Argumentative Literature Review

on the effectiveness of a new procedure) qualitative research (e.g., studies ) What is the scope of my literature review What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media) What discipline am I working in (e.g., nursing psychology, sociology, medicine) How good was my information seeking Has my search been wide enough to ensure I ve found all the relevant material Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material Is the number of sources I ve used appropriate for the length of my paper Have I critically analyzed the literature I use Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful Individual Articles Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include: Has the author formulated a problem/issue Is it clearly defined Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance) clearly established Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective What is the author s research orientation (e.g., interpretive, critical science, combination) What is the author s theoretical framework (e.g., psychological, developmental, feminist) What is the relationship between the theoretical and research perspectives Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue Does the author include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with In a research study, how good are the basic components of the study design (e.g., population, intervention, outcome) How accurate and valid are the measurements Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis In material written for a popular re