Writing a Literature Review? Dr. Donna Harp Ziegenfuss donna.ziegenfuss@utah.edu https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Urval_av_de_bocker_som_har_vunnit _Nordiska_radets_litteraturpris_under_de_50_ar_som_priset_funnits_%283%29.jpg

Session Objectives: At the end of this session, you will be able to: Define what a literature review is Articulate the literature review process Locate example dissertations/literature reviews in your discipline to study Find and use tools/templates to help you do a literature review Begin to develop a plan for conducting a literature review

Definition “In any subject area, the literature review provides that previous knowledge, and gives us an anchor to which to attach our new ideas ... This requires careful thought and planning, a clear structure, analytic thinking, extremely good information search skills, the ability to synthesize and summarize information in a clear writing style, and the ability to integrate this with the rest of your research work”. (Oliver, 2012, p.1) Central to the research Need to understand weaknesses and strengths of prior research We need to build of the research of those who came before us Sets the broad context of the study – what is and is not within the scope of the study Identifies gaps Not just a summary but a synthesis Is a form of scholarship

Why do a Literature Review? Identify gaps in the literature to be researched Rationalize the importance of the topic you are studying Discover the subtopic and variables about the topic By ‘synthesizing’ the literature you will gain new insights and perspectives about the topic You can use the literature review as evidence to make a case for your findings Boote & Beile, 2005

Types of Literature Reviews Traditional Narrative Type Review of the Literature (Critical Analysis) A stand alone literature review article A review done as part of a dissertation/thesis A review done as part of evaluation/report Other: Systematic Literature Review – detailed approach Meta-Analysis Literature Review – a systematic review focused on topics/subtopics or themes - statistical Different from an essay/ research paper with an argument research paper – use research to make a point and support your own argument, literature review – review and analyze arguments and ideas of others Systematic reviews usually done in the sciences – comparing and contrasting clinical studies

The Literature Review - 5 step process (Creswell, 2002, p. 86) Framing the topic/question and identifying terms to use in your search Locating the literature relevant to your topic Evaluating/analyzing the resources you find Organizing the literature you have selected in a structured order Writing the literature review

1. Framing the topic/question and identifying terms to use in your search Browse background information Google / Google Scholar Identify topics, concepts and keywords Concept map, matrix, keywords Narrow your topic through more research Develop a thesis statement or research questions to guide your searching https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empty-frame.png

Locating the literature relevant to your topic Develop the search strategy Broad to narrow Begin in Google Scholar – Go deeper into library resources Keep a research journal (example excel template in course) Select databases for topic Track journals you are finding Keep a list of keywords

Evaluating/analyzing the resources you find Type of resources you use depends on your topic Write an annotated bibliography Summary annotation – summary no judgment Critical / Informative Combination Library guide on doing an annotated bibliography Library guide for a literature review

4. Organizing the literature you have selected in a structured order Thematic Organization of concepts / subtopics By subtopics Chronological (timeline – historical order) By publication history or by trend history Methodological Organized by the different methods used by the authors

5. Writing the literature review Introduction/Body/Conclusions Focus on the analysis /critical evaluation of the sources Use evidence and examples of your sources Use quotes for emphasis, not routinely Be selective on what aspects of sources you use to tell the story about your topic May need to come back to the literature after your analysis as findings emerge https://pixabay.com/en/photos/writing%20paper/

Tools and Resources Citation Management System Social Bookmarking Endnote Basic, Zotero etc. Social Bookmarking Diigo, Delicious Adobe Acrobat Pro – highlighting and comments Box.utah.edu to store PDFs Evernote or Excel for tracking research and/or annotations

References Boote, D. N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational researcher, 34(6), 3-15. Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding with Your Literature Review : A Handbook for Students. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. p. 1 Websites http://libguides.wesleyan.edu/content.php?pid=484303&sid=3970520#general http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/annotated-bibliographies/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/