�

Dr Nelson Y. Dzade

The Pennsylvania State University

Email: nxd5313@psu.edu

How to Write a Review Paper and Get it Published

Aspirers2Inspirers Network

"ASPIRE Today, Inspire Tomorrow"

At the conclusion of this TRAINING , you will be able to:

​

1. Identify the purpose of the literature review in  the research process;

​

• Distinguish between different types of literature reviews;

​

• Become conversant with the key steps to follow through on your literature review;

​

• Learn how to structure a literature review (some examples)

​

Learning Objectives

1

Relevant Book References

2

What is a Review Paper?

3

• A literature review is the research and evaluation of the available literature in your chosen topic area.

​

• Synthesis past and current research on the topic and show how your research fits in.

​

• Unlike typical research articles, review articles do not present any original primary research.

A review article can also be called a literature review or a review of literature.

What does it mean to review the literature?

• What has been established, discredited and accepted in your field of research
• Areas of controversy/conflict among different schools of thought
• Problems or issues that remain unsolved
• Emerging trends and new approaches
• How your research extends, builds upon, and/or departs from previous research.

To review the literature means to be able to identify:

The act of reviewing involves evaluating individual sources as well as synthesizing these sources in order to develop your own research project.

4

Why You Really Should Write a Review Article

1. Increase your own understanding
2. Advance your research career and status
3. Review Papers can  Significantly  Increase Your Citation Score!

5

A good literature review will…

• Order articles and books to focus on unresolved debates, inconsistences, tensions, and questions in a research field.

​

• Summarize the most relevant aspects of a scientific literature related to your area research.

​

• Synthesis past and current research on the topic and show how your research fits in.

​

• Give the reader an understanding of the background of the field and show which studies are important - and highlight errors in previous studies

How well you can do the review may depend on your title:

6

Common Literature Review Errors

1. Over-reliance on low-quality sources (secondary sources)

​

• A lack of current literature

​

• A lack of landmark/seminal literature

​

• Ignoring contrary findings and alternative interpretations

​

​

7

​

5) Allowing insufficient time to defining best search strategies and writing

​

6) Summarizing rather than synthesizing articles

​

7) Choosing problematic/irrelevant keywords, subject headings & descriptors

​

8) Plagiarism and poor referencing

Landmark literature (sometimes also referred to as seminal or pivotal work) refers to the articles that initially presented an idea of great importance or influence within a particular discipline.

​

In other words, the articles that put the specific area of research “on the map”, so to speak.

What is a Landmark Literature?

8

Well, you can usually spot these by searching for the topic in Google Scholar and identifying the handful of articles with high citation counts.

How do you find Landmark Literature?

9

Types of Literature Reviews

10

Types of Literature Reviews

11

Literature reviews can differ in structure, length, and amount and breadth of content included. They can range from the selective (a very narrow area of research or only a single work) to the comprehensive (a larger amount or range of works). They can also be part of a larger work or stand on their own.

Literature Reviews Found in Journals

• Introduces research related to the specific study (Introduction section)

​

• Shorter than stand-alone reviews

​

• Narrower in scope

​

• Often used to set research precedent and support theory or methods

1. Journal Studies/

Articles

2. Literature Review

(stand-alone article)

12

Introduction to Journal Studies/Articles

Literature review is part of the introduction

13

Literature Reviews Found in Journals

• Presents and analyzes as much relevant literature as possible to explain background and context.
• Excellent resource for initial research about an area or topic.

1. Journal Studies/

Articles

2. Literature Review

(stand-alone article)

• Presents and analyzes many relevant texts to explain an approach or theory
• Broader in scope
• More extended analyses
• All sections refer literature rather than to one current study.

14

Check the targeted journal’s aims and scope

​

Make sure you have read the aims and scope for the journal you are submitting to and follow them closely.

​

Different journals accept different types of articles and not all will accept review articles, so it’s important to check this before you start writing.

The Literature Review Writing Process

15

The Literature Review Writing Process

• At this stage it can be helpful to write down a description of the research question, area, or topic that you will be reviewing.

​

• Identify any keywords that you will be using to search for relevant research.

In a journal review, this is the point you can adjust the scope of your article or literature review.

Writing a literature review is not usually a linear process

Here are some key steps to follow through on your literature review:

16

The Literature Review Writing Process

“THE LITERATURE”

17

The Literature Review Writing Process

18

The Literature Review Writing Process

19

The Literature Review Writing Process

Searching Databases for References: tips for best results include

​

• Search using a variety of keywords. For many topics, there may be several database search terms that yield relevant research. 

​

• Search using Boolean operators. Including the words ”and/or” in your searches can help you obtain more directly relevant results.  For instance, a search for genetics AND parenting will yield results that mention both of those terms rather than results that only mention one.

​

• Search using quoted keywords, terms, or phrases. If you are looking for an exact match to a particular set of words in a specific order, then enter those words into the database search box surrounded by quotes (for example, instead of materials for energy, type “materials for energy”).  As a result, you will only obtain results that include that exact set of words.

20

Citation chaining is the process by which you use one good information source, such as an article relevant to your topic, and mine its list of References for additional useful resources. (This is called backward chaining)

Citation Chaining 

Forward chaining - this identifies those who have cited the article. This is simple to do in Google Scholar.

QUESTION: When should you stop searching?

21

Remember to keep a full list for your reference list/bibliography (or better still, use bibliographic software like EndNote or RefWorks to keep track of your sources).

Manage Your References

Popular Reference Management Tools

22

Citations are important because:

• They help others find the information that you used.
• They help establish the credibility of your own research.
• They connect your work to the work of other scholars.
•  It is one way that scholars enter a dialogue with each other.
•  It is a way to honor and acknowledge the work of others who have made your own research possible.

The Literature Review Writing Process

• Some references may turn out to be more helpful than others; you may notice patterns or striking contrasts between different sources; and some sources may refer to yet other sources of potential interest. This is often the most time-consuming part of the review process.

• After you have obtained a set of references that pertain to the topic of your research paper, you will need to carefully read and evaluate them. 

23

Your review should be selective. A common mistake is to include everything you have read regardless of its relevance.

You need to work on developing your own criteria for the bodies of literature – and the scholars – that you end up including in the literature review and those you exclude. Your criteria should always include:

• relevance to your study
• importance to the field

Relevance is crucial

Dinner party

Evaluating Scholarly References

1. What is the research question?
2. What is the primary methodology used?
3. How was the data gathered?
4. How is the data presented?
5. How did the authors interpret their findings? And are they convincing?
6. What are the main conclusions?
7. Are these conclusions reasonable?
8. Did the results yield questions for further research? Did the authors suggest further research?
9. What theories are used to support the researcher's conclusions?

Ask yourself questions like these about each article you include:

24

The Literature Review Writing Process

For introduction to studies, this can be relatively short summaries

For stand-alone reviews, there may be more text and concepts to review

What patterns stand out?  Do the different sources converge on a consensus? Or not?  What unresolved questions remain?  

25

The Literature Review Writing Process

26

Analyze and Synthesize

“Whereas analysis involves systematically breaking down the relevant literature into its constituent parts, synthesis is the act of making connections between those parts identified in the analysis” (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2012, p.84).

Synthesizing means connecting, linking and positioning sources against each other in order to identify the recurring themes, trends and areas of agreement or disagreement within your research field.

The argument in resource (A) is supported by another article (B), which is in turn supported by article (D).

​

However, you have also found article (C), which contradicts the argument presented in resource (A).

​

One way to synthesize these texts, is to group together the texts supporting your key resource (articles B and D) and explain that article (C) presents contradictory results. Then, you would need to explain the differences and/or reasons for the contradictory results.

Structuring a Literature Review

​

• These are key structural elements. Additionally, a stand-alone extended literature review has an abstract.

​

• Throughout, headings and subheadings are used to divide up the literature review into meaningful sections.

27

Like any other academic text, in general, literature reviews are structured in a similar way to a standard essay, with an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

​

It also depends on the “Targeted Journal” you want to publish your review.

Jigsaw: This is essentially dealing with each concept equally, allowing the same weight to each topic area. It is important to make links between the topics.

Chronological: 

28

Outline Your Structure

• Chronological: Organize by time
• Thematic: Organize by theme
• Methodological: Organize by methodology
• Theoretical: Organize by theoretical approach

The Abstract

• If you are writing a stand-alone extended literature review, you are required to provide an abstract.

​

• The purpose of an abstract is to provide potential readers with an overview of the review content, so that they can determine if it is relevant to their research.

​

• The abstract should include brief background information, including any knowledge gaps or discrepancies that the review aims to address, as well as a statement regarding the purpose and scope of the review.

​

• A complete abstract also includes a brief statement of the main findings and how they relate to the broader context.

​

• The example abstract next includes these elements.

29

Example Abstract

30

The Introduction

Not all introductions follow the same order. However, there are some key points to include in the introduction to provide your reader with the context and purpose of your review. The general guidelines for the structure of a literature review introduction are:

• Start with a broad introduction to the topic. Include relevant background information and definitions or explanations of the main terms and concepts.

​

• Provide information that is relevant for your specific topic, and explain the importance of your topic (e.g., why it’s worth reading your literature review).

​

• Tell the reader what the scope of your review is (e.g., what key points you will include in the body of your review).

​

• Tell your reader what the aim or purpose of your review is. This is often included at the end of the introduction.

31

Example Introduction

32

Example Introduction

33

The Body Paragraph

• The body of the review contains your review of the literature relevant to your research question or aim.

​

• You should structure the body of your literature review in a logical and coherent way.

​

• Consider what your sub-topics or sections will be in order to answer your research question thoroughly and coherently. Then consider the most logical order to discuss your sections.

​

• Creating sub-headings for the sections of your review will assist you in creating a logical structure and keep you focused on sub-topics relevant to your research aim.

​

• In the body of your literature review, it is important to analyze the literature rather than to merely describe the findings of several different literature sources.

Remember to include accurate and relevant citations and references throughout this section.

34

35

Body Paragraph Example

Body Paragraph Example-cont'd

36

The Conclusion

Conclude by demonstrating how you have answered your research question and/or how you have achieved your research aim.

​

This tells the audience you have achieved what you intended. Then highlight the key points you discussed. Now you can refer to implications of this knowledge in a broader sense, as well as recommendations for future studies/research (if applicable).

37

The conclusion starts specific and finishes broad.

​

There are several conventions to note when you are writing your conclusion:

​

• Don’t include new information in your conclusion. Instead, highlight the key points raised in the earlier sections of your literature review.

_{Example Conclusion}

38

39

_{Example Conclusion}

The Language of Literature Reviews

Expression in a literature review should be informative and evaluative. Apart from incorporating reporting verbs, you will need to use evaluative and cautious language.

Reporting verbs

A key language feature of a literature review is the use of reporting verbs. They report on:

• aims: investigates, examines, looks at
• results: shows, suggests, reveals
• opinions: states, believes, argues

Evaluative and cautious language

You can show your perspective on the literature under review by using evaluative language.

• positive: e.g., expressions like “effective,” “necessary,” “significant” or “crucial”
• negative: e.g., “questionable,” unclear,” “inconclusive” or insignificant.

40

Another way to express certainty or hesitancy is to use boosters and hedges.

• boosters are words or phrases that express confidence or certainty
• hedges convey a qualified uncertainty in the claims made in the literature

The Language of Literature Reviews

• It is certain …
• There is strong evidence …
• It is highly possible …
• It is widely agreed …

• The project is likely to …
• It may be  …
• There is some evidence …

41

Before you submit your review article…

​

Complete this checklist before you submit your review article:

​

• Have you checked the journal’s aims and scope?
• Have you defined the scope of your article?
• Did you use multiple search engines to find sources to evaluate?
• Have you written a descriptive title and abstract using keywords?
• Did you start with an overview of the topic?
• Have you presented a critical discussion?
• Have you included future suggestions for research in your conclusion?
• Have you asked a friend to do a final spell and grammar check?

42

Summary & Take-Home Message

This presentation can be freely used and modified for educational purposes. You may:

• Display this presentation in a classroom environment
• Modify or delete slides
• Distribute this presentation in print or in private student environments (e.g., Moodle, BlackBoard, Google Classroom)

Questions or feedback? Email nxd5313@psu.edu and I’ll be in touch!

Guidelines for Using this Presentation