Literature Reviews & Annotated Bibliographies

1. Literature Reviews & Annotated Bibliographies Presented by Lise Brin, MLIS lbrin@stfx.ca867-3669 May 2013

2. The Annotated Bibliography • What is an annotated bibliographyand why would we write one? • in class • in research • Uses of the annotated bibliography: • as initial step prior to writing paper • as stand-alone document • as supporting document • as record of your literature search

3. The Literature Review • What is aliterature reviewand why would we write one? • forclass • forresearch • Types of literature reviews*: • Traditional • Conceptual • Scoping • Systematic • Similar documents: • Thereview article • Themeta-analytical review *See http://guides.library.ubc.ca/litreviews

4. The Literature Review • A central part of theses, dissertations, research articles • What are the purposes of a literature review?* • situate your work in its area of study • understand how knowledge in your area has evolved • find out –andshow that you understand– what’sknown in your area • compare different theoretical schools in your area • identify methodologies for your study • *This section is adapted fromhttp://guides.library.ubc.ca/litreviews

5. The Literature Review • There is often a method section (how and where you found the sources you included, why you excluded others) • Lays the groundwork for your own research, e.g. • shows that your approach is so new and original that no one else has done anything like it, or • points out that other research has identified this as an area that needs more attention, or • shows that you are replicating prior experiments or building on existing research.

6. Writing a Literature Review • Read lots of examples • Don't just list examples of research – synthesizeand organize what you've found • Keep in mind the purposes of the review • Make sure you are not just being descriptive • Keep the focus narrow • Ask your supervisor for guidance on style, purpose, and expectations

7. Activity #1 Group activity: What are the steps you would follow for writing a literature review?

8. Activity #2 Work in pairs. Pretend you’re having a meeting with your supervisor, and he/she asks you to start working on a literature review on the research topic you're working on. What questions would you ask?

9. Selected Further Readings How to Research (2006) By L. Blaxter, C. Hughes & M. Tight Available as an eBook (part of the Library’s collection) from: http://www.novanet.eblib.com.libproxy.stfx.ca/patron/Read.aspx?p=316254 The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It by D. Taylor, Health Sciences Writing Centre, University of Toronto Available online: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques (2011) by J. Jesson, L. Matheson & F. M. Lacey Available from the Angus L. Macdonald Library: H62 J44 2011 Basic Research Methods: An Entry to Social Science Research (2010) G. Guthrie Available as an eBook (part of the Library’s collection) from: http://www.novanet.eblib.com.libproxy.stfx.ca/patron/Read.aspx?p=592868 Research Methods for Science (2010) M. P. Marder Available as an eBook (part of the Library’s collection) from: http://www.novanet.eblib.com.libproxy.stfx.ca/patron/Read.aspx?p=605086