Systematic Approach to Literature Review
Once you have gathered several scholarly sources, it is time to organize them and begin to review each source. Machi and McEvoy (2016) refer to this process as surveying a source. The survey of the source helps the reader to be aware of the type of study conducted or theory presented and offers a concise summary of the new findings or insights offered by the author(s). Once you have a viable collection of literature, you will begin to see clear organizational and critical patterns among sources that will allow you to group scholarly sources and review them in sets to become a coherent discussion as sections of a full literature review.
There are many methods and approaches available to you to survey each source, and some doctoral students find a literature review matrix or table helpful to the process. A literature review matrix/ table can be created as you start sourcing. It is organized by column to allow you to itemize the study design, key findings, quality assessment of source, calls for future research, and other pertinent information from the source for ease in organization and categorization prior to drafting the review discussion (Machi & McEvoy, 2016). The matrix/table provides a visual that helps you identify areas or aspects of the body of knowledge missing or not yet gathered as you continue to source literature. Finally, the matrix/table can also serve as a useful tool to ensure the inclusion or exclusion criteria you established early in sourcing remains appropriate or needs to be revised (Wakefield, 2014).
Be sure to review this week’s resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
References
Machi, L. A., & McEvoy, B. T. (2016). The literature review: Six steps to success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Wakefield, A. (2014). Searching and critiquing the research literature. Nursing Standard, 28(39), 49-57.
Resources
Understanding relevant literature and writing a literature review
Boudah, D. J. (2011). Understanding relevant literature and writing a literature review. In Conducting educational research: Guide to completing a major project (pp. 43-62). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483349138.n3
Assignment
In this assignment, you will prepare a literature review matrix/table. Please download the Literature Review Matrix/Table template from the Resources to use as a simple template to get you started. Feel free to modify the matrix/table as needed, including recreating the document as a spreadsheet, if you prefer. Be sure to complete all columns for each of the five sources.
Length: 1-2 pages
References: Embed full source citation in Column 1; an optional references list may also follow the table
Your literature review matrix/table should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Southern Utah University’s Academic Integrity Policy.
Hayden Coombs 