Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences 7th Edition, ISBN-13: 978-0415315746

Description

Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences 7th Edition, ISBN-13: 978-0415315746

[PDF eBook eTextbook]

• Publisher: ‎ Routledge; 7th edition (April 5, 2017)
• Language: ‎ English
• 288 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎ 0415315743
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0415315746

This useful guide educates students in the preparation of literature reviews for term projects, theses, and dissertations. The authors provide numerous examples from published reviews that illustrate the guidelines discussed throughout the book.

Table of Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

Preface

Audiences

Unique Features

New to This Edition

Ancillaries

Notes to the Instructor

Special Acknowledgment

Acknowledgments

Notes

Part I: Managing the Literature Search

1 Writing Reviews of Academic Literature: An Overview

An Introduction to Reviewing Primary Sources

Empirical Research Reports

Theoretical Articles

Literature Review Articles

Anecdotal Reports

Reports on Professional Practices and Standards

The Writing Process

Finding Your ‘Writer’s Voice’: Writing for a Specific Purpose

Writing a Literature Review as a Term Paper for a Class

Writing a Literature Review Chapter for a Thesis or Dissertation

Writing a Literature Review for a Research Article

The Parts of this Text

Managing the Literature Search—Part I

Analyzing the Relevant Literature—Part II

Writing the First Draft of Your Literature Review—Part III

Editing and Preparing the Final Draft of Your Review—Part IV

Activities for Chapter 1

Notes

2 Learn to Navigate the Electronic Resources in Your University’s Library

Step 1: Formalize Your Institutional Affiliation with Your University Library

Step 2: Set Up Your Online Access Credentials and/or Proxy Server

Step 3: Inquire about University Library Research Workshops

Step 4: Select a Search Engine that Best Suits Your Needs

Step 5: Familiarize Yourself with How Online Databases Function

Step 6: Experiment with the “Advanced Search” Feature

Step 7: Identify an Array of Subject Keywords to Locate Your Sources

Step 8: Learn How You Can Access the Articles You Choose

Step 9: Identify Additional Databases that May Be Useful for Your Field of Study

Step 10: Repeat the Search Procedures with Other Databases

Activities for Chapter 2

Note

3 Selecting a Topic for Your Review

Step 1: Define Your General Topic

Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with the Basic Organization of Your Selected Online Database

Step 3: Begin Your Search with a General Keyword, then Limit the Output

Step 4: Identify Narrower Topic Areas If Your Initial List of Search Results Is Too Long

Step 5: Increase the Size of Your Reference List, If Necessary

Step 6: Consider Searching for Unpublished Studies

Step 7: Start with the Most Current Research, and Work Backward

Step 8: Search for Theoretical Articles on Your Topic

Step 9: Look for Review Articles

Step 10: Identify the Landmark or Classic Studies and Theorists

Step 11: Assemble the Collection of Sources You Plan to Include in Your Review

Step 12: Write the First Draft of Your Topic Statement

Step 13: Redefine Your Topic More Narrowly

Step 14: Ask for Feedback from Your Instructor or Advisor

Activities for Chapter 3

Notes

4 Organizing Yourself to Begin the Selection of Relevant Titles

Step 1: Scan the Articles to Get an Overview of Each One

Step 2: Based on Your Prereading of the Articles, Group Them by Category

Step 3: Conduct a More Focused Literature Search if Gaps Appear

Step 4: Organize Yourself before Reading the Articles

Step 5: Create a Spreadsheet or Table to Compile Your Notes

Step 6: Remain Flexible as You Compile Your Notes

Step 7: Take Extra Care When Copying an Author’s Exact Words

Activities for Chapter 4

Notes

Part II: Analyzing the Relevant Literature

5 Conduct a Deep Analysis of the Articles

Guideline 1: Look for Explicit Definitions of Key Terms in the Literature

Guideline 2: Look for Key Statistics to Use near the Beginning of Your Literature Review

Guideline 3: Pay Special Attention to Review Articles on Your Topic

Guideline 4: Make Note of Short but Important Quotations that Could Be Used Very Sparingly in Your Review

Guideline 5: Look for Methodological Strengths

Guideline 6: Look for Methodological Weaknesses

Guideline 7: Distinguish between Assertion and Evidence

Guideline 8: Identify the Major Trends or Patterns in the Results of Previous Studies

Guideline 9: Identify Gaps in the Literature

Guideline 10: Identify Relationships among Studies

Guideline 11: Note How Closely Each Article Relates to Your Topic

Guideline 12: Evaluate Your Reference List for Currency and for Coverage

Activities for Chapter 5

Notes

6 Analyzing Quantitative Research Literature

Guideline 1: Note Whether the Research Is Quantitative or Qualitative

Guideline 2: Note Whether a Study Is Experimental or Nonexperimental

Guideline 3: In an Experiment, Note Whether the Participants Were Assigned at Random to Treatment Conditions

Guideline 4: Note Attempts to Examine Cause-and-Effect Issues in Nonexperimental Studies

Guideline 5: Consider the Test-Retest Reliability of the Measure

Guideline 6: Consider the Internal Consistency Reliability of the Measure

Guideline 7: Consider the Validity of the Measure

Guideline 8: Consider Whether a Measure Is Valid For a Particular Research Purpose

Guideline 9: Note Differences in How a Variable Is Measured Across Studies

Guideline 10: Note How the Participants Were Sampled

Guideline 11: Make Notes on the Demographics of the Participants

Guideline 12: Note How Large a Difference Is—Not Just Whether It Is Statistically Significant

Guideline 13: Presume That All Quantitative Studies Are Flawed

Concluding Comment

Activities for Chapter 6

Notes

7 Analyzing Qualitative Research Literature

Guideline 1: Note Whether the Research Was Conducted By an Individual or By a Research Team

Guideline 2: When There Is a Research Team, Note Whether Analysis of the Data Was Initially Conducted Independently

Guideline 3: Note Whether Outside Experts Were Consulted

Guideline 4: Note Whether the Participants Were Consulted on the Interpretation of the Data

Guideline 5: Note Whether the Researchers Used a Purposive Sample or a Sample of Convenience

Guideline 6: Note Whether the Demographics of the Participants Are Described

Guideline 7: Consider Whether the Method of Qualitative Analysis Is Described in Sufficient Detail

Guideline 8: Note Whether Quantities Are Provided When Qualitative Researchers Discuss Quantitative Matters

Concluding Comment

Activities for Chapter 7

Notes

8 Organizing Your Notes by Grouping the Results of Your Analysis

Guideline 1: Consider Building a Table of Definitions

Guideline 2: Consider Building a Table of Research Methods

Guideline 3: Consider Including a Summary of Research Results in the Methods Table

Guideline 4: When There Is Much Literature on a Topic, Establish Criteria for Determining Which Literature to Summarize in a Table

Guideline 5: When There Is Much Literature on a Topic, Consider Building Two or More Tables to Summarize It

Guideline 6: Present Tables in a Literature Review Only for Complex Material

Guideline 7: Discuss Each Table Included in a Literature Review

Guideline 8: Give Each Table a Number and Descriptive Title

Guideline 9: Insert Continued When Tables Split Across Pages

Activities for Chapter 8

Notes

Part III: Writing the First Draft of Your Literature Review

9 Synthesizing Trends and Patterns: Preparing to Write

Guideline 1: Consider Your Purpose and Voice before Beginning to Write

Guideline 2: Consider How to Reassemble Your Notes

Guideline 3: Create a Topic Outline That Traces Your Argument

Guideline 4: Reorganize Your Notes According to the Path of Your Argument

Guideline 5: Within Each Topic Heading, Note Differences among Studies

Guideline 6: Within Each Topic Heading, Look for Obvious Gaps or Areas Needing Additional Research

Guideline 7: Plan to Briefly Describe Relevant Theories

Guideline 8: Plan to Discuss How Individual Studies Relate to and Advance Theory

Guideline 9: Plan to Summarize Periodically and Again near the End of the Review

Guideline 10: Plan to Present Conclusions and Implications

Guideline 11: Plan to Suggest Specific Directions for Future Research near the End of the Review

Guideline 12: Flesh out Your Outline with Details from Your Analysis

Activities for Chapter 9

Notes

10 Guidelines for Writing a First Draft

Guideline 1: Begin by Identifying the Broad Problem Area, but Avoid Global Statements

Guideline 2: Early in the Review, Indicate Why the Topic Being Reviewed Is Important

Guideline 3: Distinguish Between Research Findings and Other Sources of Information

Guideline 4: Indicate Why Certain Studies Are Important

Guideline 5: If You Are Commenting On the Timeliness of a Topic, Be Specific In Describing the Time Frame

Guideline 6: If Citing a Classic or Landmark Study, Identify It as Such

Guideline 7: If a Landmark Study Was Replicated, Mention That and Indicate the Results of the Replication

Guideline 8: Discuss Other Literature Reviews on Your Topic

Guideline 9: Refer the Reader to Other Reviews on Issues That You Will Not Be Discussing in Detail

Guideline 10: Justify Comments Such As “No Studies Were Found”

Guideline 11: Avoid Long Lists of Nonspecific References

Guideline 12: If the Results of Previous Studies Are Inconsistent or Widely Varying, Cite Them Separately

Guideline 13: Speculate on the Reasons for Inconsistent Findings in Previous Research

Guideline 14: Cite All Relevant References in the Review Section of a Thesis, Dissertation, or Journal Article

Guideline 15: Emphasize the Need for Your Study in the Literature Review Section or Chapter

Activities for Chapter 10

Notes

11 Guidelines for Developing a Coherent Essay

Guideline 1: If Your Review Is Long, Provide an Overview near the Beginning of the Review

Guideline 2: Near the Beginning of a Review, State Explicitly What Will and Will Not Be Covered

Guideline 3: Specify Your Point of View Early in the Review

Guideline 4: Aim for a Clear and Cohesive Essay and Avoid Annotations

Guideline 5: Use Subheadings, Especially in Long Reviews

Guideline 6: Use Transitions to Help Trace Your Argument

Guideline 7: If Your Topic Spans Two or More Disciplines, Consider Reviewing Studies from Each Discipline Separately

Guideline 8: Write a Conclusion for the End of the Review

Guideline 9: Check the Flow of Your Argument for Coherence

Activities for Chapter 11

Notes

Part IV: Editing and Preparing the Final Draft of Your Review

12 Guidelines for Editing Your Essay and Incorporating Feedback

Guideline 1: The Reader Is Always Right

Guideline 2: Expect Your Instructor to Comment on the Content

Guideline 3: Concentrate First on Comments about Your Ideas

Guideline 4: Reconcile Contradictory Feedback by Seeking Clarification

Guideline 5: Reconcile Comments about Style with Your Style Manual

Guideline 6: Allow Sufficient Time for the Feedback and Redrafting Process

Guideline 7: Compare Your Draft with Your Topic Outline

Guideline 8: Check the Structure of Your Review for Parallelism

Guideline 9: Avoid Overusing Direct Quotations, Especially Long Ones

Guideline 10: Avoid Using Synonyms for Recurring Words

Guideline 11: Spell Out All Acronyms When You First Use Them, and Avoid Using Too Many

Guideline 12: Avoid the Use of Contractions—They Are Inappropriate In Formal Academic Writing

Guideline 13: When Used, Coined Terms Should Be Set Off by Quotations

Guideline 14: Avoid Slang Expressions Colloquialisms, and Idioms

Guideline 15: Use Latin Abbreviations in Parenthetic Material—Elsewhere, Use English Translations

Guideline 16: Check Your Draft for Common Writing Conventions

Guideline 17: Write a Concise and Descriptive Title for the Review

Guideline 18: Strive for a User-friendly Draft

Guideline 19: Make Sure That You Have Enclosed in Quotation Marks and/or Cited All Words and Ideas That Are Not Your Own

Guideline 20: Use Great Care to Avoid Plagiarism

Guideline 21: Get Help If You Need It

Activities for Chapter 12

Notes

13 Preparing a Reference List

Guideline 1: Consider Using Bibliographic Software to Help Manage the Details of Your References

Guideline 2: Place the Reference List at the End of the Review under the Main Heading “References”

Guideline 3: A Reference List Should Refer Only to Sources Cited in the Literature Review

Guideline 4: List References Alphabetically by Author’s Surname

Guideline 5: Double-Space All Entries

Guideline 6: Use Hanging Indents for the Second and Subsequent Lines of References

Guideline 7: Learn How to Create Hanging Indents Using a Word Processing Program

Guideline 8: Italicize the Titles of Journals and Their Volume Numbers

Guideline 9: Pay Particular Attention to Capitalization

Guideline 10: Pay Particular Attention to Punctuation

Guideline 11: Do Not Add Extraneous Material Such As Abbreviations for Page Numbers

Guideline 12: Journal Articles Accessed Through Online Database Repositories Should Be Cited as if They Were Accessed in Their Print Form

Guideline 13: Provide the Date and URL in References for Material Published Online

Guideline 14: Format References to Books in Accordance with a Style Manual

Guideline 15: If Using Online Bibliographic Tools, Make Sure That Generated Citations Are Listed in Correct Format

Guideline 16: Double-Check the Reference List against the Citations in the Body of the Review

Concluding Comment

Activities for Chapter 13

Notes

Appendix A Comprehensive Self-editing Checklist for Refining the Final Draft

Appendix B Sample Literature Reviews

Index

Jose L. Galvan (Ph.D., 1980, UT Austin) is Professor Emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles. His academic career spans 39 years, including appointments at UCLA; Teachers College, Columbia University; California State University, Los Angeles; and San Francisco State University.

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