1. Making Your Literature Review Sing Argumentation & Syllogism Summation & Citation Overview of the Literature Review
Research Rescue Lab

2. Argumentation & Syllogism
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

3. Argumentation & Syllogism
Academic arguments string together like a theory
If A + B + C, then D = E
Discuss factors or variables in order to lead to your point or conclusions
But you must start by introducing and giving background
Consider this pattern of syllogism
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

4. Argumentation & Syllogism
Main point
Minor point
Conclusion Or
General context
Specific context
Statement of the problem
General Context
Specific Context
Statement of the Problem
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

5. Argumentation & Syllogism
General context
Historical and background information
Specific context
Transition from the general context to the context the research problem exists within
Statement of the problem
A concise statement of the general research problem
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

6. Argumentation & Syllogism
A guideline
General context
1 - 3 paragraphs
Specific context
2 - 4 paragraphs
Statement of the problem
1 paragraph
Overall
No more than 6 – 8 paragraphs
You will condense this into the preamble for your Introduction chapter
General Context
Specific Context
Statement of the Problem
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

7. Business and Graduate Studies
Summation & Citation
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

8. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Let’s review some examples
See the examples from Prof. Glenn Steinberg’s Rhetoric II course at The College of New Jersey
The examples
See the handouts
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

9. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Items to note in these introductory paragraphs (the preamble or preface)
The paragraphs are inclusive of one set of issues and the related review literature as a group and not individually
There is a logical flow to the way they are introduced
Which supports the argument
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

10. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Items to note in these introductory paragraphs (the preamble or preface)
Consider these examples of how to introduce your topic and the related issues or factors
These are examples of the general context of your pattern of syllogism
Note the meta-citations
Instances of more than one study cited
Then become more specific regarding the studies and the authors in the sections and subsections, which follow
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

11. Business and Graduate Studies
Questions?
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

12. Overview of the Literature Review
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

13. Research Paper Writing
In a research project you will develop and express three masteries
1. Your topic
The academic and practitioner viewpoints, issues, & controversies
Expressed in the Literature Review
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

14. Research Paper Writing
In a research project you will develop and express three masteries
2. Your research method
Rigor, reliability, validity, replicability in the research design and data collection
Expressed in the Research Methods
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

15. Research Paper Writing
In a research project you will develop and express three masteries
3. Your understanding of the data (evidence)
What is present
What does it infer
What conclusions and or implications might be derived from the data
Expressed in your Data Analysis (Results or Findings)
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

16. Research Paper Writing
Topic of Inquiry
Literature Survey
Research Problem, Research Questions, Purpose, Significance
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Research Methods
Results / Findings
Discussion
It is a process from start to finish
And it is all integrated
The topic of your inquiry leads to the discussion
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

17. Business and Graduate Studies
The Research Topic
Topic of Inquiry
Investigate an interesting topic related to your career field
Think of this as the overarching question that motivates your research
Does transformational leadership in the federal government agencies provide opportunities for advancement for Gen Y African American women?
Does the use of social media facilitate better workplace relationships as expressed in reduced conflict and increased productivity?
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

18. Business and Graduate Studies
The Research Topic
Topic of Inquiry
Discuss this topic of inquiry with your advisor, program chair, and instructors!
Watch and listen for clues that might help you focus your topic
Search intensively in the Trinity library databases, your textbooks, and other reliable resources
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

19. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Survey
Ground yourself in the scholarly fields and practitioner issues related to your inquiry
The more you read and the more diverse your readings, the better informed you will be
This stage is very important!
You are mastering your topic of inquiry
Begin developing an annotated bibliography of the material you are collecting
Organize it into logical groupings – categories and subcategories
Start to organize these into the outline of a narrative
Save resources as files
Sorted by categories and subcategories from above
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

20. Annotated Bibliography
APA 6th ed. Reference
Followed by a paragraph or two, which
Answers your questions
What is the purpose?
What results or conclusions did the author find or come to?
What way is this useful to your study?
Are there key items and passages you might use?
Note the page or section, paragraph references
Sort these entries by theme or variable
See Lester, J. & Lester J. (2012). Chpt 8, f-g.
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

21. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Survey
Selecting materials for the literature review
For ideas
Start with broad syntheses (such as) if you are new to the topic
Textbooks, web search, Wikipedia, trade publications
For reference sources
Use the online data bases search for journal articles
Best source for research reports and scholarly discussion
Look for articles that offer a meta-analysis
And foundational scholars and authors
Search for related dissertations
Then examine conference papers, reports, and trade journals, Creswell (2013)
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

22. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Survey
Creswell (2013) suggests
Identify key words
Search library catalogs
Identify about 20 or more research reports in articles or books
Save those that are central to your topic
Use a logical system of folders for your variables or factors
Design a literature map
Draft summaries of the relevant articles
Annotated Bibliography
Organize or outline the literature review by important concepts
Review and write
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

23. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Map
Model your working theory
Start with a literature map
Helps to visualize the order of the Literature Review and the related sections and sub sections
Might suffice as a model of the qualitative theoretical construct
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

24. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
First thing to remember:
It is a story
Use a narrative or prosaic style
Without hyperbole or overstatement
Second
It has an intended audience
Your peers
The academic community
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

25. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Third
It has a purpose
Is many fold
Set the background and context your research problem exist within
Informs the audience
Expresses your mastery of the literature, research, and conversation involving your research problem
Supports the need for studying your research topic and questions
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

26. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
According to Creswell (2013) the literature review
Shares the results of other studies
Relates the study to the larger dialogue in the literature
Provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study
Provides a benchmark for comparing the results to other findings
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

27. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Styles of literature review
Thematic
Narrative
By variable or factor
Historical
Time line from earliest knowledge or sources to present
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

28. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Traits of a successful literature review
Comprehensive
Expresses the breadth of issues, concerns, topics, themes
Inclusive of historical sources and current conversations or dialogues
Detailed
Discusses the issues, concerns, topics, or themes, but not so that it is exhaustive and unwieldy
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

29. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Let’s look at the differences between the reviews styles of the three research methodologies
Quantitative
Qualitative
Mixed-methods
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

30. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Quantitative studies use literature to
Provide direction to the research questions and hypotheses
Introduce a problem
Introduce a theory
Compare results with existing literature or predictions
Cover all variables
End with a theoretical framework
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

31. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Quantitative literature reviews, a suggested model
Develop the argument and the statement of the problem
Discuss the structure of the review and the organization of the sections
Review literature about the dependent variables
Review literature about the independent variables
Review literature that relates the independent variables to the dependent variables
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

32. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Quantitative literature reviews, a suggested model
Review related research
Those who have examined your problem or similar problems
Provide a summary
Highlight important studies
Capture major themes
Suggest why more research is needed
Advances how the proposed study will fill this need
Introduce your model and define the variables
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

33. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Theoretical Framework
Model your working theory
Quantitative
Define concisely the outcome or end state and all probable variables
Dependent variable
Independent variables
Moderating variables
Qualify how your study can be generalized
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

34. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Quantitative theoretical framework
Always in this format
Try to start this before you write DV IV MV
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

35. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Qualitative studies use literature to
Introduce the problem or issue
Describe an orienting framework (but not set the direction)
Sections are developed to explore all related factors and constructs
Compare and contrast findings
End with a theoretical construct
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

36. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Qualitative literature reviews, a suggested model
Discuss the argument and the statement of the problem(preamble)
Discuss the structure of the review and the organization of the sections Review literature about the topic and research problem
Review literature about the related factors suggested from the step above
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

37. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Qualitative literature reviews, a suggested model
Review related research
Those who have examined your problem or similar problems
Provide a summary
Highlight important studies
Capture major themes
Suggest why more research is needed
Advances how the proposed study will fill this need
Introduce your model
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

38. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Qualitative theoretical construct
Model your working theory
Phenomena or ideal state
Related factors
Is it a process, relationship
Can it be represented in a hierarchy or a cycle, or a storyline?
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

39. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Qualitative theoretical construct
Model your working theory
Qualitative
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

40. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Mixed methods studies
Are the constructs under investigation different in each section of the research method?
No = Quantitative pattern
End with a theoretical framework
Yes = Modified format
Lead with either a quantitative or qualitative approach
Follow the pattern of how you will resent the methods in the Research Methods chapter and the Data Analysis chapter
Quantitative to qualitative or vice versa
End with a theoretical framework or construct
Or both
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

41. Business and Graduate Studies
Literature Review
Let’s correct and edit a sample
This is an example of something tossed together to meet the deadline
Rather than thought out and written at the level expected
See the handout and the rubric
Look at grammar & style, formatting, and citation style
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies

42. Business and Graduate Studies
Questions?
Dr. Kelley Wood, MA, MS
Business and Graduate Studies