Writing+a+Literature+Review+PPT

							           Writing a
      Literature Review
                     Source
Galvan, J.L. (1999). Writing Literature Reviews.
      Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing
           Identify Literature
 Select   a preliminary topic

 Establish   your purpose
  Who is your audience?
  Why are you writing?
    • a chapter in a thesis or dissertation
    • a stand alone paper such as a research paper
                  Search

 reference  lists from textbooks or articles
  from class
 library databases (ask librarians for help)
 most current references and work
  backwards
 theoretical and review articles in addition
  to empirical research
 landmark or classic studies
              Narrow the topic

 command    terms and functions
 scholarly journals or peer reviewed only
 date of publication (generally last 5 years,
  except for classic studies)

      Searching is a circular process.
     Search/Scan articles/Search /Scan
    Read and Analyze Your
         References

              Scan the articles
 Read   abstract

 Readfirst few paragraphs and the
 paragraph right before “Method” section

 Read   “Discussion and Conclusions”
    Group articles by categories

 Bytopics and subtopics and then
 chronologically
         .



• Organizing the articles into categories
  before reading will help you synthesize the
  information for each topic and subtopic.
Example of topics & subtopics

Affirmative Action in Higher Education
          Background Issues
       •      General historical background
       •      History of Affirmative Action in higher education
       •      Philosophical basis
       •      The law and Affirmative Action
          The Effects of Affirmative Action
       •      Effects on minority enrollment
       •      Effects on academic achievement
       •      Other effects
          Criticisms of Affirmative Action
          Alternatives to Affirmative Action
               Read the articles

   completely in each topic together

   Take notes in an organized manner: computer
    files, note cards, etc.

   Include all bibliographic info, especially page
    number when quoting!

   Flag like information with same color post-its
    across articles.
                  Summarize
 mainpurpose (research questions)
 methodology
     qualitative/quantitative
     subjects, controls, treatments
 findings
 relevant   details
                  Analyze

        definitions of key terms
 varying
 methodology used
     size & generalizability of subject pool
    innovative methodology

 enough evidence?
 findings consistent with those of similar
  studies?
                 Analyze
 currency:  lit review shows the latest work
 done in subject area. (last 5 years on
 average)
  Include older articles if:
     • landmark study
     • only evidence on a topic
     • helps explain the evolution of the
       research
    Synthesize the Literature
 Use   organization tools.

 How  does each article relate to your topic
  and purpose?

 Define   your argument/thesis.

         major trends or patterns emerging
 Identify
  from your reading.
                       Synthesize
   Reassemble your notes based on results of
    reading, using organizational aids such as post-
    its, flags, etc.

   Revise original outline of categories

   Create a detailed topic outline
       begin with your “argument” or claim
       present evidence from articles researched that proves
        your claim

    Do not string together a summary of articles. The outline is
      topic driven.
                       Sample topic outline
   Topic: Psychological Aspects of Organ                 IV. Methodological issues and directions for
    Donation: Individual and Next-of-Kin                          future research
    Donation Decisions                                       A. Improvement in attitude measures and
                                                                  measurement strategy.
   I. Introduction                                          B. Greater differentiation by type of
       A. Establish importance of topic (cite                    donation.
             statistics on scarcity of organs).              C. Stronger theoretical emphasis.
       B. Delimit the review to psychological               D. Greater interdisciplinary focus.
             components of decisions.                     V. Summary, Conclusions, and Implications
       C. Describe organization of the paper,               A. Summary of points I-IV.
             indicating that the remaining topics in
             the outline will be discussed.                  B. Need well-developed theoretical
   II. Individual decisions regarding                            models of attitudes and decision
             posthumous organ donation                            making.
       A. Beliefs about organ donation                      C. Current survey data limited in scope
                                                                  and application points to need for
       B. Attitudes toward donating                              more sophisticated research in
       C. Stated willingness to donate                           the future.
       D. Summary of research on individual                 D. Need more use of sophisticated data
             decisions                                            analytic techniques.
   III. Next-of-kin consent decisions                       E. Conclusion: Psychology can draw
       A. Beliefs about donating others’ organs.          from various subdisciplines for an
       B. Attitudes toward next-of-kin donations.         understanding of donation decisions so
       C. Summary of research on next-of-kin              intervention strategies can be identifiable.
             consent decisions.                            Desperately need to increase the available
                                                           supply of donor organs.
                    Synthesize

   Note on your topic outline relationships among
    studies: which researchers, what page, etc.
    support each point?

   Note consistency of results from study to study.
    If only ½ of your articles found similar results,
    note that.

   Note discrepancies among studies and provide
    possible explanations such as dates of studies,
    different methodologies.
                Synthesize
 Note  landmark studies and if replicated.
 Note how individual studies help illustrate
  or advance theoretical notions.
 Note gaps or areas needing more
  research.
 Make sure your detailed outline follows a
  logical sequence of topics and subtopics.
  This will give your lit review the coherence
  it needs.
            Write the First Draft
   Introduction should funnel down from broad problem
    area to your specific problem, but don’t start too global.

                            Example
    Too broad:
      Education is important to both the economy of the
      United States and to the rest of the world. Without
      education, students will be unprepared for the next
      millennium….
     Better:
      Human tutoring provided on a one-to-one basis has
      been credited as the most effective form of instruction
      (Bloom, 1984; Cohen, Kulik, & Kulik, 1982). It is not
      surprising then, that efforts to isolate and describe the
      actions of expert tutors….
                       Writing…
   Define scope of lit review in intro. Clearly state
    what will and will NOT be covered.

   Avoid long lists of nonspecific references. Better to
    select only most important studies and use the
    words, for example or such as.

Example
    Numerous writers have suggested that children in single-
    parent households are at greater risk for academic
    underachievement than children from two-parent
    households (see for example, Adams, 1991 & Block,
    1992). Three recent studies have provided strong
    empirical support for this contention (Doe, 1996; Edgar,
    1999; Jones, 1998).
                    Writing…
   Be specific regarding time frames. Example:
    Bad:
        In recent years there has been an increased
        interest in….
    Better:
      Child maltreatment incident reports increased
      by 50% between 1988 and 1993, totaling
      more than 2.9 million reports in 1993
      (McCurdy & Daro, 1994).

   Identify landmark or very important studies as
    such.
                      Writing…
   Cite studies with inconsistent or contradictory
    results immediately after the information, rather
    than at the end of the sentence. Example:
         Previous studies have found anywhere from 39% of
    college students (Mills & McCarty, 1983; Rabow,
    Hernandez, & Watts, 1986) to 68% of college students
    (Hernandez, Newcomb, & Rabow, 1995) reporting
    intervening in an intoxicated driving intervention.


   Summarize periodically.
                        Writing…
   Distinguish between an author’s assertions (opinions)
    and findings resulting from evidence.

   Present conclusions on the state of knowledge of your
    topic. Use degrees of evidence, such as “it seems safe
    to conclude…” or “it is difficult to conclude….”

   Present implications at end of literature review – your
    suggestions on what research needs to be done now, or
    what action could be taken in light of your presentation of
    research findings.

   Your lit review should justify your proposed study and
    introduce your research questions in the conclusion.
             Writing Style Tips
   Use APA (American Psychological Association)
    style format for all in-text citations and reference
    list at end.

   Use appropriate “voice” for writing in the social
    sciences. Refer to your research articles for
    samples of writing style. Avoid using “I”.

   Use headings and transitions to trace your
    argument, but do not overuse.
             Writing Style Tips…
   Avoid overusing direct quotations, especially
    long ones. Quote accurately.

   Avoid indirect sentence constructions such as
    “In Smith’s study, it was found….”.
     Instead, say, “Smith found that…”

 Avoid using synonyms for recurring important
  words.
 Spell out all acronyms when first used.
 Avoid contractions.