LITERATURE REVIEW SYNTHESIS CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
When completing a Literature Review, you synthesize and integrate resources. For this Discussion, you will reflect on some of the challenges and strategies that you used as you began to synthesize and integrate the resources for your literature review.
Review the steps you used to begin the literature review. Literature Review Essentials: Identify Themes (waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com)
Consider the difficulties you faced in starting the literature review process.
Think about the strategies that you used to deal with these challenges.
Sample Solution
Having begun the process of gathering and synthesizing resources for my literature review, I've encountered some initial hurdles but also discovered valuable strategies to overcome them. Here's a reflection on those challenges and how I'm tackling them:
Challenges:
- Information Overload: The sheer volume of research articles, books, and other sources can be overwhelming.
Full Answer Section
- Focus and Topic Creep: Keeping my research focused on the core research question while remaining open to interesting tangential concepts can be tricky.
- Identifying Relevant Sources: Not all resources are created equal, and evaluating their credibility and relevance to my topic can be time-consuming.
- Synthesis and Integration: Turning a pile of research into a cohesive narrative that identifies key themes and arguments can be challenging.
- Develop a Search Strategy: Using advanced search functions in databases and creating focused keywords helped me narrow down the initial information overload.
- Create an Organizational System: Developing a system for categorizing resources based on themes or research questions helps maintain focus and prevents topic creep. This could involve a reference management software or a physical filing system.
- Critical Evaluation: Evaluating each source for its credibility (authorship, publication source) and relevance to my research question helps me prioritize high-quality information.
- Active Reading and Note-Taking: While reading, I take detailed notes that capture key points, quotes, and how the source relates to my research question. This facilitates later synthesis and integration.
- Crafting an Outline: Developing a preliminary outline for the literature review helps me structure the information and identify emerging themes across the different sources. This can later be refined as I delve deeper.
- Start Early: Don't underestimate the time required for a thorough literature review. Starting early allows for a more manageable research process.
- Seek Guidance: Consult with librarians or research experts at your university for help with effective search strategies and source evaluation.
- Take Breaks: Taking breaks during research helps to maintain focus and avoid burnout.