Review of Literature

(Updated 9/13/99)

The review of literature requires a student to locate, read, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize existing information. The purpose is to familiarize yourself with the current understanding and relevant knowledge in your area of interest. Until you know what has been done by others in your field, you won't know what still needs to be accomplished. Thus, it forms the foundation for the educational researcher. If you fail to build this foundation, the likelihood increases that ensuing steps will be redundant to previous knowledge, or naive in it's purpose. Insights gained through the review will lead you to a better prepared and better designed project, and increase the chance that your research will lead to important knowledge.

According to Borg and Gall (1989), the review of literature is extremely beneficial because it will help you:

• Delimit the research problem and help more clearly define your research problem,
• Seek new approaches by reading about what has been done and not done in previous research,
• Avoid sterile approaches that past research has shown to be futile,
• Gain insights into previous methods, measures, subjects, and approaches,
• Find recommendations for further research, and
• Sample current opinions.

After you have created your problem statement and identified the current area to explore, a heuristic to provide you direction would be to:

1. identify key words or descriptors you will use to search the databases,
2. check preliminary sources to identify relevant articles through their abstracts. Sources that may lead you to identifying relevant information includes:
   • ERIC
   • Dissertations Abstracts International
   • Encyclopedia of Educational Research
   • Review of Research in Education
   • Bibliographic Index
   • Review of Educational Research
3. Gather, read, code, and analyze the primary sources
4. Synthesize the information into a cohesive report

The report

In this course, for consistency, the report should have the following parameters:

• The font for the body of the report should be Times New Roman, 12 point (or a comparable, easily read font);
  
• Margins should be 1 inch on all sides;
  
• A title page should include the title, followed by your name and affiliation, and the running head. Use a sans serif font (such as Helvetica) for the title page.
  
• You will probably use two levels in your report (see APA for Headings, levels). Your top level should be centered in upper and lower case, and the lower level should be shown flush left, on a line by itself;
  
• The length of the report should be between 1,500-2,500 words for the entire document. Deductions will be placed upon the report if it does not fit within this guideline;
  
• Be sure to check APA's guidelines for topics such as pronouns, modifiers, parallel construction, and nonsexist language.
  
• References and citations should always be created in APA format.
  
• You might also want to examine this 541 Job Aid on how to conduct a literature review.

Grading

The grading of the reports will focus on the following areas. An assessment/criteria rubric will be used to evaluate and grade your literature review.

Borg, W. R., & Gall, M. D. (1989). Educational Research (5th ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman Inc.