Demystifying Research: What is a Literature Review, and How are They Made?
Poster Number
23A
Research or Creativity Area
Social Sciences
Abstract
Key purposes of systematic literature reviews are to provide researchers with a clear and comprehensive review of a particular body of research, and to provide suggestions for the direction of future research. However, writing a systematic literature review is a lengthy and complicated process. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) process, we created an outline of what the comprehensive literature review process looks like, using our own literature review on ethical decision-making in behavior analysis as an example. First, we describe the purpose of a literature review. Next, we review the differences between systematic reviews, literature reviews, and meta-analyses before moving into an in-depth description of the steps to complete a systematic literature review, particularly how articles are screened and coded (identified as included or excluded from the literature review). Additionally, we review the criteria for a rigorous systematic literature review, guided by the PRISMA method, and how these individual steps increase the integrity, reliability, and validity of the review. We hope that this example of a literature review in psychology will serve as a demonstration of an experimentally rigorous process which can be used to give researchers and those just learning about a particular field a better understanding of the field under study. We also hope this help demystify the process for students who may not know what goes into researching and writing a systematic literature review.
Location
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Poster Hall
Start Date
27-4-2024 10:30 AM
End Date
27-4-2024 12:30 PM
Demystifying Research: What is a Literature Review, and How are They Made?
Don and Karen DeRosa University Center (DUC) Poster Hall
Key purposes of systematic literature reviews are to provide researchers with a clear and comprehensive review of a particular body of research, and to provide suggestions for the direction of future research. However, writing a systematic literature review is a lengthy and complicated process. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) process, we created an outline of what the comprehensive literature review process looks like, using our own literature review on ethical decision-making in behavior analysis as an example. First, we describe the purpose of a literature review. Next, we review the differences between systematic reviews, literature reviews, and meta-analyses before moving into an in-depth description of the steps to complete a systematic literature review, particularly how articles are screened and coded (identified as included or excluded from the literature review). Additionally, we review the criteria for a rigorous systematic literature review, guided by the PRISMA method, and how these individual steps increase the integrity, reliability, and validity of the review. We hope that this example of a literature review in psychology will serve as a demonstration of an experimentally rigorous process which can be used to give researchers and those just learning about a particular field a better understanding of the field under study. We also hope this help demystify the process for students who may not know what goes into researching and writing a systematic literature review.
