Literature Reviews Lora Leligdon Engineering Research Librarian leligdon@unm.edu CSEL L166 / 277-1186
Outline for this Literature Review session Define a Literature Review Identify resources to search for Literature Reviews How to begin the process of collecting material for the development of a Literature Review
What is a Literature Review? your thesis/argument, which you present by reading, analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing a body of work you have critically selected that is relevant to your question, claim, argument, wherein you present new developments, gaps, directions, changes, which shows how your work contributes to the field. Source: COE Graduate Student Writing Studio 2/28/11 (http://coe.unm.edu/uploads/docs/writing-studio/lit%20review.pdf)
A Lit Review is NOT: An annotated bibliography A book or article review An article summary or critique A survey of literature It is also not a dump. Source: COE Graduate Student Writing Studio 2/28/11 (http://coe.unm.edu/uploads/docs/writing-studio/lit%20review.pdf)
Literature Reviews State-of-the-Art Assessment (1) Written for specialists (2) Exhaustive bibliography
Purpose of the Literature Review To show that you are a scholar To demonstrate how your research will contribute to the existing knowledge To show your skills in Information seeking: that you know and can find the pertinent materials in your field Critical appraisal: that you can evaluate the relevance/significance of your studies in your field
Grant Proposals Example : National Science Foundation The Project Description should provide a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and must include: objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance; relation to longer-term goals of the PI's project; and relation to the present state of knowledge in the field, to work in progress by the PI under other support and to work in progress elsewhere. NSF 13-1 Grant Proposal Guidelines II.C.2.d.i
Vocabulary Literature Reviews Literature Review* Literature Survey Look at Advanced Search Options in databases: Systematic Review Limit Review Add to a search box Meta Analysis
Resources to Find Literature Reviews Scholarly Literature Annual Reviews of (Journals) Congressional Hearings/ Committee Reports/ Research Service Doctoral dissertations Masters Theses Online catalogs, LIBROS, WorldCat
Web of Knowledge Scholarly Literature Science Citation Index Social Science Citation Index Arts & Humanities Index Academic Search Complete/ (Quick Search) Google Scholar Other library databases (100s to choose from)
Annual Reviews Electronic Journal & Archives 41 Disciplines Biomedical/ Life Sciences Physical Sciences Social Sciences Economics
U.S. Congress Congressional Hearings, Prints, and Congressional Research Service Database: ProQuest Congressional
Doctoral Dissertations/Masters Theses Database: Digital Dissertations LoboVault Google Scholar
Medicine/Health Care Literature Review Vocabulary Databases: Literature Reviews PubMed Systematic Review Cochrane Meta-analysis DynaMed Review
Steps to Writing a Literature Review Clarify How many sources? What types of sources? Will you summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources? Will you evaluate your sources? Find models Narrow your topic Current sources Pathway: http://elibrary.unm.edu - Databases Tab Research Guides http://libguides.unm.edu/ Consult experts
Strategies for Writing Find a focus & construct a working thesis statement Consider organization Chronological, publication, trend Thematic Methodological Methods and/or Standards
Begin Composing Use evidence Be selective Use quotes sparingly Summarize and synthesize Keep your own voice Use caution when paraphrasing Revise, revise, revise
Other Resources Dr. Palm s Video and Resources: http://vimeo.com/20348984 Grant Proposal Writing: Elements for Success http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo31072.pdf (See Literature Review) Lit Review synthesis matrix http://coe.unm.edu/uploads/docs/writingstudio/lit%20review%20synthesis%20matrix.pdf LIBROS Online Catalog http://libros.unm.edu/search~s7 Search for Literature Reviews in Keyword search Writing Center How to write a literature review http://coe.unm.edu/administration/facilities/center-studentsuccess.html
Questions?