1. Building Toward the Literature Review Anne Rojas, Walden Library
San Antonio June 2019
PhD Residency 2

2. Session Objectives: Getting to know the landscape
Giving your study context
Search strategies and organizational tools
Advanced Library resources
Beyond the library
Moving forward:
Getting questions answered
Appointments

3. Literature Review: What is it?
Reading and evaluating the literature
Searching as strategic exploration
Research as inquiry
Information has value
Collecting materials on your topic
Scholarship as conversation
Authority is constructed and contextual
The actual essay
Information creation as a process
ACRL Framework
Research problem or question is not necessarily going to have conclusive answers … there will be different points of view, various research projects with conclusions unique to each study. Each research project is informed by the studies done before and citations are usually a (positive or negative) response to the work done beforehand. You have to be ready to explore, which means you may be finding what you expected but many times you will find the unexpected. All of this will inform your study and give it context. You want the citations to be from authoritative sources, which will vary from one discipline to another but peer-reviewed research will make up the bulk of your lit review.

4. Literature Review: An Iterative Process
Locate literature
Read and take notes
Organize notes into matrix
Synthesize sources and write/revise the essay
Revise search based on what’s been found

5. Literature Review: Survey Synthesis Provides:
Evidence of a gap in the literature or in the practice regarding a specific phenomenon
Context for how your fits into the scholarly conversation

6. Be ready to respond to these questions:
What is the current conversation in the field related to your topic?
Who are the major authors?
How does your study fit within the current conversation?
What does your study add to that conversation? 6

7. Content: Show the Tip of the Iceberg
What you write
What you read

8. Search Demonstrations
How comfortable are you with:
Where to search: Find databases
Keywords, and Advanced search tips
Use of Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Finding theories and frameworks
Finding information on methodology (tutorials)
Tests and measures
Citation chaining
Anything else?
This slide is meant to make the students drive the conversation so that they get what they need from the session. 8

9. Search Strategies Synonyms are your friends
Subject indexes built into databases
Punctuation shortcuts
Citation chaining (“cited by” searching)
Going beyond the Library
Google Scholar and others
Document delivery
Local libraries

10. Let’s look at a published dissertation …
Walden dissertations
Find examples
See award-winning dissertations
Frameworks
Search by faculty advisor
All dissertations (“Global”)
Explore similar topics
Instruments
Find an example of a Walden dissertation and talk through the Literature Review section. Activity option: give students time to search for one themselves.

11. Critically Evaluate Sources
The sources you include should be scholarly and peer-reviewed.
Tools to help:
Evaluating Resources guide Anatomy of a Research Article
Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory (verify peer-review)

12. Staying Organized
Staying organized will save you time and frustration.
Start early!
Matrices
Citation Management Software 12

13. Matrix: Practical Tips
Matrix can help with Synthesis.
Use the “find” or “sort” features in your matrix to categorize research by theme.
In the literature review, organize your headings by theme, rather than by author.

14. Keeping Track of Searches
Keep a Search Log: design your own to keep track of where you’ve searched, the terms you use, and notes about the results.
Helps you be organized.
Makes summarizing your search strategy easy.

15. Search Log from Get & Stay Organized
Database
Search terms
Results
Notes
Education Source
Minority students OR Black OR African American OR Hispanic
AND suspension 97
Also “school discipline” and “student suspension”
AND suspension OR school discipline
218
These are good
Sage Premier
Minority students AND suspension
354
Also “exclusionary discipline”
Minority students AND suspension OR exclusionary discipline
356

16. Overall Strategy: Be prepared for the time investment.
Plan your research; keep notes or a log.
Brainstorm search terms and concepts.
Explore many possible sources.
Get to know the advanced library tools.
Be aware of resources outside of the library.
Review your research; plan the next round.

17. Resources: Library Library Guide to Capstone Literature Reviews
Subject Research in the Library
Residency Library Session Materials
Make an appointment with a librarian
Contact the Library:
Ask a Librarian:

18. Questions? Ask now! Residency advising (drop-in) E-mail us
Make an appointment!
Use Quick Answers
Chat with us

19. Final Assignment
Take 2 minutes right now to reflect on what you learned from this session.
Write down notes for your Research Conceptualization Matrix.