The Literature Review

Literature Review & Summary (S. Bevins) DePoy, E. & Gitlin, L. (1998).  Introduction to research:  Understanding and applying multiple strategies. St. Louis:  Mosby. and LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (1998).  Nursing research: Methods, critical appraisal, and utilization (4th ed.).  St. Louis: Mosby.  When Do  We Do a Literature Review?  Regardless of the type of research undertaken, the literature review is a significant part of the research process. In quantitative research, the literature review is always done before the refinement of the research question and certainly before methodology is decided upon. In certain types of qualitative research, such as naturalistic research, the literature review is an ongoing process that is determined by what data is collected. The following example may help explain this. Let's assume that you were interested in finding out about the lived experiences of family members who provide care giving for terminally ill immediate family members. To familiarize yourself with the issues involved, you may do a preliminary search of the literature. However, since you do not know what will be "uncovered" during your research with family members, you cannot decide in advance where your research will take you. You may decide, based on your preliminary research, that you need to investigate cultural beliefs about death and dying. As you proceed, you become aware of special issues surrounding the death of children. This newfound insight requires you to review literature in this area. Next, your research lead you to believe that there might be some particular issues for women who work full-time and also care for terminally ill family members. As you can see from this example, the knowledge you gain determines the next literature to be examined. However, for the purposes of this class, we will make the assumption that most of you do not have the research and clinical experience necessary for this type of research and literature review process. For the purposes of this research proposal, you must complete your literature review prior to proceeding with the next step in the research process. Even if you have a great deal of clinical experience, look at it as an opportunity to read and become familiar with the most recent research on a particular topic. If and when you find yourself in a position to actually conduct the research, you will have accumulated a sizable literature base.  Why Do We Do a Literature Review?  No matter what type of research one engages in, the literature review should be viewed as a process; one that is critical to the success of the investigation.  There are four major reasons to examine literature:  1)  determining what research has already been conducted - someone else may have already completed an investigation of the same topic area as you.  You would want to know that this research had been done.  You might want to modify your study to attempt to replicate a previously conducted study.  You also might want to investigate further some portion of the research that has already been conducted.  By identifying what research has already been done, you can more clearly crystallize your own thinking and identify gaps in research.  Also, you may change the focus of your research slightly once an initial review of the literature has been done.  2)  determining the level of theory and knowledge development relevant to your project - you need to critically analyze three important related factors in each work that you examine.  a)  level of knowledge:  evaluate the level of knowledge that emerges from the study.  b)  how knowledge is generated:  evaluate how knowledge has been generated - identify the research strategy or design that was used in each study.  c)  boundaries of a study:  by boundaries, think of the "who, what, when, and where" of a study.  Think of this as examining all of the pieces of the study.  Did the authors include a representative sample of the population in their subject pool?  Was the study conducted over a reasonable period of time?  Was the question posed in such a way that the question could be answered by the study? 3)  determining the relevance of the current knowledge base to your problem area - how relevant is this knowledge to your area of study?  4)  providing a rationale for selection of the research strategy - now that you have determined what research has been done, determined the the level of theory and knowledge development, reviewed how it was generated, and reviewed the boundaries of the studies already conducted, you now must provide a rationale for your selection of an area of research. How Do You Do a Literature Review?  The following steps clearly explain the process:  1.  determine when to conduct the literature review (see the above discussion of when to conduct the review)  2.  delimit what is searched:  think of this as setting the parameters of what you will be investigating.  Delimiting is the same thing as limiting or setting boundaries for your review.  This is critical so that your review will secure all research related to your area of interest while not so broad as to capture studies not related to your area of interest.  3.  access databases for periodicals, books, and documents:  it is important to make sure you have done an adequate search  4.  organize information:  sort your information into groups of literature that a)  must be read, b)  likely will be read depending on where your topic takes you, c)  might be read, and d) will not be read but will be kept, just in case.  You can be quite linear and organized in how you keep track of the information you find.  The important thing is to organize your information in such a way that it is accessible  for you.  Be absolutely organized and always have the full citation needed for later reference.  5.  critically evaluate the literature:  you must be a critical consumer of all information you read.  All information is not created equal. See the following discussion of different types of literature:    A)  Types of Literature:  a)  Data-based literature: reports of completed research, both quantitative and qualitative.  Data-based literature is also known as empirical literature, scientific literature, or research literature and contains more empirical information; states the results of manipulated variables; uses words like experimental and control groups, methodology, research design.  b)  Conceptual literature: reports of theories, conceptual models or frameworks.  Conceptual literature is also known as theoretical literature and examines scholarly work by discussing theories, conceptual frameworks and concepts, without carrying out an experimental intervention B)  Refereed Journals: these publications use a panel of external and internal reviewers or editors who review submitted manuscripts for publication. These publications are also called "peer reviewed". Usually, such reviews are "blind" meaning the author's name is not included so as not to influence the reviewer. Everyone on the panel uses the same criteria to judge whether it is published or not. The credibility of the reported study and the reader's confidence are both increased. Since many publications with scholarly names or titles are not refereed, the reader should be aware of this. Many publications on the Internet undergo no scrutiny and should be considered possibly inaccurate and/or obsolete.  C)  Primary and Secondary Sources: a)  Primary source: is written by a person who developed the theory or conducted the research. These are usually found in published literature. This is often the preferred source.  b)  Secondary source: is written by a person other than the individual who developed the theory or conducted the research. This is most often represented either by a written summary of a theorist's or researcher's work, a critique of a theorist's or researcher's work; or a response to a such an individual. Secondary sources are used when the primary source is not available (this happens less frequently given computers and the Internet). They can also be used to get another person's perspective on a theory or body of research. They can be helpful when you are first beginning to read literature in an unfamiliar area. Caution should be used and over-reliance on such sources is not recommended. Think of such sources as second hand information. Secondary sources may be published or unpublished. When they are published in refereed journals, they are usually comprehensive, done by experienced people in the field, and have implications for practice. D)  Types of Resources a)  Print Databases: before the early 1980s, a search had to be completed by hand, using print indexes, card catalogues, and abstract reviews. This was extremely time-consuming. They continue to be useful for finding sources not entered into electronic databases. Print databases are still relied on for materials printed before the early 1980s. Advantages are the ability to manually search for information and it does not require or rely on technology. Disadvantages include its lack of accessibility and its time consuming nature.  b)  On-line Databases: The Internet is a global network, linking participating networks. This has broadened access to a wide variety of information sources, both regulated and non-regulated. Various "Search Engines" can be utilized to search out topics and electronic databases. Advantages include access, speed, and organization. Disadvantages include the need for technology, unregulated nature of some materials, and assumption that important information has been included in the databases. c)  CD-ROM Databases: CD-ROM databases are those found on a compact disk, used in a compatible computer. Advantages include portability, space-saving features, and relatively low cost. Disadvantages include the fragile nature of the CD and lack of continuous updates.  6.  Write the Literature Review:  the literature review must be written and complete.  The following components complete this process: A.  Introduction (overview of what the review covers -  this is just like the introductory paragraph in a term paper) B.  Discussion of each related concept, construct, principle, theory, and model in the literature review C.  Brief review of related study designs and these results D.  Critical appraisal of current related research and knowledge E.  Integration of various works reviewed F.  Fit of investigator's study with the collective knowledge related to the topic under investigation G.  Overview and justification for the study and design.