Literature Reviews in a Nutshell

Literature Reviews in a nutshell

Regents Center LibraryLissa Lord

llord@ku.eduFall, 2014

Literature Review

An account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review

Literature review: critical analysis of a segment of a published body of knowledge

Introduction to Lit Review:Identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern. Point out overall trends in what has been published, conflicts in theory, gaps in research and scholarship or a new perspective of immediate interest. Establish the writer's reason for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review.

Body of Lit Review:Summarize individual studies or articles

Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html

A literature review is a written document that presents a logically argued case founded on a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge about a topic of study. This case establishes a convincing thesis to answer the study’s question.

Google Books Link http://books.google.com/books?id=xPCVe-xuhZcC&lpg=PR9&ots=8oJJnvslwp&dq=%22Literature%20Review%3A%20Six%20Steps%20to%20Success%22&lr=lang_en&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true

BOOK:Machi, L., & McEvoy, B. (2009). The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success. Thousand Oaks: Crowin Press.

Citation for this and the following slide:

Research for the Literature Review:

1. Define the question(s) your thesis will address.

2. Library research is finding all the peer reviewed articles, authoritative studies, books, websites, government documents, lectures, surveys, interviews, statistics, etc. that are available references for the thorough (exhaustive) discussion of your dissertation topic. Need help ? Ask a Librarian, Lissa Lord llord@ku.edu

Want to see a review of basic library research using the KU Libraries databases?

Click: YES

or move to the next slide

3. Store and manage the citations you find with a citation management software (EndNote).

The management of all those articles, books, gov docs, reviews, etc. is essential to writing the Literature Review is the

Want to see a review on how to use EndNote?

Click: YES

or move to the next slide

What does a Literature Review look like?

Not an index Not a bibliography Not a list of interesting articles

But a thoughtful description of scholarly research of interest to the dissertation’s author.

How to find dissertations with literature reviews so that you can see how it is done:

Go to KU Libraries www.lib.ku.edu

Select KU ScholarWorks from the top menu bar under “Find Resources”.

KU Scholarworks

http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/

http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/bitstream/1808/10003/1/Edwards_ku_0099D_12055_DATA_1.pdf

Another example of a Dissertation Literature Review

http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/bitstream/1808/6773/1/Barbee_ku_0099D_10706_DATA_1.pdf Full dissertation

http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/bitstream/1808/6773/1/Barbee_ku_0099D_10706_DATA_1.pdf Full dissertation

Citation for this dissertation found on KU’s ScholarSpace

Barbee, G.B. (2009). A qualitative study of a Local district teacher induction program and Its perception by young educators (Doctoral Dissertation) Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6773

More dissertations with literature reviews can be found by going to 1) KU Libraries http://lib.ku.edu2) Select Articles and Databases You will need to log-in with your KU ID3)Click on: P 4)Select: ProQuest dissertations and theses 5)Click on: D 6)Select: Dissertations & theses @ University of Kansas

Library research help on the Edwards Campus?

Lissa Lord llord@ku.edu

Writing help on the Edwards Campus?Edwards Campus Writing Center

http://www.writing.ku.edu/edwards-campus-students