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Efficient Literature Review Strategies: Searching, Evaluation, and Synthesis

Learn how to find and evaluate relevant information quickly, summarize sources, and synthesize information from multiple sources into a cohesive whole. Explore various search tools and techniques for effective literature reviews.

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Efficient Literature Review Strategies: Searching, Evaluation, and Synthesis

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  1. Literature Reviews

  2. Outline • Strategies for searching • Evaluation • Synthesis • Citation management • Search Tools

  3. Learning Objectives • Find information quickly and efficiently • Evaluate information to see if it is relevant • Summarize an information source succinctly • Synthesize information from multiple sources into a final integrated whole

  4. Background Information • What is your organism of interest? • What is your extreme environment of interest? • What is your adaptation of interest?

  5. Getting Started • Mapping • Brainstorming • Outline

  6. Mapping

  7. Brainstorming Photo credits: https://www.slideshare.net/hursman/sorting-skittles-a-user-research-game/14-sskittles_14

  8. Outline • Topic • Subtopic 1 • Point 1 • Evidence 1 • Evidence 2 • Point 2 • Evidence 1 • Subtopic 2 • Point 1 • Evidence 1 • Etc….

  9. Evaluation • What is the best method for reading a paper? • How do you tell if a source is reliable? • Reading is active

  10. Questions to ask as you read • How well do the methods test the hypothesis? • Is the sample size adequate? • Is the experimental design valid? Were the proper controls performed? • What are the limitations of the methodology? • Are other techniques available? Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  11. Questions to ask as you read • How fairly have the results been interpreted? • How well do the results support the stated conclusion? • Has the data’s variability been adequately considered? • Do other finding verify (or contradict) the conclusion? • What other experiment could test the conclusion? Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  12. Questions to ask as you read • What are the broader implications of the work, and why does it matter • Can the results be generalized beyond the system that was studied? • What are the work’s practical implications? • What questions arise from the work? • Which experiments should be done next? Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  13. Synthesis • Synthesis = literature review • Your data/evidence is other people’s papers • Your contribution is how you organize and make connections between all of these papers • It is easy to find sources that confirm your ideas (confirmation bias), try to find diverse sources

  14. Synthesize – organization • Sequential • Show progression of the field/topic…. • Topical • Topic 1 with subtopics, topic 2 with subtopics…. • Methodological • No other method has proven…. • Theoretical • Contrast and compare theories….

  15. Identify Common Themes • Hypotheses • Populations studied • Theories • Methods • Outcomes

  16. Contrast and Compare • Do different studies agree or disagree? • Do they agree on some things but disagree on others? • Example Although most scientists attribute _____ to _____, X’s result _____ leads to the possibility that _____. Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  17. Make connections • What is the relationship between studies? • Examples Because ______ does not account for _____, X instead used _____. By demonstrating _____, X’s work extends the finding of Y. Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  18. Identify Gaps • What is missing? • What can be studied next? • Example Now that ______ has been established, scientists will likely turn their attention toward ______. Graff, G. & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

  19. Proofreading and editing • Write a draft • Let it sit • Look at it with fresh eyes • Ask your ____ to read it

  20. Scientific Information Timeline

  21. Techniques for Searching • Boolean operators • AND (for combining different concepts, finds fewer results) • OR (for combining synonyms, finds more results) • Phrase searching • Quotations – “extreme environment” • Truncation • Asterix – oxygen*

  22. Strategies for Searching Related/Similar articles Author search Citation tracking Review articles • Main ideas • Synonyms • New keywords • Filters • Date • Subject categories • Document types • Search within • Author keywords • Controlled vocabulary

  23. Search Tools • Web of Science • Summon • Pubmed • Google Scholar

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