Reviewing the Literature PE 357

Why a Lit Review? Helps round out the problem Identifies what has been done Identifies potential methodology and procedures for your study Helps develop theoretical structure Helps stimulate inductive reasoning

What are the Steps 1) Write the problem statement 2) Consult secondary sources –Look for recent reviews of the basic problem Determine descriptors –Search for the problem, similar variables, and the population Search primary sources –Start with current literature and move backward

Search Engines Sport Discus, Medline, Index Medicus, PsycLit, Eric, PSYcInfo, Web of Science, google Most of the information will be in journals and book chapters though internet sources are becoming more common

After the Search... List may be huge and difficult to organize Create a working bibliography Use the abstract to help delimit your search Computer software is now a fantastic way to organize (e.g., Endnote, Procite, Reference Manager)

Reading Research Weight by 1) peer reviewed journals 2) book chapters 3) published abstracts 4) dissertation abstracts 5) internet sources/ non-refereed material

Impact Factor... Represents the average number of times all articles in a journal are cited during one year Not a perfect system because small fields of study, large numbers of journals in a field of study, and important work that is not cited in scientific journals are biased Better to try to roughly classify journals in a given area by A, B, C You are the final judge of the merit of the paper

Critical Reading Develop a chart of findings to help look for similarities and differences between studies Often record: –Statement of problem –Participant characteristics –Instruments –Procedures –Variables (IV & DV) –Treatment (if an experimental study) –Design and analyses –Findings –Questions raised for future studies