Literature Reviews: the Hows, Whys and Wherefores

GEO 518

Anne Nolin and Dawn Wright

What is a Literature Review?

• an overview of previous research on your research topic

• a comprehensive review of all published research that is relevant to your proposed investigation and guided by your research objectives

Questions to Keep in Mind:• 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?• Who are the significant research personalities in this area?• 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?• What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to

you?

(from http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html)

Purpose of a Literature Review• Convey the depth and breadth of research that

has been accomplished on a subject• Supports the motivation and significance of the

research• Identify important issues and link to hypotheses• Identify key areas of missing knowledge• Describe methodologies used• Describe existing data sets• Link proposed research to previous and ongoing

research efforts -- provide context

Purpose of a Lit Review

• Helps you learn everything about your subject

• Ensures that you are not “reinventing the wheel”

How to do a Literature Review?

• Define the topic

• Compile and prioritize a list of keywords

• Identify sources of information

• Read, evaluate, analyze all the works

• Discuss findings and conclusions with others -- important for understanding context, gaps in previous research

• Divide works into supportive and antithetical positions

• Identify relationships between works in the literature

• Articulate how these apply to your research

Identify Resources

• Books• Journals• Conference Papers• Dissertations• Bibliographies• Maps• Internet• Indexes/Abstracts Printed• Electronic Databases• Government publications• Theses• Interviews and other unpublished research

Assessment

• Assess the quality of the information source:– refereed journal article?

– conference proceedings?

– corporate report?

• Assess the standing of the author– academic?

– journalist?

– government employee?

– is the work in their major field of research?

Evaluate the Information

• determine the facts/points of view• examine new findings• question assumptions• determine if methodology is appropriate• are the objectives outlined clearly• do the conclusions logically follow from the

objectives?• identify classic, “landmark” articles

Continually Evaluate Your Research Process

• No relevant information?– Need to reconsider your search strategy– New keywords– Explore other disciplines for information

• Too many irrelevant items?– Re-evaluate keywords – Narrow scope of your search

• Document your search strategy – Keep multiple lists of keywords– Indicate what works, what doesn’t

Getting the Information

• Download full text from the Internet

• University library

• Interlibrary loan

• Government offices

• Specialty libraries

Information Management

• Select a strategy for organizing information– Notecards (primitive but it works!)

– List of references on a computer

– Bibliographic database software (EndNote)

• Develop good lit search habits– Start immediately

– Keep searches up to date

– Summarize papers that you read

The Annotated Bibliography

• “A bibliography in which each citation is followed by an annotation containing a brief descriptive and/or evaluative summary, synopsis, or abstract.”

–www.farmingdale.edu/library/gloss.html

• Good tool for quick summarization, assessment– “Keeps you honest”

• Great way to share this stage of your progress– See Erik Stemmerman’s site!– GEO 565

Annotated Bibliography vs. Lit Review

• Annotated bibliography is basically a set of notes on each reference

• Lit review flows in scientific/technical style

• Lit review compares/contrasts/links various references and is far more analytical

Writing the Literature Review

• Break the review into thematic sections

• Prioritize the sections

• Maintain focus– relate literature to your research hypotheses

Literature Review Style• Document every statement of fact• Use scientific/technical style:

– use 3rd person– follow citation style of foremost journals and other

theses/dissertations– no jargon– smooth transition between sections

“Smith (1999) asserted that…”“Yosida (1961) found that…”“In early work, Conti (1953) suggested that…”“blah blah blah (e.g. Rangel, 1998; Mason, 2003)”

Questions?