Reviewing the Literature

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Reviewing the Literature

• Prepared and presented by
• Dr Patricia Farrar
• Senior Lecturer
• Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery Health

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What is the literature?

• Journal articles
• Books
• Conference proceedings
• Government publications
• Theses and dissertations
• Internet sources
• Bibliographies

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What is a literature review?

• A conceptually organized synthesis of the results
  of a literature search that provides a context
  for your proposal or thesis
• It is NOT a summary of the literature, nor merely
  descriptions or paraphrases of the works
• It is a critical piece of discursive prose, not a
  list!

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Why review the literature?

• Critically examine and evaluate existing research
• Show the relationship between the different
  studies
• Locate your study within the broader research
  context eg method, ethical considerations

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What is the purpose of a literature review?

• To organize information and relate it to the
  proposal or thesis
• To synthesize results of the literature search
• To identify controversy in the literature
• To develop questions for further research

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Butwhy do I have to write a literature review?

• To indicate that I am knowledgeable in my field
• To demonstrate to others that I have the
  understanding and background knowledge to
  undertake this project
• To clarify the project for myself

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When should I start the literature review?

• As soon as you have decided on your topic and
  approach
• While you are formulating the research question
  or approach to the topic
• As you read the literature that you have
  accumulated

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What skills are necessary?

• Information seeking
• Analysis and critical appraisal
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

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Stages in the development of a literature review

• Problem formulation
• Literature search
• Data evaluation
• Analysis and interpretation

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How can I organize all this information?

• Software eg Endnote
• 4 X 3 Cards
• Themes the Kitchen Bench Method
• Cut up
• The 4P Method paper, post-it notes, paper-clips
  and piles

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How should I organize the literature?

• Time
• Content themes or trends
• Research method
• Theories

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How do I analyze the information?

• Initial appraisal
• Author
• Date of Publication
• Edition or revision
• Publisher
• Journal

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But wait, theres more analysis!

• Content analysis
• Intended audience
• Objective reasoning
• Coverage
• Writing style
• Evaluative review

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How can I write a good literature review?

• Remember the purpose
• A context for your proposal or thesis
• Read with a purpose
• Summarize concepts, similarities, differences
• Write with a purpose
• Demonstrate and evaluate relationships

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Literature reviews should contain

• An overview of the subject, issue or theory under
  consideration
• Organisation of the works under review into
  categories
• Explanations of how each work is similar to and
  how it varies from the others
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best

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The introduction

• Define or identify the general topic, issue, or
  area of concern
• Point out overall trends, conflicts, gaps or new
  perspectives
• Establish your position (point of view) from
  which you are reviewing the literature
• State why certain literature is or is not
  included (scope)

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The body

• Group the literature according to common
  denominators
• Summarize individual studies or articles
  according to its importance in the literature
• Provide the reader with "umbrella" sentences at
  beginnings of paragraphs, "signposts" throughout,
  and brief "so what" summary sentences

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The conclusion

• Summarize major contributions of significant
  studies with reference to the introduction
• Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the
  body of knowledge reviewed
• Conclude by providing some insight into the
  relationship between the central topic of the
  literature review and a larger area of study

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Writing it up using linking words

• For authors who draw similar conclusions
• also similarly again in addition
• For authors who complement one another
• moreover furthermore notwithstanding
• For authors who disagree or contradict
• however conversely nonetheless on the other
  hand

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More writing up -useful verbs (adjust for case,
tense, mood and voice)

• When an author makes a claimalleges suggests
  contends argues proposes contests
• When authors make the same claim across
  textsagree concur support validate
  correspond with
• When authors disagree argue refute challenge
  dispute contradict negate invalidate rebut
  disprove counter oppose

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Citing references

• In text
• Footnotes
• Endnotes

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What is a good or bad review? You choose!

• Sexual harassment has many consequences. Adams,
  Brown and White (1998) found that some women
  students said that they avoided taking a class or
  working with certain lecturers because of risk of
  harassment. They also found that men and women
  students reacted differently. Their research was
  a survey of 1,000 men and women graduate and
  under graduate students. Benson and Thomsons
  study in Social Problems (2002) lists many
  problems created by sexual harassment. In their
  excellent book, The Lecherous Professor,
  Maralyn Davis and Julie Wilson (2004) give a
  long list that victims have suffered.

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Now rate this one!

• Survivors of sexual harassment suffer a range of
  consequences from lowered self-esteem and
  self-confidence, to withdrawal from social
  interaction, changed career goals and depression
  (Adams, Brown White, 1998 Benson Thomson,
  2002 Davis Wilson, 2004). For example, Adams
  et al (1998) noted that 13 per cent of
  under-graduate women students said they avoided
  taking a class or working with certain lecturers
  because of the risk of harassment. Moreover,
  Davis and Wilson (2004) reported that 5 per cent
  of female post-graduate students withdrew from
  their studies completely as a result of sexual
  harassment.