Writing Literature Reviews Chapter One/Two Jose Galvan

Why focus on Empirical Research? Primary Sources—first published accounts of research In-depth discussion of methodology and findings Primary sources can be state-of-the-art or cutting-edge

Type 1:Empirical Research Reports All empirical research is flawed and should be interpreted with caution Sampling Issues generalizability Measurement Multiple methods Measurement error Problem Identification Problems are often narrowly defined Limited scope can distort reality

Type 2: Theoretical Articles Not all articles relate research some cover theories Many theoretical articles lead to predictions that run counter to common sense Choosing a theory can help organize your literature review

Type 3: Literature Review Articles Some journals regularly carry review articles that summarize the literature by reviewing many research studies These articles can produce insights such as resolving conflicts in the literature, identifying new ways of interpreting the literature, and laying out a path for future research This is the type of writing you will be doing in this class

Type 4: Anecdotal Reports Some journals will allow authors to report experiences on the basis of a single case This research can be insightful, but in general is seriously deficient in generalizability and rigor It’s like sugar and fat in the food guide pyramid—USE SPARINGLY

Writing for a Specific Purpose Literature Reviews are used for: Doctoral and Masters Theses Usually very long to show complete command of the literature Research articles or reports Usually short and very specific Course papers Pre-determined length used to show ability to synthesize the works of others into a coherent argument

Planning to Write Defining a Topic Identifying the literature Selecting Relevant Articles Organizing Your notes and thoughts Drafting, Editing, Redrafting

Writing a Term Paper Stage 1 preliminary library search and selection of topic Stage 2 reading list and preliminary paper outline Stage 3 first draft of paper Stage 4 revised final draft of paper