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Example: Taken together, previous research suggests that clinicians are hesitant to report suspected abuse unless they are fairly certain that abuse is occurring. However, this conclusion is speculative, as previous studies have not presented cases in which abuse is likely to be occurring. In addition, previous research has been limited by including only a small number of noninteracting variables, and thus did not reflect the complexity of abusive situations. Finally, no study has investigated the relationship between psychologists’ tendencies to report and previous reporting experiences.
Point Out Gaps in the Literature
Example: Despite the psychological problems associated with working in isolation for long periods in a foreign culture without prior acculturation training can lead to increases in an employee’s job effectiveness.... Therefore, my study was intended to provide a preliminary investigation of the efficacy of short, extensive, and no pre-departure acculturation training on reported performance of isolated sojourners. For this purpose we first identified literature discussing companies who frequently assigned isolated expatriates and that provided results of performance assessments or statements.
Use the Review to Establish the Need for the Current Study or to Suggest Possible Studies.
Example: Our review of the empirical research literature has revealed a gap in our understanding of how living and working as an isolated sojourner did or did not cope with the difficulties encountered.
The Author(s) Should Feel Free To Express Opinions About The Quality And Importance Of The Research Being Cited.
Example: As would be hoped, studies using comparable research strategies have generally yielded comparable estimates of the prevalence of depression and loss of interest in work. However, all such studies have shared one methodological shortcoming: Invariably they have relied on retrospective self-reports for their information, typically asking subjects to estimate their increasing level of depression and loss of interest during the past year. The exclusive reliance on such reports is problematic because estimates regarding the intensity of the feelings can be biased by a variety of factors.
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Use Direct Quotations Sparingly in Literature Reviews.
This principle holds for three reasons.
A) Direct quotes often do not convey their full meaning without context; quoting context is usually less efficient than paraphrasing the main idea(s) of the author.
B) Frequent quotations may disrupt the flow of the review because of varying writing styles of the authors.
C) Quotations often bog the reader down in details that are not essential for the purpose of providing an overview of literature.
Report Sparingly the Details of the Literature Being Cited. The research is already published. The reader can get copies on any about which they wish to learn more details.
Some Final Points for Guidance
A) Read several reviews of literature, paying attention to how they organize them and how the authors make transitions from one topic to another
B) After writing your first draft, have it reviewed by friends and colleagues. Even if they are not experts on your topic, their insights are helpful. Ask them to point out elements that are not clear. Effective introductions should be comprehensible to the intelligent lay reader.
C) Leave time to review and rewrite. Don’t turn in your review after the first draft; don’t be obsessive about revisions; after the 1st revision, when your revisions start making the paper longer, stop.
THE PROCESS OF SELECTING USEFUL INFORMATION
You can begin evaluating an article even before you have the complete item in hand. Appraise a source by first examining the bibliographic citation. The bibliographic citation is the written description of a journal article that appears in a catalogue or index.
Bibliographic citations characteristically have three main components: author, title, and publication information. These components can help you determine the usefulness of this source for your paper. (In the same way, you can appraise a Web site by examining the home page carefully.)
There are reference books that describe and evaluate periodicals. For evaluations of specific periodicals, use:
Katz, Bill, and Linda Sternberg Katz. Magazines for Libraries. 9th ed. New York: Bowker, 1997 and later. (Uris Ref Z 6941 K21 1997; also Olin)
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An annotated listing by subject of over 6,000 periodicals. Each entry gives name of periodical, beginning publication date, publisher, editor, address, price and such information as indexing, size, and level of audience. Short abstracts describe the scope, political slant, and other aspects of the publication. Arrangement is topical, bringing magazines and journals on like subjects together. To find an individual title, use the title index at the end of the volume.
I. INITIAL APPRAISAL
A. Author
- What are the author's credentials--institutional affiliation (where he or she works), educational background, past writings, or experience? Is the book or article written on a topic in the author's area of expertise? You can use the various Who's Who publications for the U.S. and other countries and for specific subjects and the biographical information located in the publication itself to help determine the author's affiliation and credentials.
- Has your instructor mentioned this author? Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Other scholars cite respected authors frequently. For this reason, always note those names that appear in many different sources.
- Is the author associated with a reputable institution or organization? What are the basic values or goals of the organization or institution?
