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Literature Reviews

Literature Reviews. Entering a conversation & carving a niche for yourself Sara R. Curran. A Literature Review Sets the Stage for Your Story. Because the audience will know that what you have to say is new.

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Literature Reviews

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  1. Literature Reviews Entering a conversation & carving a niche for yourself Sara R. Curran

  2. A Literature Review Sets the Stage for Your Story Because the audience will know that what you have to say is new • After they listen to your story they will know and understand more than they did before

  3. A Literature Review Helps You Find… A target journal • A research question not yet answered satisfactorily • Leading researchers on your topic – the people you want to talk with • The right vocabulary

  4. A Literature Review Will… • Explain what is known about the topic • Facts • Theory or explanations or reasons • Explain how we know what we know • Types of evidence • Ways of collecting evidence • Analytic approaches for comparing evidence • Identify the gaps in knowledge • Contradictory findings, mixed results • Paradoxes or puzzles

  5. A Good Literature Review Demonstrates . . . Your authority to make convincing claims • Demonstrates that you know what you are talking about and that the experts will agree with you • The importance or justification of your study • After establishing that the puzzle or gap is real, it leads to answering your research question – i.e., answers the question: So what?

  6. Early Stage Literature Review

  7. Identifying Factual Knowledge about Your Topic What are the key sources of information? • What are the types of data or evidence? • What are the origins or definitions of the topic? • What are the key theories or concepts? • What are the variables and conditions?

  8. Identifying Debates & Questions What are the main questions that have been asked? And the range of specific questions • What are the major issues or debates about the topic?

  9. Identifying Gaps First, do a systematic and thorough coverage of relevant research literature • Be a critic of past research • Make both positive and negative criticism • Synthesize and summarize • Then, compare and contrast • Not enough to identify a gap just to say, “There are no studies on ….” without including a reason

  10. Examples of “New” Empirical work that has not been done before • Using existing ideas, practices, or approaches but with a different interpretation • New evidence about an old issue or problem that changes our understanding

  11. Examples of “New” (cont.) Creating a new synthesis that has not been done before • Applying something done in one country to another country [must compare and contrast] • Applying a technique used in one field to another field

  12. Getting to “New” Create a summary list of the literature • Column headings (up to you): unit of analysis, key theories (hypotheses), central concepts, sample/data source/date of data collection/sample size, method of analysis, major finding, minor findings, study limitations, their statement of next steps or puzzles, your comment on relevance to you

  13. Growing Your Literature & Knowing When to Stop! Follow the citation trail as you learn about new ones • Stop when you no longer find new key citations or scholars • Follow the concepts as you learn about new ones • Stop when you no longer learn new concepts

  14. Organize for Comparison Cluster relevant studies with similar findings compare data and approaches • Cluster studies that are similar in approach and compare findings within these groups • Compare findings across groups • Take notes and interpret – make a research question

  15. Literature Review Reflects Claims in Introduction Factual claims made in introduction are elaborated • Concepts and key ideas identified in introduction are elaborated and described • Summary of current state of field and justification of “new” is made

  16. Demonstrating Authority by . . . Correctly synthesizing the leading authors, theories, and evidence on your topic • Stating the recognized next steps needed or the current state of the field • Describing, interpreting, and relating research or evidence that has not yet been integrated into the main texts on the topic and that suggests a need for new study

  17. Generate Hypotheses Summarize current empirical status of current hypotheses • Based on preceding review of literature and new evidence, develop and justify hypotheses

  18. Summary: A Good Literature Review . . . Frames the problem posed in your paper’s introduction • Makes clear the added value of your research • Lets reviewers know you have read their work (which they think is important) • Constructs a theoretical framework • Identifies research gaps that this paper WILL address • Makes sure the problem hasn’t already been addressed • Formulates a model – which variables are relevant and why • Justifies the importance of the problem • Formulates hypotheses

  19. Do’s and Don’t’s DO • DON’T • Interpret in your own way and words • Annotate and list each article • Plagiarize • Synthesize • “Most studies…” • Use inappropriate terms • “Exceptions are…” • Use terms you don’t understand • Compare & Contrast • “Similarly…” • “On the other hand..” • “However…” • Build a case • “Moreover…” • “In addition…” • “Thus, …” • Use citations

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