The Literature Review

BHV 390: Research MethodsKimberly Porter Martin, Ph.D.

What is a Literature Review

A literature review is a library research paper just like any other library research paper you have written in your college courses.

It uses information from academic sources to summarize what experts know from theory and research about a given topic.

Goals of a Literature Review

• Give the reader a summary of current knowledge about the a concept or population.

• Show the path of prior research and how the current project is linked to it.

• Demonstrate the researcher’s understanding of the theoretical and methodological context in which the research will take place

• Describes the context in which a research project will be conducted.

Six Possible Goals of a Literature Review

• Contextual – to locate a specific project within the big picture.

• Historical – to trace an issue over time.• Theoretical – to compare how different theories

address an issue.• Integrative – to show relationships between

things that are known.• Methodological – to point out how various

methods that have been used may vary.• Critical – to discover gaps in what hypotheses

have been tested or in what populations have been studied

Kinds of LiteratureNon-Academic References

EncyclopediasDictionariesTextbooksReferencesNewspapersMagazines

You usually may not cite these in literature reviews. Use

them to locate authors the names of authors for whom you want to search in the academic literature.

Kinds of LiteratureAcademic References

Scholarly books Edited books/volumes

Peer-reviewed journal articlesTheses and DissertationsGovernment Documents

These are the kinds of references you may cite in literature reviews

The Academic LiteratureThere are three general types of academic literature:

1. Academic books

Written by a single expert* author

2. Edited volumes

Each chapter is written by a different expert*, with the book assembled by an expert* in the field

3. Journals

Frequently published periodicals containing a group of articles that present recent research results or new theoretical presentations.

*experts become experts through their participation in research in their fields

The Special Nature of Journal Articles

Journal articles have a special role in presenting research results because:

• They are published at least several times a year, making scientific knowledge available in a timely fashion.

• They follow strict standards for submission.• They require pre-publication review by peers

to maintain organized skepticism.• They do not pay their authors; the prestige of

publishing is the reward they offer.

Secondary Citations

Primary Citations You read Jones who gives a definition for self esteem. You give the definition and cite Jones.

Secondary citations. You read Smith who gives Jones’ definition for self esteem. You give Jones’ definition and cite Smith.

Secondary citations are generally unacceptable.

How to Begin a Systematic Literature Review

1. Choose a concept or population as a starting point.2. Generate lists of: -The disciplines that are likely to be involved -The types of academic references most relevant -Key words and terminology to use in the search3. Locate a wide variety of academic sources4. Mine the sources for information and take notes

Mining an Academic ReferenceLook for Theoretical Approaches

1. Names of theories

2. Perspectives of theories

3. All possible definitions for each relevant concept including

- aspects/components of each concept/definition

- comparisons/contrasts between definitions

4. Assumptions

5. Predictions

6. Logical relationships used to connect any of the above

Mining an Academic Reference

Look for How Each Concept Has Been Studied?

1. Instruments/items used to measure each concept

2. Ways in which data was collected

Survey

Interview

Observation

Participant-Observation

Content Analysis

Case Study

Mining an Academic Reference

Look for Populations Studied for Each Concept

1. type of populations

2. significant demographic characteristics of populations

3. populations that have been left out in the study of each concept

Mining an Academic Reference

Look for Results of Studies for Each Concept

• Descriptions of variables that are associated with each concept

• Populations that are affected by each concept

• Associations that have been demonstrated

• Cause and effect relationships that have been demonstrated

Mining an Academic ReferenceLook for Gaps/Problems with the Research• Reliability – does the study need to be replicated to

assure reliability?• Validity – does the study measure what it says it

measures?• Are there other populations that should be

studied?• Are there ways in which the methodology should

be improved?• Do the authors make suggestions for future

research?

Mining an Academic Reference

Look for

References cited in the article, book or government report that you might read to

contribute to your literature review.

How to Read an Academic Reference

• Skim before reading entire document

• Consider your own orientation and/or project

• Organize material as you read by highlighting

• Organize material as you read by charting

• Evaluate as you read

NOTE: You will read/review many more sources than you will be able to use in your literature review.

Getting the Big Picture Out of Your Literature

• Read and analyze all of the references you have gathered and then assign each a number.

• Generate a list of concepts/topics and populations that your references say may be important in understanding your topic

• Highlight using colors to distinguish different topics

• Create a matrix of variables that shows what references/articles address each one.

Highlighting in References• Highlight theory in one color• Highlight methods in another color• Highlight information about each concept

in a different color.• Highlight information about each

population in a different color• Make hard copies and use highlighting

pens• Use the highlight function in your word

processor to highlight in electronic files.

Chart Topics and Populations• Assign each reference (book, chapter, article,

etc.) a number• Put the numbers of your references in the

columns in a table• List each relevant topic and/or population that

you find in your references in the rows at the left in your table.

• For each topic and/or population check the columns of each reference that covers it.

• Each row in the table becomes a section or subsection in your paper.

Keeping Track of InformationTopic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Etc

Racism X X X X X X X

Gender X X X

Income X X X X X

Education X X X X

Etc.

Integrating Information into a Summary of Current Knowledge

Look for relationships between studies/articles. • History or sequence of research on a

topic/concept; the development of knowledge about the concept/topic.

• Debates between researchers who use different theories or have contradictory results.

• Changes in theoretical perspectives used over time

• Arguments about appropriate methods.• Use and modification of the

measures/scales/indices developed by others.

Concept-Based Organization• Introduction• Concept One • Concept Two • (add additional as necessary)• Studies that investigate the relationship between

Concept 1 and Concept 2• Population(s) of interest• Gaps or opportunities for expanding knowledge

about your concepts • The logic that leads to your research question(s)

or hypotheses, followed by your research questions(s) or hypotheses

Organizational Tips• Your introduction should tell people why your

topic is important, interesting and worth knowing more about

• Use a heading for each section of your paper.• Each section of your paper should begin with the

most general and least important aspects of your topic and end with the most specific and most important aspects of your topic.

• You need to describe each of your topics generally before you begin to talk about the aspect that you will address in your study.

Hypothetical Outline for Literature Review on the Relationship between Substance Abuse and Participation in Sports in Teenagers

I. IntroductionII. Teenagers/Adolescents B. Definition C. Biological aspects D. Psychological aspects E. Social aspects F. Family relationships G. School performance H. DelinquencyIII. Substance Abuse A. General statistics B. Who is likely to abuse substances? C. Types of substance abuse 1. Illegal drugs 2. Alcohol 3. Prescription drugs 4. Performance enhancing drugs D. Consequences of substance abuse E. Treatment options for substance abuseIV. Participation in Sports A. Benefits of participation in sports B. Misuse of sports participation C. Differences between individual sports 1. Football 2. Wrestling 3. SwimmingV. Studies of the relationship between drug abuse, sports participation and adolescenceVI. Conclusions

Sample Literature Review Outline: Anger and Life Trauma in Vietnamese AmerAsian Immigrants to the United States

I. IntroductionII. Vietnam AmerAsian Immigrants A. Who are they? B. What were their lives like in Vietnam? C. When did they come to the United States? D. Under what circumstances did they come to the United States? E. What have their lives been like since immigrating?III. Life trauma A. How is life trauma defined? B. What kinds of life trauma are there? C. What kinds of populations are most at risk for trauma? D. How is life trauma measured? E. Post traumatic stressIV. Anger A. How is anger defined? B. What kinds of anger are there? C. How is anger managed? D. How is anger expressed? E. Who is likely to be angry?V. Research on life trauma and anger in minority groups A. In the United States B. In Immigrants C. In Southeast Asian immigrants D. In Vietnamese AmerAsian Immigrants to the United StatesVI. Conclusion

What Does a Good Review Look Like?• It begins with definitions of terms and big

picture descriptions of the concept.

• It becomes more specific as the ideas are developed

• It organizes common findings together

• It logically links statements and/or findings

• It notes discrepancies or weaknesses

• It logically leads the reader to see the reasoning behind the research question(s) or hypotheses that are being proposed.

Powerpoint Study Guide

Library Research PaperContextHistoryTheoryMethodsIntegrationCritical EvaluationAcademic sourcesNon-academic sourcesBooksPeer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Edited VolumesMaster’s ThesesDoctoral DissertationsPrimary CitationsSecondary CitationsHighlighting in ReferencesCharting ReferencesConcept Based OrganizationOutlining