Literature Review

E. E Okon MRCS
 Literature Review

Introduction – Literature review requires critical
reading
 Reviewing and recording
 Pausing to think
 Is the research convincing? Why? Why not?
 Consumer of research

 Search for an article

Search engines
 Google scholar


Libraries
 Source of countless texts
 Reference librarians
 Research Librarians

Review

Understand

Help

Direct

Public vs Research

Libraries
 Off-limit books, articles, journals
 Databases – Academic Search Premier, The
encyclopaedia Britannica, EBSCO, Proquest,
Lexis/Nexis


To find articles and essays on your
subject

Review the list of databases and periodical
indexes that are available at your library.

Identify the databases that might address your
topic, such as MEDLINE for biomedical
literature.

If you have difficulty finding an appropriate
specialized database, use one such as
Academic Search Premier or JSTOR which
cuts across numerous categories.

Go to the search screen for your database.

Enter keywords to begin your search.

Select logical titles from the results that you
receive.

Click on each title to retrieve the article citation.

Read the abstract, or summary, to see whether
that article contains the type of information you
are seeking.

Click to retrieve the full text if it is available
electronically or use the citation information to
order the article via email or through your
library.
 Identify Appropraite sources

Primary vs Secondary sources

Primary
 unique discussions of ideas, concepts, trends,
events, personalities, and discoveries.
 Findings and set forth arguments.
 provide insights and conclusions from the authors
who wrote them.
 E.g Reginald Fitz report on Appendicitis

Secondary
 use or report on the work of others to provide
summaries, analyses, or interpretations of primary
sources
 E.g A critical review
 Identify reputable online sources

Identify who is publishing the article
 Visit the homepage of the website publishing the
article
 .edu, .com, .org, .gov, .ng, .eu, .uk, .in

Determine if the article is authoritative on the
topic for discussion
 Consistency
 Author biography
 Publication dates
 Identify reputable online sources

Does it come from a source my audience will
recognize as an authority on the subject?

Does it meet the requirements of the
assignment?

Will it meet my instructor’s expectations?

Am I getting facts or opinion?

Does the information have a commercial
purpose? Is it advertising, a press release, or
promotional copy?

Do the author’s arguments seem logical, or do
they overgeneralize or oversimplify?

How well researched was the article?

Are the sources of the article’s information
evident? What are they?

What is the author’s name? Avoid using
sources by unnamed authors or authors using
anonymous or fictitious “handles.”

What is the person’s background? Does the
author possess the experience, education, or
authority to comment intelligently on the
subject?

Who is the publisher or the sponsoring
organization?

If it is an organization, what is its mission?

When was the article written?

Based on what you already know, does the
article appear to make exaggerated claims?
 Strategies for Critical Thinking

Initial appraisal

The initial appraisal involves evaluating the
following:
 Author
 Date of publication
 Edition or revision
 Publisher
 Title of the journal

Careful analysis of content
 Strategies for Critical Thinking

Critical reading requires you to gain a complete
and accurate understanding of the material.

Analyze it intelligently

Interpret it.

How?
 Devote more time to reading
 Think about what you read
 Ask yourself questions about it.
 Evaluate its logic.
 Consider alternatives to the information.
 Be prepared to turn to other texts

Critical reading is challenging

Diminish noise and interferences.