Literature Review and Sources Overview

Reviewing of the Literature (LR)

• A literature review analyzes and synthesizes information from research studies, scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, and other relevant materials.
• Aims to find out what's already known about a specific topic of interest
• Aids in defining the problem to be studied.
• Helps in classifying information sources (classic and recent).
• Guides in designing the study methodology.
• Highlights successes and mistakes of previous research.

Literature Sources

• Primary sources are accounts of research studies from the original investigators. They are usually found in journal articles, such as Nursing Research, and Advances in Nursing Science.

• Secondary sources summarize or describe research studies written by individuals other than the original investigators.

• Grey literature includes reports, conference proceedings, standards, technical documentation, government documents, fact sheets, and policy briefs.

Search Strategies

• Develop a search question. Example: Is weekend birth better than weekdays?
• Specify if currency is important (how recent). Limiting to the past 5-10 years is possible.
• Use search options and limiters. Examples: and/or/not, phrase searching, date range, language, peer review.
• Utilize databases like CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Ovid Nursing, Joanna Briggs EBP, PsychINFO, ProQuest, Dissertations & Theses, Science Direct, and Scopus.
• Consult with a librarian for assistance.
• Review bibliographies of studies.

The Search Strategy Cycle

• Focus on the research question
• Identify key concepts and synonyms
• Use appropriate databases
• Use boolean operators
• Select the appropriate resources
• Save the search results
• Manage citations using programs like EndNote

Writing the Literature Review

• Literature review presents organized information from sources found through thorough research.
• The researcher analyzes and interprets findings relevant to the study topic in order to present them.
• Critically assess the claims, evidence, assumptions, strengths and weaknesses of existing research, that supports or opposes your argument.

Extracting Information from Literature Sources

• After locating literature sources, extract pertinent material from these sources.
• Analyze each source, interpreting the findings and conclusions.
• Use relevant findings and conclusions to support your literature review.

Critiquing the Literature Review in a Research Article

• Review citations from reference lists or bibliographies.
• Look for additional sources you can include in your literature review (parallel searching).

Components of a Literature Review

• Most literature reviews include an introduction, a body, a section on suggestions for further research, and a closing summary.

Citations

• Citations are necessary for any research project.
• All borrowed material should be cited.

APA 7th Edition

• Used in various scientific and social disciplines, including nursing.
• Standardized reference and citation formatting.

Types of APA Citations

• In-text: Used when you're incorporating information from another source or paraphrasing; short citations follow borrowed information.
• Reference: Found at the end of a project; full citations of all in-text citations; alphabetically arranged; one entry per line

Types of Quotations

• Short quotations: Short phrases, usually directly after information is cited.
• Long quotations: Extended blocks of text indented and single spaced.

Paraphrasing

• Rephrasing information in your own words.
• Important to avoid plagiarism and clearly convey meaning through a unique sentence structure.

Major Paper Sections: Title Page

• Includes the paper title, author's name, and institutional affiliation.
• Includes a running head and page number.

Headers

• Concisely summarize main idea, variables, and relationship analysis between topics.
• Should be in consistent format.

Abstract

• Brief summary summarizing the paper's main points and purpose.
• Between 150 and 250 words in length

Citation Software

• EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley enable easy and consistent citation management.

Basic Rules for Bibliographies and Reference Lists

• All sources should appear at the end of the paper.
• References should be alphabetized.
• Use double spacing.

This quiz covers essential concepts related to literature reviews, including the analysis and synthesis of various information sources. It highlights the differences between primary, secondary, and grey literature, helping learners better understand these classifications. Prepare to test your knowledge on key aspects that guide research methodology and literature sourcing.