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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