EDUC 121: Motivation and Learning (SC)

A literature review should do the following:

A. Be organized around and related to the research question you are developing.

B. Synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known.

C. Identify gaps or areas of controversy in the literature.

D. Formulate questions that need further research.

Conducting a Review of the Literature:

Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the scholarly journal literature with the following steps:

Step 2: Identify the keywords and phrases that describe your topic by making a list of possible synonyms.

Step 3: Select and search appropriate databases or search tools, for example:

• ProQuest Education Journals
• PsycInfo
• ERIC

Things to Keep in Mind:

• Library databases are different than Web search engines such as Google Scholar.
• The information cycle determines where and when certain types of information are published.
• Most topics are interdisciplinary, so don’t limit your search to one field or subject database.
• Be aware that research is an iterative process: search, read, write, repeat.