PhD Research Seminar Series: Writing the Literature Review Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Overview Unless your study explicitly builds on the work of other researchers in your area of inquiry, it is unlikely to contribute to research knowledge (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2003)  Considerations for writing the Literature Review  Online sources for research literature Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Literature Review Purpose: Demonstrate a logical continuity between past research and your present work by evaluating information found in literature related to your independent and dependent variables Objectives:  Justify your research  Show where your study fits into the existing body of knowledge  Highlight flaws in previous research  Outline gaps in previous research (Central Queensland University Library website) Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Contents of Literature Review: Theories Evaluate theories of how your variables either influence (for IVs) or are influenced by (for DVs) certain aspects of the environment  Describe the main tenets of the theory  Describe research studies that support the theory Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Contents of Literature Review: Research Studies (APA) For each research study you evaluate:  Emphasize pertinent findings  Describe major conclusions  Critique relevant methodological issues Population Methods Variables the researcher did not think of Assumptions Once you have critiqued a sufficient collection of research studies, you should have established that while other studies have been conducted on your IV and DVs, none have done exactly what you will. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Contents of Literature Review: Example Describe goal-setting theory  Mechanisms for how goals affect performance  Details of a goal that will make it more likely to influence performance Describe supporting research studies (Seijts & Latham, 2001)  Emphasize Findings: University students who had specific, difficult learning goals performed better on a class scheduling activity than university students who had a do-your-best goal.  Describe Conclusions: Specific, difficult learning goal leads to better performance  Critique Methodological Issues: Goals were set for the participants Examined performance in an artificial task Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Concluding Advice Do NOT include research or theories on variables that are not an independent or dependent variable in your study.  When finding research to review, use your independent and dependent variables as keywords in search engines Write strong transitions between topics  Enables the reader to know where you are taking them Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Searching for Articles Eric  Google Scholar  JSTOR  Gutenburg  HINARI   User Name: NIE014 (3 Letters, 3 Numbers)  Password: **See Me for the UniJos Passcode** Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos