How to write a literature review

1. How to write a literature review Dr. Laureen Fregeau

2. Topics we will cover • Why review the literature??? • Terminology • Literature review format • Literature review topics and subtopics • Locating literature review sources • Choosing appropriate sources • Your opinion • Bibliography format

3. Why review the literature??? • To gain a background in your topic area • To know what other authors have already found in their research on your topic • To assist you in designing/selecting your methodology, your interview/observation topics, subtopics & questions • To have information to which you can compare the information you collect

4. Terminology • Scholarly source: peer reviewed, based on empirical data, including a substantial review of the literature, published in a respected journal (not from a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, trade journal or the like).

5. Literature review format • Title page with name, course # and topic • Introduction stating the subtopics you will cover and other introductory information • Sub-topic #1 (use as the first sub-title) • text stating information pertinent to the subtopic and citing the (author(s), date(s)) of sources • Additional sub-topics (using sub-titles) • text stating information pertinent to the subtopic and citing the (author(s), date(s)) of sources • Bibliography

6. Locating literature review sources • USA library home page contains a set of indexes through which you can search for scholarly/empirical articles and books scholarly papers presented at national conferences • Use ERIC on Ebsco Host, select “advanced search,” check the “peer reviewed” box • Put in your topic/several subtopics • A list of possible sources will come up • Some of these (not all) will be empirical and scholarly sources, but you will need to look at them carefully to decide!

7. Locating literature review sources - continued • You can go directly to the library and use the indexes they have on CD rom • Alternative sources for the cultural study will include anthropology or sociological abstracts • Books for the stacks may be viable sources • Local libraries are unlikely sources of appropriate materials • You may NOT use class materials as sources

8. Choosing appropriate sources • Select empirical sources with substantial literature reviews and bibliographies containing 25 or more references • Select sources that you can obtain at the USA Library, on line, through inter-library loan, or in full-text format • Remember that on-line and full-text articles may be easy, but are often NOT scholarly or pertinent • Select sources that cover your topic and sub-topics

9. Your opinion • The literature review contains only information FROM the articles or other scholarly sources. It is not a critique nor a literary review and thus contains NONE of your opinion!

10. Bibliography format • Use APA 4 as your style • The Suggested Reading List for the course uses APA style and can be used as a reference • Be sure you do not reference items using ERIC numbers, “et. al.”, lacking authors, publishers, volume numbers, using only URLs, etc. • Check to be sure each item in your bibliography is complete