about? • Seek literature that presents, tests, and/or builds on the theories related to your topic.

Step 5—Synthesize the Literature

• After reading articles/sources

– Organize by similarities and differences – Consider why you think similarities and differences exist – Craft some tentative conclusions – Consider the implications that exist – Question what is not explained, or what is not explained well, i.e. suggestions for related

(future) research

Step 6—Writing the First Draft

• Create an outline of primary topics and subtopics

– Introduce the topic • Define key terms

– Establish why the topic is important • What are the numbers associated with the topic? i.e. demographics, number of

people affected

– If extensive literature exists, what is not covered

– What gaps exist, i.e. areas not found in literature

– Identify consistent findings across studies, as well as discrepancies

– Create a synthesis that organizes what is known about the topic

– Discuss possible implications and ideas for additional (future) research

• How was literature searched, i.e. through databases

– What are the major concepts associated with the topic, i.e.

• Identify the headings

• Identify the subheadings

• Why seek feedback?

– After spending time working on a first draft, one’s objectivity is sometimes skewed • You may think what you have written makes no sense and has been fruitless • You may think that what you have written is so good that it cannot possibly be

improved • Remember, a first draft is just that—the first of several drafts, resulting in continual

improvement and fine tuning

• Who can provide the most helpful feedback?

– Your teacher

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– Your student peers – A knowledgeable colleague

Creating a Timeline

• When is the final draft due? • Prepare a written timeline • Allocate 10% of available time for each of the 7 steps • Provide a “cushion” of 30% of your time, since some steps will take longer than anticipated

References

• Creswell, J. W . (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Merrill, Prentice Hall.

• Pan, M. L. (2008). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.