1. The Literature Review
Writing in Psychology
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2. Not all reviews are created equally
2 sorts of “reviews”
The Review Paper – (example slide 3)
stand-alone publication found in peer reviewed journals in which a researchers gather LOTS of published evidence and synthesizes it for the purpose of evaluating where the field is at
The Literature Review – (example slide 4)
portion of a research report where the researcher synthesizes only the literature relevant to the research being conducted – leads reader to “gap” or “missing” information that justifies experiment
Not all reviews are created equally
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5. Starting the lit review
Identify Concepts and Claims
Concepts – central, important key terms
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Pediatric population – 0-12 years old
Claims – central ideas or assertions
CBT is an effective therapy for OCD
CBT may be the better choice for pediatric OCD
Claims/concepts are from the literature!
Starting the lit review
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6. Connect claims/concepts
Connect the articles you’ve gathered to the claims/concepts
Goal: demonstrate claim, providing credibility
Use classic organizational structures OR
Use your own organization according to needs of the project
Connect claims/concepts
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7. Patterns of Organization
Clinical: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, population
Ex: OCD symptoms/diagnosis, CBT, Outcome
Ex: CBT for pediatric OCD, CBT for adult OCD
Chronological: through time
Ex: OCD in Young Children, OCD in Adolescents, OCD in Adults
Process: cause and effect chain
Ex: desensitization, re-association, control
Project specific organization
Ex: CBT for OCD, SSRI for OCD, Combination Therapy for OCD
Patterns of Organization
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8. CBT effective therapy for OCD
Lit Review should lead to Gap
A but B rhetorical structure, usually begins with claim/s then adds missing or conflicting info and finishes with your research question
CBT effective therapy for OCD
but
(ex 1): Few studies about young children
(ex 2): Little known about long-term efficacy for severe cases
(ex 3): Insufficient longitudinal research
therefore
Your Research Question
Establish Contention
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