Dr. Hollinger Lit Review Lecture

Question 1

What is a literature review?

Answer 1

A lit review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a topic… Its purpose is to demonstrate that the writer has insightfully and critically surveyed relevant literature on their topic in order to convince an intended audience that the topic is worth addressing.

Question 2

Literature review is not…

Answer 2

• an annotated bibliography
• a list of seemingly unrelated sources
• a literary survey containing author’s bio. lists of works, summaries of sources
• background info or explanations of concepts
• an argument for the importance of your research

Question 3

What is the purpose of the lit review?

Answer 3

Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
Locate your own research within the context of existing literature.

Question 4

How do you organize a lit review?

Answer 4

Intro
Theoretical base
Research
Results and discussion
Limitations and implications
Conclusions

Question 5

A lit review includes…

Answer 5

Intro
Content
Analysis
Synthesis
Conclusion

Question 6

What are the components in the intro section of a lit review.

Answer 6

Problem
Purpose
Background
Significance statement

Question 7

Describe the problem part of the intro section of the lit review.

Answer 7

What topic is being examined?
What are its component issues?
Why is your problem important?
What will the solution to your problem enable you to do?

Question 8

Describe the purpose part of the into section of the lit review.

Answer 8

Collect relevant, timely research.
Synthesize it into a cohesive summary of existing knowledge in the field.
Make your own argument or conduct research.

Question 9

Describe the background part of the intro section of the lit review.

Answer 9

Provide the reader with the essential context needed to understand the problem and the significance
- Relevant studies
- Supports the question.
- Determine if you have a basic understanding of the problem.
- Introduce the issues.
- Review other studies.
- Identify and describe the history and nature of the research problem with literature.
- Indicate the root of the problem.

Question 10

Describe the content section of the lit review.

Answer 10

Topics adequately examined.
Assertations adequately supported.
- Written survey of
- Important publications
- Other materials on a given topic.
The review may comprise.
- Scientific journal articles, novels, government publications, Web sites
Each source described, summarized, and evaluated to support your position those opposed, and those offering completely different arguments.
Clear categorization of sources selected into those in support of your position.
Discussion of both the distinctiveness of each source and its similarities with the others.

Question 11

Describe the analysis section of the lit review.

Answer 11

When appropriate, strengths and weaknesses of the selected studies are indicated.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Have I critically analyzed the literature I use?
- Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them?
- Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses?
- Do I make connections between sources?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the prior research?
- What is missing from the formal body of scholarly literature that might be necessary to formulate an appropriate research focus and method of investigation?

Question 12

Describe the synthesis section of the lit review.

Answer 12

Articles are used to support ideas, rather than simply summarized.
Accurately reports information.
Organized overlap of sources
Makes sense of the sources

Question 13

Describe the conclusion of the lit review.

Answer 13

Synthesis of all ideas and a logical closing
Here is an easy checklist for writing a conclusion:
- Is the main argument of the paper accurately restated as the first sentence (but is not copied verbatim?
In a literature review, you basically want to answer the question,
- “What did I find out? What conclusions did I come to?”
- What recommendations do you have?
- Did you remind the reader of the importance of the topic and how it can contribute to the knowledge in the field?
The conclusion should include a summary of major agreements and disagreements in the literature and a summary of the general conclusions drawn.

Question 14

What are the steps in a lit review?

Answer 14

Define your subject.
Search for scholarly sources
Read and evaluate sources.
Identify gaps, relationships, and variations.
Analyze, interpret, and discuss the findings and conclusions of your sources.

Question 15

How do you avoid plagiarism?

Answer 15

In a research paper, you have to come up with your own original ideas while at the same time making reference to work that’s already been done by others.
- Plan your paper.
- Evaluate your sources.
- .gov, .mil, .edu,
- Cite sources APA 7th ed.
- Take effective notes.
- Know how to quote, paraphrase, & summarize.
- Consult with your instructor.
- Don’t procrastinate

Question 16

How do you evaluate resources in a lit review?

Answer 16

Evaluating your sources is a very important step in your research.
You want to be sure your sources are current, relevant, accurate, have an author who is qualified to write about the topic, and have a purpose that aligns with what you are searching for.
Use the guide below to determine if your source is appropriate for your research.
Is Your Source Credible?
Can It Pass the C.R.A.A.P. Test?

Question 17

What are examples of primary sources?

Answer 17

Artifacts [e.g., furniture or clothing, all from the time under study]
Audio recordings [e.g., radio programs]
Diaries
Internet communications on email, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms
Interviews [e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail]
Newspaper articles written at the time.
Original official documents [e.g., birth certificate, will, marriage license, trial transcript]
Patents
Personal correspondence [e.g., letters]
Photographs
Proceedings of meetings, conferences, and symposia
Records of organizations, government agencies [e.g., annual report, treaty, constitution, government document]
Speeches
Survey Research [e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls]
Transcripts of radio and television programs
Video recordings
Works of art, architecture, literature, and music [e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores, buildings, novels, poems]

Question 18

How do you organize a lit review?

Answer 18

A literature review is the foundation for every research project. The matrix reflects the structure of empirical research articles.
Summarize each study across the row. Adding pg. #s will help keep track of where specific information is located. Try to summarize in your own words - add quotes where you don’t.
After reading several articles, purposefully look for similarities and differences between studies, identify themes that emerge and think about how each study might relate to others reviewed.

Question 19

How do you revise a lit review?

Answer 19

Is source material research current and relevant to thesis topic?
Are all major theorists, scholars, or studies represented?
Have I shown relationships between sources?
Is there a clear connection between thesis topic and the LR?
Are all sources documented accurately? APA, Yay!
Have I used effective transitions from idea to idea, source to source, paragraph to paragraph?
Is my analysis of sources well developed?
Have I represented all conflicts or argumentative sides fairly?