18 September The Literature Review What literature and where?

18 September What is a literature review? In the terms of a literature review, "the literature" means the works you consult in order to understand and investigate your research problem.

18 September What literature should you review? 1. Journal articles: these are good, especially for up-to-date information. They are frequently used in literature reviews because they offer a relatively concise, up-to-date format for research. Depending on the publication, these materials may be refereed or non-refereed materials.

18 September What are refereed journals? Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees before publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials assure readers that the information conveyed is reliable and timely.

18 September What about non-refereed journals? Non-refereed materials such as Trade Journals or Magazines use less rigorous standards of screening prior to publication. Non-refereed materials may not by checked as intensely as refereed materials, but many can still be considered scholarly.

18 September What literature should you review? 2. Books: remember that books tend to be less up-to-date, as it takes longer for a book to be published than for a journal article. They are still likely to be useful for including in your literature review as they offer a good starting point from which to find more detailed and up-to-date sources of information.

18 September What literature should you review? 3. Conference proceedings: these can be useful in providing the latest research, or research that has not been published. They are also helpful in providing information about people in different research areas, and so can be helpful in tracking down other work by the same researchers.

18 September What literature should you review? 4. Government/corporate reports: many government departments and corporations commission or carry out research. Their published findings can provide a useful source of information, depending on your field of study.

18 September What literature should you review? 5. Newspapers: since newspapers are generally intended for a general (not specialised) audience, the information they provide will be of very limited use for your literature review. Newspapers are more helpful as providers of information about recent trends, discoveries or changes, e.g. announcing changes in government policy. Newspapers do not give unbiased opinions.

18 September What literature should you review? 6. Theses and dissertations: these can be useful sources of information. However there are disadvantages: they can be difficult to obtain since they are not published, but are generally only available from the library or interlibrary loan the student who carried out the research may not be an experienced researcher and therefore you might have to treat their findings with more caution than published research.

18 September What literature should you review? 7. Internet: the fastest-growing source of information is on the Internet. bear in mind that anyone can post information on the Internet so the quality may not be reliable the information you find may be intended for a general audience and so not be suitable for inclusion in your literature review (information for a general audience is usually less detailed)

18 September Why write a review? The literature review is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to your project. You should evaluate what has already been done, show the relationships between different work, and show how it relates to your project. It is not supposed to be just a summary of other people's work.

18 September What sort of questions should the review answer? What do we already know in the area concerned? What are the existing theories? Are there any inconsistencies or other shortcomings? What views need to be (further) tested? What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? Why study (further) the research problem?

18 September Learning Objective 1 Determine the purposes for the literature review

18 September The Literature Review To determine what is already known about the topic Help to refine study topic Narrow the study topic

18 September Recommendations for Research Research topics Replication ideas Another aspect of the topic

18 September Frameworks of Research Find theoretical or conceptual frameworks See how these frameworks are used Helps guide the study as the research unfolds

18 September Other Helpful Aspects Helps plan study methodology Locates study instruments Suggests ways to analyze data Capitalizes on successes in the past Prevents errors of other researchers

18 September Learning Objective 2 Recognize the need for becoming familiar with the library’s services

18 September The Library and its Staff Contain a wealth of information Are familiar with resources Will help in search techniques Policies and interlibrary loans

18 September Collaboration Ideas Helps with evidence based searches Finds high level of evidence o Meta analysis o Systematic reviews o Randomized clinical trial

18 September Learning Objective 3 Distinguish between primary and secondary sources in research literature

18 September Primary Sources Is a description of a research study written by the original investigator/s Location: generally found in journal articles [e.g. Clinical Nursing Research, Advance in Nursing Science] Rationale for using: to check study findings and to draw conclusions about research study. It contains Reference citation for earlier research

18 September Secondary Sources Is a summary or description of research study written by someone other than the study investigator/s. Rationale for using: may provide valuable insight into the material. The author of 2ndary sources may misinterpret information that might be valuable to the reader. Use in conjunction with primary sources

18 September Learning Objective 4 Discuss print resources that may be used in locating literature references

18 September Types of Print Sources Indexes o Periodicals o Books

18 September Types of Print Sources Abstracts o Brief summaries of articles o Purpose, methods, and major findings o Helpful to see if entire study needs to be read

18 September Indexes CINAHL o Nursing Journals from 1961 to 1977 o Nursing and Allied Health Journals 1977 till present day o Covers nursing and allied health journals, including dental hygiene, medical records, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician’s assistant, respiratory therapy.

18 September Indexes Nursing Studies Index o Yale University School of Nursing o Virginia Henderson as founder o Nursing annotated guides to English language and reports of studies and historical and biographical materials concerning nurisng. o Four volumes from 1972 to 1959

18 September Indexes Index Medicus o Well-known index of medical literature o It covers all aspects of Biomedicine, nursing and allied health o Publications from 1879 to 1950 o Journals listed in four sections o Since 1997, free on Internet and not printed

18 September Abstracts Nursing Research Abstracts (1960–1978) o Nov/Dec issues—subject guide to the abstracts published during the year in Nursing Research Psychological Abstracts Journals, technical reports, book chapters, and books in the field of psychology.

18 September Abstracts Dissertation Abstracts International o Doctoral dissertations o Authors of dissertations

18 September Abstracts Masters Abstracts International o Author-written 150-word abstracts of master’s theses. o Voluntary basis o Small percentage in print

18 September Selection Process Print sources used less frequently Current research may only be in print Electronic sources used more frequently

18 September Learning Objective 5 Discuss electronic sources that may be used in locating literature references

18 September Electronic Sources Online catalogs o The card catalog online o Keyword searches o Search suggestions o WorldCat o eBooks

18 September Electronic Sources CD-ROMS o Advantages: able to pick up a disc and search a database using a computer in the library. o Disadvantages: database is usually split over a series of discs o Database outdated as soon as it released o Most databases on CD-ROMS are available in online version

18 September Electronic Sources Online databases o Free accounts from home o Popular browsers o Search engines o Mega search engines

18 September Electronic Sources Online databases o URL components o Search suggestions

18 September Electronic Communication Changes how resources are used Impacts on the communication process

18 September Learning Objective 6 Compare electronic sources that are useful for nurses when conducting a literature review

18 September Online Sources for Nursing CINAHL and its 12,000 subject headings o Commercial Vendors

18 September Online Sources for Nursing CINAHL Plus with Full Text o Newest database for nursing o Only through libraries o Full text articles o Evidence-Based Care Sheets

18 September Online Sources for Nursing Registry of nursing research o Sigma Theta Tau International o Free access URL

18 September Online Sources for Nursing MEDLINE o Life sciences with biomedicine o Articles from USA and 70 other countries o URL addresses for home access o Search completed using MeSH o Not all articles are free

18 September Online Sources for Nursing OLDMEDLINE o Covers 1950 through 1965

18 September Online Sources for Nursing MedlinePlus o Consumer health information o URL address o Spanish version o Easy to Read index

18 September Online Sources for Nursing Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews o URL addresses o International network of authors and institutions o Archie Cochrane founded in 1993 o Stresses evidence-based practice o Meta-analysis source

18 September Online Sources for Nursing ERIC o Education source o URL address o Free public access

18 September Online Sources for Nursing PsycINFO o Psychology and related disciplines o Founded in 1887 to present o 24-hour search

18 September Online Sources for Nursing Dissertation Abstracts Online o ProQuest Information and Learning o Degree-granting institutions o Monthly updates o Selected masters theses

18 September Online Sources for Nursing Other online databases

18 September Learning Objective 7 Obtain references from online journals

18 September Online Journals e-journals e-zines Free journals URL addresses

18 September Learning Objective 8 Conduct a literature search on a given topic

18 September Strategic Hints for Success Read sources first Record bibliographic information Use reference citations—APA Record references accurately Remember dates and pages

18 September Source Dates Current dates Older than 5 years Questions to ask

18 September Paraphrases and Quotes Search for paraphrases Critically appraise the information Review concisely and to the point

18 September Learning Objective 9 Extract pertinent information from literature sources

18 September Tips for Extraction Use a variety of resources Do not copy all articles Review articles critically Take notes for retrieval later Use reference format at the beginning

18 September Format Suggestion Acquire all pertinent information

18 September Format Suggestions Write in reference format from beginning o Index cards o Spiral notebooks o Loose-leaf paper

18 September Format Suggestions Add notes to your retrieval format

18 September Format Suggestions Remember to add important criteria o Problem statement o Purpose statement o Hypotheses o Methodology o Sample type

18 September Format Suggestions Remember to add important criteria o Instruments o Research findings o Recommendations o Conclusions

18 September Learning Objective 10 Critique the literature review section of research articles

18 September Guidelines for Critiquing Is the literature review comprehensive? Is the literature review concise? Does the review flow logically from the purpose?

18 September Guidelines for Critiquing Are all sources relevant to the study topic? Are sources critically appraised? Are both classic and current sources included?

18 September Guidelines for Critiquing Are paraphrases or direct quotes used most often? Are both supporting and opposing theory and research presented? Are most of the references primary sources?

18 September Guidelines for Critiquing Can a determination be made if sources are primary or secondary? Are all sources that are cited in the article found on the reference list? Do the references appear to be free of citation errors?