1. Writing the Literature Review
Lourdes Villarreal, Ph.D.
Writing Center
Claremont Graduate University

2. Presentation Outline Questions to Consider Resources Strategies
Professor/Department /School Resources
Expert librarians/library materials
Writing Center
Handbooks
Strategies
Reading Critically
Taking Notes
Sample of Published Literature Review Article
Guiding questions and paragraph samples
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3. Questions to Consider Professor’s Guidelines given?
Method selected to take notes of readings?
Understanding of empirical studies?
Understanding of format and data to include in review?
Understanding of summarization, analysis, and evaluation skills needed?
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4. Resources Professor’s Guidelines
Your professor is the best resource.
See the next slide for an example from Professor’s Smith’s Edu 462 at Claremont Graduate University (taken many years ago; numbering and color emphasis mine).
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5. Example of Professor’s Guidelines
1.The review should include the identification of central works, 2. the overall contribution of this issue …, 3. strengths and weaknesses of the literature in the area, and 4. practical implications to be drawn. Note: The focus should be on reviewing the literature as opposed to simply a paper on the topic.
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6. Literature Review, not a Research Paper
What is a literature review?
A critical examination of the research that has been done in a particular field or on a particular subject
Using Professor Smith’s guidelines, a critical examination includes identification of central works, the overall contribution, strengths and weaknesses, and practical implications.
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7. Resources School/Department
Still not sure how to write the review?
See the School of Educational Studies’ video entitled Literature Review Workshop with Professor Daryl Smith or go to
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8. Resources Library Need more help?
Get to know the librarians (the people with expertise in your field/discipline). From the Honnold Mudd Library homepage, under contact a librarian, you’ll find
Locate sources available through the library. From Contact us, under Directory of Specialists, choose “Education” and then “Articles.” You will find a section entitled “Literature Reviews.”
&sid=401373
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9. Resources CGU Writing Center
Resources listed on Webpage
Other literature review materials
Appointments for individual assistance
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10. Resources Handbooks Need step-by-step guidance?
Feak, C. B. & Swales, J. M. (2009). Telling a research story: Writing a literature review. University of Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
Galvan, J. L. (2006). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (3rd.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
Pan, M.L., & Lopez, M. (2004). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pvrczak Pub.
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11. Strategizing Reading with a Purpose
Among the purposes of writing a literature review one is to test your abilities as a researcher. In other words, as you read, you, the scholar, will A. Become well versed in the research conducted in the field and / or your subject B. Be able to recognize the work of others Know who’s who in the field C. Be selective of the sources used Scholarly & Peer-reviewed
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12. Strategizing Reading Critically
Reading critically means being engaged with the text:
Preview: What information does the abstract provide? How it is organized? What are the different sections in an empirical study? What’s the purpose of the introduction?
Read Actively: Annotate, highlight
Develop a note-taking system (note cards; charts; Excel sheets)
Take notes as you read or after you read
Know when to stop reading and begin writing your review
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13. Other Note-taking Sample Boylan, H.R. Boylan, H. R. & Saxon, D. P.
Researchers
Boylan, H.R.
Boylan, H. R. & Saxon, D. P.
Higbee, J. L.
McCabe, R. H.
Villarreal, M.L .
R Q
Purpose
Sample
Method
Findings
Other
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14. Strategizing Reading
Read as many literature reviews as you can looking for patterns (note how they are written in your field); note the expressions and terminology used
Look for other terms used to mean “literature review,” like past or previous research
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15. Critical Thinking Skills
A critical examination involves summarization as well as analysis and evaluation.
Summary: Restating key ideas: What is the issue or problem? What is the research question and purpose? Who did what (methodology)? What was the sample? What were the major findings?
Analysis: Examining the parts of the whole: How can the data be classified/sorted/categorized? What are the trends? Similarities/differences in results, variables examined?
Evaluation: Making judgments: What does it all mean? What is missing? What was not considered? Limitations? Contributions?
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16. Summary, Analysis, & Evaluation
Summary and Analysis (sorting and comparing)
X, Y, and Z scholars found that …
Most studies on developmental education are quantitative.
Critique (evaluation of what you found):
More qualitative studies are needed to understand students’ perspectives.
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17. Literature Sample: Asian Pacific Students
Lew, J. W., Chang, J. C., & Wang, W. W. (2005). UCLA community college review: The overlooked minority: Asian Pacific American Students at community colleges. Community College Review,33 (2),
Note: Dr. Jonathan Lew is a graduate of CGU! I use the article as an example of how to set up the introduction of a literature review. I use guiding questions to point out the key aspects.
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18. Guiding Questions: Lew, Chang, & Wang (2005)
What information do the authors give you in the first three paragraphs?
What population are they examining?
Why this population?
What do the researchers propose to do?
How is the review organized?
What are the themes?
Why is their work significant/important?
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19. What the Title Tells Us Title:
UCLA community college review: The overlooked minority: Asian Pacific American Students at community colleges.
What is the purpose of title?
What is the topic/issue to be reviewed?
What is the argument?
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20. Guiding Questions: 1st Paragraph of Introduction (next slide)
What is the topic/issued to be reviewed?
Why is past and current research on the topic/issue presented?
What is the argument that the authors present?
Why do the authors conclude the paragraph wih the percentage of Asian Pacific American students at community colleges?
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21. First Paragraph
Over the last several decades, Asian Pacific American (APA) students have captured public and scholarly attention for their increasingly visible presence in the halls of academia. Most of that attention has been focused on either supporting or debunking the widespread portrayal of Asian Pacific Americans as a model minority-hard-working and academically successful students who attend the most selective colleges and universities in the country. However, in the news media and in higher education research, a significant subset of the APA student population has largely been overlooked: APA students at the nation's community colleges. Over 40% of all APA students enrolled in higher education in the United States attend community colleges, and in , Asian Pacific Americans made up 15% of all students enrolled in two-year institutions (Harvey, 2003).
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22. Review of 1st Paragraph First Paragraph Presents
General topic /issue to be reviewed
Past and current research on the topic
Gap in the literature
Specific population to be examined
Rationale for focus on specific population
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23. Guiding Questions: 2nd Paragraph (next slide)
Why do the authors present the enrollment patterns and degree completion of APA students at community colleges?
How do the data help support their argument?
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24. Second Paragraph
The community college APA student population is a sizable force nationally and continues to grow. From 1980 to 2000, APA enrollment at two-year institutions nationwide increased 224%, from approximately 124,000 to 402,000 students (Harvey, 2003). This mirrored trends in APA student enrollment in higher education overall, which more than tripled in the same time period. The number of associate degrees conferred upon APAs grew 229% in those two decades, a larger increase than for any other racial group. In California, which has the largest APA population of any state, the proportion of APA students in community colleges more than doubled between the years of 1980 and 2000 (Wassmer, Moore, & Shulock, 2003).
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25. Review of 2nd Paragraph Second Paragraph Presents
Authors’ assertion (argument, claim)
Data (statistics) to support their argument
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26. Guiding Questions: 3rd Paragraph (next slide)
What is the focus of the review?
What is the order in which the review will be presented?
What is the scope of the review (narrow or broad) and why?
How will the review conclude?
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27. Third Paragraph
As these figures indicate, APA students at community colleges are a growing population that can no longer be ignored. Therefore, this review will examine the characteristics and experiences of APA students at two year institutions, highlighting the heterogeneity of the population in relation to such factors as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigrant background. We first describe in more detail the demographics and diversity of this group. We then identify and summarize the research that specifically focuses on APA students at community colleges. However, due to the scarcity of this scholarship, we must look to the broader literature on APA students in higher education in order to highlight the various challenges that APA students face, although we point out the unique characteristics that differentiate APA students at two-year colleges from those at four-year institutions. In order to address the needs of this overlooked minority, this article concludes with implications for practice and recommendations for future research.
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28. Review of 3rd Paragraph Third Paragraph Presents
Restatement of assertion (argument, claim)
Purpose of the review
Identification of the themes/findings of the review
Organization of the sections (see slides 28 & 29)
Scope of the review (narrow & broad) and rationale
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29. Deciding How to Organize the Review
Historical Analysis (how the subject has been written about in the literature)how a subject was being written about in the 50s may be very different than how it is written about in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.
Themes (variables, findings, sample, controversies, theories)
Methodology (research design: quantitative, qualitative, action research)
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30. Demographics and Diversity of APA Students
Body of Lew, Chang, and Wang (2005) Review: Road map of how paper was organized by themes
Demographics and Diversity of APA Students
Studies on APA Students at Community Colleges (scholars explain that the following section draws from a broader body of literature from 4-yr institutions)
Background Characteristics and Influences on Academic Achievement
Immigrant Status and English Language Fluency
Family Influence and Expectations
Socioeconomic Status
Model Minority Stereotype
Identity Development
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31. Conclusions and Recommendations of Lew, Chang, and Wang (2005) Review
Restates assertion (argument, claim)
Highlights need for further research of undergraduate students
Provides recommendations for community colleges
Presents implications for future research and rationale of why research is important
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32. Review & Final Remarks Follow professor’s guidelines
Select a note-taking method
Understand how to read empirical studies
Know what data to include in review
Include summarization, analysis, and evaluation
Decide on an organizational structure
Lourdes Villarreal