Chapter 2
Review of the Literature
Introduction
• Topic – subject or subject matter of a study – e.g., “faculty teaching,” “organizational creativity,” “psychological stress”
• Conduct literature review about the topic –Worth studying? – Scope? – Can be studied
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The Research Topic
• Gain insight into the topic by – Drafting a working title
• “My study is about…” – Posing a brief question
• What needs to be answered?
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The Research Topic
• First step is to examine research on the topic • How does this project contribute to the literature? • New topic, new elements, replication with new participants?
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The Research Topic
• The topic can be researched if – You have access to participants – You have resources to collect and analyze information
• The topic should be researched if – The research will add to the literature about the topic – Scholars will be interested in the topic – A study of it will advance your personal goals
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The Literature Review
• Shares the results of other studies • Relates the study to the larger dialogue in the literature • Provides a framework for establishing the importance ofthe study • Provides a benchmark for comparing the results to otherfindings
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The Literature Review
The use of the literature: • Seek opinion of adviser or faculty members • Tell the reader you are aware of literature • Literature reviews take several forms:
– Integrate what others have done and said – Criticize previous scholarly works – Bridge between related topics – Identify the central issues in the field
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
The use of the literature: • In quantitative studies, researchers use literature to: – Provide direction to the research questions andhypotheses – Introduce a problem – Introduce and describe the theory that will be used – Examine the usefulness of the theory – Compare results with existing literature or predictions
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The Literature Review
The use of the literature: • In mixed methods studies, researchers use the literature: – In either a quantitative or qualitative approach – In each phase, consistent with either the quantitative or qualitative approach – Relative to the intended audience
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The Literature Review
Steps in conducting a literature review: • Identify key words • Search databases • Identify about 50 research reports in articles or books • Collect those that are central to your topic • Design a literature map • Draft summaries of relevant articles • Write a literature review, organizing it by important concepts
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The Literature Review
Searching computerized databases: • Computerized databases of the literature are available the Internet • Databases provide access to journal articles, conference papers and dissertations on a wealth of topics
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The Literature Review
Searching computerized databases: • Some of these online databases include: – ERIC – ProQuest – Sociological Abstracts – PsycINFO – Science Direct – Google scholar
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EBSCO PubMed SSCI
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The Literature Review
Searching computerized databases: • Use both free databases and those available in youracademic library • Search several databases, even those outside your field • Use guides to terms to locate articles • Locate articles close to your topic and use their terms in your search • Use databases that provide access to full text
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The Literature Review
A priority for selecting literature material: • Start with broad syntheses (such as encyclopedias) if youare new to the topic • Turn to journal articles in national journals
– Best source for research reports • Next, consider books • Then examine conference papers • Scan for dissertations • Lastly, consider reports on the web
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The Literature Review
A literature map of the research • A literature map is a visual summary of existing research on a topic • The structure of the literature map may be: – Hierarchical pattern – Flowchart layout – Series of circles
• Write a narrative description
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
Abstracting studies: • Abstracts summarize major elements of the article • For research studies: – Mention the problem – State the central purpose – State information about the population and sample – Review key results – Point out methodological flaws (if a critique or methods review)
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The Literature Review
Abstracting studies: • For nonempirical studies (essays, opinions, etc.) – Mention the problem – Identify the central theme – State the major conclusions –Mention flaws in reasoning or logic (if a methodological review)
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
Style manuals: • Style manuals provide guidelines for producing scholarly work and include directions on: – Citing references in-text – End-of-text references – Creating headings – Footnotes (not used in all style manuals) – Presenting tables and figures
• Reminder: Consistently use the chosen style manual
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The Literature Review
Definition of terms • Identify and define terms that readers need to understand a proposal
• Define terms introduced in all sections of the research plan: – Title of the study – Problem statement – Purpose statement – Research questions, hypotheses, or objectives – Literature review – Theory base of the study – Methods section
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The Literature Review
Definition of terms • Qualitative studies – Inductive and evolutionary in nature – The definition of terms may appear later in the writtenreport, perhaps in the data analysis
• Quantitative studies – Deductive with a fixed set of objectives – All relevant terms are comprehensively defined earlier in the study
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The Literature Review
Definition of terms • Mixed methods studies – Follows the use of quantitative or qualitativeapproach – Clarify terms related to mixed methods
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The Literature Review
Definition of terms • Define terms when they first appear in the manuscript • Use specific operational definitions • Do not define terms using everyday language, be guided by the literature • Define terms so that they accomplish different goals • One may use a definition of terms section in themanuscript
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
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The Literature Review
A quantitative or mixed methods literature review: • Introduce the review with a statement about the organization of the sections • Review literature about the independent variables • Review literature about the dependent variables • Review literature that relates the independent variables to the dependent variables
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The Literature Review
A quantitative or mixed methods literature review: • Provide a summary
– Highlight important studies – Capture major themes – Suggest why more research is needed – Advance how the proposed study will fill this need
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Summary
• Identify your topic through a brief title or central research question • Use the literature to – Present similar studies – Relate the study to the literature – Provide a framework for comparison
• Different purpose depending on approach • Search databases using key terms
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