Literature Review

The Process……..

July 26, 2017

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Standing on the shoulders of Giants

July 26, 2017

Literature Review?

• a comprehensive critical analysis of all published research

that is relevant to your proposed investigation and guided

by your research objectives

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The Purpose

• Convey the depth and breadth of research that has been accomplished on a subject

• Supports the significance of the research

• Identify important issues and link to hypotheses

• Identify key areas of missing knowledge

• Ensures that you are not “reinventing the wheel”

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Questions to ponder upon!

• What is known about the subject?

• Are there any gaps in the knowledge of the subject?

• Have areas of further study been identified by other researchers that you may want to consider?

• Is there consensus about the topic?

• What aspects have generated significant debate on the topic?

• What methods or problems were identified by others studying in the field and how might they impact your research?

• What is the most productive methodology for your research based on the literature you have reviewed?

• What is the current status of research in this area?

• Who are the significant research personalities in this area?

• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to you?

July 26, 2017

How to organize studies

• Chronological

– By publication date

– By trend

• Thematic

– A structure which considers different themes

• Methodological

– Focuses on the methods of the researcher, e.g.,

qualitative versus quantitative approaches

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Outline of Information required in review

Title

Author and year

Journal (full reference)

Purpose of study

Type of Study

Setting

Data Collection method

Major Findings

Recommendations

Key thoughts/Comments eg. Strengths/weakness

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The Models

Stringing Model Synthesis Model

Introduction Paragraph 1: Summary or description of article 1 Paragraph 2: Summary or description of article 2 Paragraph 3: Summary or description of article 3 …and on… Summary and conclusions

Introduction--Introduce context, topic, importance, research questions, overview Theme A: Introduce concept or theme, discuss/compare the relevant parts of papers 1, 3, and 4 Theme B: Introduce concept or theme, discuss/compare the relevant parts of papers 2,4, and 5 Theme C: Introduce concept or theme, discuss/compare the relevant parts of papers 5 and 6 Final paragraphs --Summarize and highlight conclusions, unresolved issues, identify possible next steps in research and/or practice.

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Making links between studies

Agreements

• Similarly, author B points to…

• Likewise, author C makes the case that…

• Author D also makes this point…

• Again, it is possible to see how author E agrees with

author D…

Disagreements

• However, author B points to…

• On the other hand, author C makes the case that…

• Conversely, Author D argues…

• Nevertheless, what author E suggests…

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July 26, 2017

Reasons for undertaking a higher degree

We can better understand problems like attrition if we know

why people choose to undertake a PhD in the first place,

however scholars do not pay attention to the reasons why

students are motivated to enroll in a PhD. Two notable

exceptions are Humbug et al (2009) and Mewburn (2012).

Humbug et al noted that different disciplines report very

different reasons for beginning a PhD. Mewburn further

developed this work in her studies of older students, claiming

that gender further complicated the picture of motivation.”

Dr Inger Mewburn: CriticalAnalysis Literature Review 0ASP guidelines UK/BLM_Using a Matrix organise your writing (1).pdf July 26, 2017

“Does supervision play a role in PhD student attrition?

• There is no clear evidence one way or the other, although

many scholars claim it is crucial. Humbug et al (2009), who

surveyed students about their PhD experience, argues that the

relationship with the supervisor is a key determinant in the

decision to leave PhD study, whereas Mewburn (2012) argues

that older students are better able to deal with poor

supervision. The culture of supervision in a faculty or

Academic Unit and even its wealth (Whathisname, 2013)

might impact on the attrition patterns of PhD students.“

Dr Inger Mewburn: CriticalAnalysis Literature Review 0ASP guidelines UK/BLM_Using a Matrix organise your writing (1).pdf

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Active or passive voice

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Verb tenses – Present

• A statement about what the thesis, chapter or section does

• A statement of a generally accepted scientific fact

Examples:

– There are nine factors that control the level of blood sugar

– The finite rate coefficients have an effect on heat transfer through a horizontal porous layer.

• A statement of a generally accepted scientific fact

Examples:

– There are nine factors that control the level of blood sugar

– The finite rate coefficients have an effect on heat transfer through a horizontal porous layer.

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July 26, 2017

Verb tenses – Present

• A review of current research work, or research work of immediate relevance to your study.

Example:

• Mehta (2014) concludes that hydraulic rate has a significant effect on future performance.

• Comments, explanations and evaluative statements made by you when you are reviewing previous studies.

Examples:

– Therefore, this sequential approach is impractical in the real world where projects are typically large and the activities from one stage may be carried out in parallel with the activities of another stage.

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Verb tenses – Past

• Report the contents, findings or conclusions of past

research

Examples:

– Haberfield (2012) showed that the velocity of many enzyme

reactions was slowed down if the end product had an increased

paramagnetism.

– Allington (1999) found that the temperatures varied significantly

over time.

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Verb tenses – Present perfect

• In citations where the focus is on the research area of several authors

Examples:

– Several studies (Freeman & Couchonnal, 2006; Ott Anderson & Geist Martin, 2003; Walker & Dickson, 2004) stress the importance of narratives for the family healing process.

• To generalize about the extent of the previous research

Examples:

– Many studies have been conducted in this field.

– Few researchers have examined this technique.

– There has been extensive research into.........

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The Writing Process

• Rough Draft

• Final Draft

• Edit

• Edit Again

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Show others

• Clarity

• Flow

• Completeness

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The pitfalls

• Review isn’t logically organized

• Review isn’t focused on most important facets of the study

• Review doesn’t relate literature to the study

• Too few references or outdated references cited

• Review isn’t written in author’s own words

• Review reads like a series of disjointed summaries

• Review doesn’t argue a point

• Omission of recent work

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July 26, 2017