Literature Review 101
What is the main purpose of a literature review?
Examine/connect existing research
Which Boolean operator is used to combine different concepts?
AND
What does currency tell you about a source?
How recent/current it is
“Article A found X. Article B found Y.” Is this summary or synthesis?
Summary
Your laptop is at 2% before a 2-hour class. What should you probably bring?
Charger
True or False: A literature review should discuss each article separately without connecting them.
False
Which Boolean operator should you use to combine synonyms: AND or OR?
OR
A website makes several claims but provides no data or references. What should concern you?
Lack of evidence
“Several studies found X, although the results differed when Y was considered.” Is this summary or synthesis?
Synthesis
Your class starts at 9:00 AM and the drive takes 20 minutes. You leave at 8:55. Will you probably be on time?
No
What can a literature review identify that may lead to a new research question?
A gap in the literature
What should you put around an exact phrase such as “sleep quality” when searching?
Quotation marks
An article is recent and scholarly but doesn't answer your research question. Should you use it just because it's a good article?
No; relevance matters
Should sources in a literature review generally be organized by themes or by the order you found them?
Themes/ideas
You emailed your professor at 2 AM and haven't heard back by 7 AM. What is the most reasonable thing to do?
Wait/give the professor time to respond
Why is it useful to review existing research before beginning your own research project?
Builds knowledge & helps avoid duplicating research
You search college students AND sleep and get thousands of results. What should you do next?
Refine/narrow the search terms
A company publishes an article explaining why everyone should buy its product. Which source-evaluation factor should concern you most?
Purpose/bias
Three studies support an intervention while two show no benefit. What should a strong literature review do with these findings?
Acknowledge and compare the conflicting findings
An assignment is due at 11:59 PM. You start uploading it at 11:58 and your Wi-Fi fails. What was your biggest mistake?
Waiting until the last minute
Researchers have studied diabetes extensively, but very little research exists about diabetes management specifically among college freshmen. What has been identified?
A gap in the literature
You've tried multiple keywords and databases and still cannot find useful literature. Who could you ask for help?
Librarian or instructor
A source includes citations, methods, results, references, and is written by experts for an academic audience. What type of source is it likely to be?
Scholarly source
Your review has 10 paragraphs, each describing one article, but you never compare the studies. What major literature-review mistake have you made?
Waiting until the last minute
You have an exam tomorrow. Which is the worst plan: studying, reviewing difficult concepts, getting enough sleep, or scrolling TikTok until 3 AM?
Scrolling TikTok until 3 AM