Research Synthesis

 Approaches to research synthesis Narrative reviews  A discursive analysis of multiple research studies  May include both quant and qual studies  May include theoretical or philosophical work Meta-analysis  A statistical technique for combining the results of multiple studies  Only applicable for quantitative studies, ones where effect sizes can be calculated

Qualitative research studies Quantitative research studies Narrative reviews of research Meta-analysis

 Forest plots (the key to understanding a meta- analysis)

Effect size is the difference between two groups Effect size = mean of exp group − mean of control group _______________________________________ standard deviation

What would you conclude about the effect of DARE on drug use from looking at this Figure?

More info on meta-analysis  A good source on meta-analysis is the Cochrane Collaboration, an international non-profit academic group specializing in meta-analyses of healthcare interventions.  Simpler reference: Bergman NG, Parker RA (2002). Meta-analysis: neither quick nor easy.

 Research reviews…  Are organized by topic  Summarize what is and is not known  Identify areas of controversy  Acquaint readers with existing research on a topic  Illustrate trends in research  Illustrate the need for further research

  Be focused  Clarify the thesis, topic, question  Collect relevant research  What sources  journals, books, websites, dissertations, conference proceedings  Does publication date matter?  Read and summarize  12 step summary  annotated bibliography, old school or RefWorks Doing Literature Reviews

  Evaluate the pieces  Set criteria for inclusion in review  Create an organizational structure for the review  Group studies by  Research questions  Results  Characteristics of research participants  Methods used Doing Literature Reviews

  Write the review  Discursive prose  Thematic organization  Synthesize and evaluate, rather than summarize  Things to keep in mind  Use evidence  Be selective… select the most important points  Use quotes sparingly  Use caution when paraphrasing… fair representation & avoiding plagarism  Start paragraphs/sentences with the idea, not a citation  Find and keep your voice  Use proper style… usually APA style Doing Literature Reviews

 TOPIC: How is home understood, defined and described across theoretical and empirical literature?  House and home  Ideal house and home  Between the real and ideal, the actual and remembered home  Home as haven  Home and family  Home and gender  Home and journeying  Being at home in the world  Home, self-identity, and being Organization of review of research Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: A critical review of the literature. The Sociological Review, 52 (1),

  Being in a hurry… overlooking studies  Relying too heavily on secondary sources  Focusing only on findings, at the expense of methods, instrumentation, research design  Using only journal articles… not books, handbooks, encyclopedias  Too broadly or narrowly conceived  Summarizing studies, rather than synthesizing and evaluating what is learned Common errors