Writing a Literature Review
A literature review is a survey of scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic, not provide an annotated bibliography. Analysis of works revolve around topics, themes or issues related to the area of research or theory.
Writing Literature Reviews by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781936523375Publication Date: 2014-01-01This book will guides you through the preparation of literature reviews. Most chapters are conveniently divided into easy-to-follow guidelines, sequential steps, or checklists. Numerous examples throughout the book show you examples of writing reviews.
- Learn How to Write a Review of LiteratureThis easy to understand guide provides an introduction to writing literature reviews.
- Writing Effective Literature ReviewsOnline videos and handouts related to the College of Education writing workshop series.
- Literature ReviewChapter 2: Literature Review from Getting it Right. The Essential Elements of a Dissertation.
Finding Dissertations
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global Closed Collection - full text This link opens in a new windowSearchable database of Doctoral Dissertations, most dated after 1997 are available in full-text. Primarily United States, but includes select dissertations from institutions across the globe.
Use the ADVANCED SEARCH to search for Dissertations from Wayne State University by using the University/Institution search from the drop-down menu. Use the Advisor or Committee Member search to search by Advisor or Committee Member, using last name only.
- Ethos--UK DissertationsYou can use Ethos to locate UK Dissertations. If you find a dissertation you want, and it is immediately available, please contact Veronica Bielat. The Dissertation can be acquired and sent to you electronically by CRL, but Veronica will need to facilitate that request.
Helpful Apps and Productivity Tools
- Voice Dream Reader: Text to SpeechHave your journal articles & book chapters read to you on your iphone, ipod or ipad.
Listen to PDF and Word documents, eBooks, articles, and Web pages anywhere with offline text-to-speech. Built-in integration with Dropbox, Bookshare, Pocket and Instapaper makes it easy to import and read material. 20 languages available.
IMPORTANT: This app is not compatible with Kindle or ibooks.
$$ This app is not free.
Books and Articles You Might Find Helpful
- Demystifying the Dissertation ProposalSep. 11, 2011 article by Leonard Cassuto from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Doing a literature review : releasing the social science research imagination / Chris Hart.Chapters: The literature review in research -- Reviewing and the research imagination -- Classifying and reading research -- Argumentation analysis -- Organizing and expressing ideas -- Mapping and analysing ideas -- Writing the review.
- Research design : qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches / John W. Creswell.Chapters: 1. The selection of a research design -- 2. Review of the literature -- 3. The use of theory -- 4. Writing strategies and ethical considerations -- 5. The introduction -- 6. The purpose statement -- 7. Research questions and hypotheses -- 8. Quantitative methods -- 9. Qualitative procedures -- 10. Mixed methods procedures.
Dear First Time Scholar: How to Turn Your Dissertation Into a Book
- Link to ArticleFrom the Chronicle of Higher Education Vitae blog, posted June 3, 2014
Publishing Your First Article
Selecting a journal for your manuscript is an inexact science. There are many things to consider in selection.
Are you considering an academic career? If so, then you want to select a journal that is well-respected in the field. Scholarly peer-reviewed journals have quality indicators called impact factors and quartile ratings, that can help you with your selection. You will find resources below to help you identify journals in your field which carry positive ratings.
Or, are you continuing in a professional capacity, and want to publish in a practitioner journal. There are factors you should consider when selecting a practitioner journal, so you can reach the widest audience of your peers.
This section will provide you with resources that can help you make a decision from all of your publishing options.
- How To Get Published and Disseminate Your WorkGuides from Emerald Publishing on writing book and journal article proposals, surviving peer review and finding the right journal.
- Writing a Journal ArticleLink to the chapter from the Academic Writer’s Toolkit : A User's Manual by A.A. Berger.
- Academic writing : individual and collaborative strategies for successImprove your scholarly productivity. Check out the Google Books Preview--lots of available online free content to view from this book.
- How to write for a practitioner audienceYou may want to explore publishing in a practitioner journal, which is a place where practitioners share best-practice and evidence-based applications. Emerald publishing provides a very nice guide to writing for and publishing in practitioner journals, and a list of its practitioner journals.
Identifying Potential Journals
- Beall's ListWatch out for these predatory publishers A list of questionable scholarly open-access publishers. The journals on this list engage in questionable practices that make them potential, possible or probably predatory publishers.
- Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory This link opens in a new windowDiscover Journals Ulrich's is a searchable international database of all periodical publications. Use the Advanced Search to locate journals being published related to a topic or area of study or research. Select More Limiters to focus your search on the type of publication (such as Academic/Scholarly).
- Google Scholar MetricsDiscover Journals Top publications by language and discipline, as ranked by Google Scholar.
- Journal Metrics: SNIP, IPP, SJRExplanations of how different types of journal metrics are calculated, and how they might be interpreted.
- Journal citation reports This link opens in a new windowImpact Factors The JCR, or Journal Citation Reports, provides impact factors for a selection of journals. This list is not comprehensive of all scholarly journals available in a discipline, but is widely recognized to be the most prestigious of the impact factors available. Quartile Ratings are available by selecting a particular journal title, and clicking on it to get more information.
- Scopus This link opens in a new windowUse the Sources link in this database to find Journal Metrics and run comparisons with other journals.
- ScImagoImpact Factors The SCImago Journal & Country Rank is a portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators (impact factors and quartile rankings) developed from the information contained in the Scopus® database. You can search by journal title or subject area.
- Other Resources: Journal Ranking, Acceptance Rates, Impact FactorsThis links to the faculty resource guide, and provides additional resources and information on impact factors, acceptance rates and journal rankings.
Research Design & Analysis Consulting
- Research Design and Analysis Consulting (RDA)Provided by WSU's Psychology Department, this service can assist you with designing methodological and analytical approaches and provide guidance for addressing issues that arise in the research process. In addition, they can provide assistance in the use of many statistical software programs (such as SPSS, R, SAS, etc.).
Associations & Conferences
- Mid-Western Educational Research AssociationBased in Athens, OH, the MWERA publishes the journal Mid-Western Educational Researcher (below). Next Annual Conference is: October 16-18, 2024 in Cincinnati, OH.
Approach & Praxis
- Cite Black WomenThis collective works "to push people to critically rethink the politics of knowledge production by engaging in a radical praxis of citation that acknowledges and honors Black women's transnational intellectual production." This organization's work takes many forms. (@CiteBlackWomen on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), a blog which shares input from various writers, and a podcast where guests discuss their research and citation politics generally.
Research Methodologies: Handbooks, Books & Internet Resources
Handbook of Survey Methodology for the Social Sciences by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781461438762Publication Date: 2012Geared to the non-statistician, this Handbook addresses issues throughout all phases of survey design and implementation, including data collection, improving accuracy and quality of responses, reducing sampling and non-sampling bias.
Qualitative Inquiry in Clinical and Educational Settings by ISBN: 9781609184865Publication Date: 2010Real-world examples and firsthand perspectives illustrate the research process; instructive exercises and activities build on each other so readers can develop their own proposals or reports as they work through the book. Readers learn how to use a range of data collection methods—including observational strategies, interviewing, focus groups, e-mail and chat rooms, and arts-based media—and to manage, analyze, and report the resulting data.
The Reviewer's Guide to Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences by Call Number: ebooksISBN: 9780203861554Publication Date: 2010The Reviewer s Guide is designed for reviewers of research manuscripts and proposals in the social and behavioral sciences, and beyond. Its uniquely structured chapters address traditional and emerging quantitative methods of data analysis.
Quantitative and Statistical Research Methods by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781118220757Publication Date: 2012This book explains statistics while progressing through the steps of the hypothesis-testing process from hypothesis to results. The book also provides a Research Analysis and Interpretation Guide to help students analyze research articles. Readers will learn how to: Pinpoint research questions and hypotheses, and identify, classify, and operationally define the study variables.
Arts-Based Research Methods for Educational Researchers by Call Number: [E-book]ISBN: 9781032051239Publication Date: 2023 (New York: Routledge)This insightful book is ideal for early career and experienced educational researchers who use qualitative methods in their inquiries. It offers a reader-friendly guide to methodology for scholars, educators as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Phenomenological Approach: Resources
Phenomenology for Therapists by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781119975113Publication Date: 2011This book provides an accessible comprehensive exploration of phenomenological theory and research methods and is geared specifically to the needs of therapists and other health care professionals. Explains phenomenological concepts and how they are applied to different stages of the research process and to topics relevant to therapy practice. Practical examples are provided throughout.
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design by Call Number: Purdy/Kresge Library H 61 .C73 2013ISBN: 1412916070Publication Date: 2006Five qualitative approaches: narrative research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study.
Help with Statistics
- Research Design and Analysis ConsultingProvides assistance with the design of research projects and the statistical analysis of data. The service is available free of charge to Wayne State University faculty, staff, post-doctoral students, and graduate students.
Understanding Educational Statistics Using Microsoft Excel and SPSS by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781118627280Publication Date: 2014Presents the essential statistical procedures for drawing valuable results from data in the social sciences using Microsoft Excel and SPSS.
Journals
Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (Annual) by Call Number: Purdy-Kresge Stacks: LB 2300 .H54Publication Date: Vol. 1 (1985) through Vol. 32 (2017) in printElectronic Tables of Contents and full-text of articles in ERIC for newer volumes: https://www.proquest.com/eric/results/5EE6218494C64A9BPQ/1?accountid=14925
