The Literature Review
Teresa Cortez
The University of Texas at El Paso
Spring 2008
Spring 2008
Literature Review
• Systematic identification, location, and
analysis of documents
Spring 2008
Literature Review Goals
1. Demonstrate familiarity with a body of
knowledge—establishes your credibility.
2. Show the path of previous research—how
your current project is linked to it.
3. Places your research project in a context.
Spring 2008
Literature Review Goals (cont.)
4. Integrate and summarize what is known—
pulls together and synthesizes different
results.
5. Indicates direction for future research.
6. Learn from others and stimulate new
ideas.
Spring 2008
Literature Review Goals (cont.)
7. Identifies blind alleys and hypotheses for
replication.
8. Divulges procedures, techniques, research
designs worth copying.
9. Points out areas where researchers agree,
where they disagree, and where major
questions remain.
Spring 2008
Literature Review
• Why??
–
–
–
–
Assists in formulating research question
Points out possible research strategies
Points out possible measuring devices
Introduces you to significant research
personalities
– May replicate or extend previous study
– May find inconsistencies in studies
Spring 2008
Literature Review (cont.)
– May question applicability of findings to different
samples, cultures, regions
– Study may already have been conducted
– Provides a context-rationale for study
– Facilitates interpretation of study results
– Studies already conducted related to your research
question
– Provides suggestions about what studies need to still
be conducted
Spring 2008
Process of conducting a
literature search:
1. Analyze the research problem or area of
concern
2. Determine the type of search
3. Select the reference service (Databases such
as EBSCO, ERIC, JSTOR)
4. Select the descriptors and key terms
5. Conduct the search
6. Locate the references
Spring 2008
Preparing to Write
•
•
•
•
•
Always keep your research problem central
Discuss the documents you have read
Have a plan of ATTACK
Begin discussion like inverted pyramid
Broad topic to specific nature of research
proposal
Spring 2008
Preparing to Write (cont.)
• Headings and subheadings
• Strive for clarity
• Emphasize relatedness between research
question and literature reviewed
• Integrate-integrate-integrate
Spring 2008
Preparing to write (cont.)
• Avoid quotes
• Paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase
• At the end of the literature review section,
summarize your findings
• Answers “What does all this mean?”
Spring 2008
Preparing to write (cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spring 2008
Make an outline
Main topics ordered
Subtopics under each main topic
Analyze references with outline
Read most recent ones first, oldest last
Seminal (influential, decisive, shaping)
works are very important
Preparing to write (cont.)
• Read abstracts first--is article appropriate?
• Sort references where fit in outline
• Use data-based, empirical (experimental,
observed) studies
• Opinion pieces, descriptive research helpful in
introduction--set stage
Spring 2008
Preparing to write (cont.)
• Do not ignore studies that differ from majority
or personal bias.
• Related literature review is NOT a series of
abstracts or annotations
• Integrate-integrate-integrate
• Not a literary production---be clear and
concise
Spring 2008
Spring 2008
Sources
• Journal articles, journal reviews, ERIC papers,
monographs, online materials, books,
periodicals, abstracts, government documents,
and dissertations
• Includes: theoretical discussions, reviews of
literature, philosophical papers, descriptions
and evaluations of current practices, and
empirical research
Spring 2008
Source Guideline
• Primary Source -- description of study written by
person who conducted it.
– Primary sources are the original studies or writings by a
theorist or researcher, which are found by using indexes to
journals, educational documents, government documents,
and dissertations.
• Use Primary Sources to the most extent possible.
Spring 2008
Source Guideline
• Secondary Source -- much briefer description
of study written by other than original
researcher
– Secondary sources are syntheses of the
research-based knowledge on a topic and are
usually articles in general and specialized
educational journals, annuals, yearbooks,
encyclopedias, or books.
• Use Primary Sources to the most extent
possible.
Spring 2008
Judging Literature Review
• A lit review is judged adequate in the context of the
proposal.
• A lit review is NOT judged by its length nor by the
number of citations.
• The quality of a lit review is judged according to
whether it increases the understanding of the status of
knowledge of the problem and provides a rationale
for the study.
Spring 2008
Literature Review
Some of questions the Review
of Literature can answer
–
–
–
–
What are the origins and definitions of the topic?
What are the key sources?
What the key theories, concepts, and ideas?
What are the major issues and debates about the
topic?
– What are the political standpoints?
Spring 2008
Some questions the Review
of Literature can answer (cont.)
– How is knowledge on the topic structured and
organized?
– What are the main questions and problems that
have been addressed to date?
– How have approaches to these questions increased
our understanding and knowledge?
Spring 2008