PowerPoint Presentation

WRITING THE

LITERATURE REVIEW

SCIENCES

UCLA Graduate Writing Center

2019

Reading Papers Strategically

First Pass

• Read the abstract for a broad overview

• Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion

• Skim the text to see headings and sub-headings in order to

understand the “geography of the text”—its structure

Second Pass, More Careful Reading

• Annotate your sources for the issues most relevant to you; do

not take notes beyond what you need. Maybe the focus is on

findings, or methods, etc. Be targeted and efficient.

• Tools—use a bibliographic tool like Zotero or Mendeley for

capturing the citation and paper. Assign keywords. Use notes

fields in these programs or put notes into pdf.

Reading Papers Strategically

First Pass

• Read the abstract for a broad overview

• Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion

• Skim the text to see headings and sub-headings in order to

understand the “geography of the text”—its structure

Second Pass, More Careful Reading

• Annotate your sources for the issues most relevant to you; do

not take notes beyond what you need. Maybe the focus is on

findings, or methods, etc. Be targeted and efficient.

• Tools—use a bibliographic tool like Zotero or Mendeley for

capturing the citation and paper. Assign keywords. Use notes

fields in these programs or put notes into pdf.

Reading Papers Strategically

First Pass

• Read the abstract for a broad overview

• Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion

• Skim the text to see headings and sub-headings in order to

understand the “geography of the text”—its structure

Second Pass, More Careful Reading

• Annotate your sources for the issues most relevant to you; do

not take notes beyond what you need. Maybe the focus is on

findings, or methods, etc. Be targeted and efficient.

• Tools—use a bibliographic tool like Zotero or Mendeley for

capturing the citation and paper. Assign keywords. Use notes

fields in these programs or put notes into pdf.

Reading Papers Strategically

First Pass

• Read the abstract for a broad overview

• Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion

• Skim the text to see headings and sub-headings in order to

understand the “geography of the text”—its structure

Second Pass, More Careful Reading

• Annotate your sources for the issues most relevant to you; do

not take notes beyond what you need. Maybe the focus is on

findings, or methods, etc. Be targeted and efficient.

• Tools—use a bibliographic tool like Zotero or Mendeley for

capturing the citation and paper. Assign keywords. Use notes

fields in these programs or put notes into pdf.

Preparing for Longer Reviews

Export from Zotero to Create Spreadsheet Table

• Zotero lets you add tags (keywords) and notes to the

sources in your library.

• You can export a Zotero library or a specific search as a

.csv file, which easily converts to Excel.

• For example, decide what topics or keywords you will

address in your background section or lit review;

then do multiple searches on these keywords;

export each search to its own work book page

• If you have a lot of sources and don’t need to cite them all

(or they are not all that relevant), have a column where

you give a rating for each—must cite, maybe cite, A/B/C

Preparing for Longer Reviews

Export from Zotero to Create Spreadsheet Table

• Zotero lets you add tags (keywords) and notes to the

sources in your library.

• You can export a Zotero library or a specific search as a

.csv file, which easily converts to Excel.

• For example, decide what topics or keywords you will

address in your background section or lit review;

then do multiple searches on these keywords;

export each search to its own work book page

• If you have a lot of sources and don’t need to cite them all

(or they are not all that relevant), have a column where

you give a rating for each—must cite, maybe cite, A/B/C

Preparing for Longer Reviews

Create Spreadsheet Table

Preparing for Longer Reviews

Create Spreadsheet Table

Lit Review Basics

• The literature review should contain a critical summary

of the previous work that has been done on your topic

• Doesn’t merely summarize previous research on your

topic, but tells an integrated research story and

indicates how your research will contribute to the field

• In journal articles and grants, the introduction includes

the background of relevant previous research

• In theses and dissertations, you can have a more

extended background or lit review, even a separate

chapter (from the intro) that is close to a stand-alone

review article

Lit Review Basics

• The literature review should contain a critical summary

of the previous work that has been done on your topic

• Doesn’t merely summarize previous research on your

topic, but tells an integrated research story and

indicates how your research will contribute to the field

• In journal articles and grants, the introduction includes

the background of relevant previous research

• In theses and dissertations, you can have a more

extended background or lit review, even a separate

chapter (from the intro) that is close to a stand-alone

review article

Lit Review – Some Organizational Options

Topical (most common)

• Breaks up lit review into a number of subfields, subject areas,

or approaches and discusses each individually

Distant-to-Close

• A kind of topical organization that starts with studies of

general relevance to topic and ends with studies most

relevant to topic

Chronological

• Reviews studies chronologically from older to most recent

Debate

• Emphasizes opposing positions in field, especially long-term

Seminal Study

• Starts with focused engagement and analysis of 1-2 key

studies relevant to your project

Discussion of example

• Read the introduction to the paper: Multi-messenger

Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger

• What kinds of organizational patterns do you see in the

introduction? (topical, distant-to-close, chronological,

seminal paper, debate)

3 Rhetorical Moves that Frame Original Research

• Move 1: Establishing a Research Territory

• Show that the general research area is important, central,

interesting, problematic, or relevant in some way

• Introduce and review items of previous research in the area

• Move 2: Creating a Niche

• Indicate a gap in the previous research, or extend previous

knowledge in some way

• Move 3: Occupying the Niche

• Outline purposes or state the nature of the proposed

research

• List research questions or hypotheses

• State the value of the proposed research (significance)

Summary of John Swales’ “Creating a Research Space” (CARS) approach to introductions

Move 1 Language: Establishing Research Territory

Indicating Centrality, Importance

Recently, there has been growing interest in . . . .

The possibility that . . . has generated interest in

the development of . . . .

Knowledge of . . . has a great importance for . . . .

The study of . . . has become an important aspect of . . . .

The . . . has been studied by many investigators.

Many recent studies have addressed . . . .

The relationship between . . . and . . . has received

a lot of attention in previous studies.

Examples taken or adapted from John Swales’ Aspects of Article Introductions

Move 1 Language: Establishing Research Territory

Summarizing Previous Research

Evidence of . . . was first reported in . . . .

The majority of studies have focused on . . . .

Previous studies have suggested that . . . .

Some progress has been made towards understanding

the . . . behavior of . . . .

Various investigations have explored the relationship

between . . . and . . . .

There is mounting evidence that the use of . . . .

These findings were further supported by later studies

that showed . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from John Swales’ Aspects of Article Introductions

Move 2 Language: Establishing the Research Gaps

Negative Openings / Quasi-negative subject

However, little information . . .

little attention . . .

little data . . .

little research . . .

However, few studies . . .

few investigations . . .

few researchers . . .

No studies/data/calculations to date have . . . .

None of these studies/findings/calculations have . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from Swales and Feak’s Academic Writing for Graduate Students

Move 2 Language: Establishing the Research Gaps

Negative / Quasi-Negative Openings: More Examples

However, very few investigations have considered

the effects of . . . .

Little attempt has been made to explain why . . . .

There have been few published studies that directly

address . . . .

A review of the recent literature yield only two reports

on . . . .

None of the prior studies have established . . . .

Earlier studies were limited to the problem of . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from John Swales’ Aspects of Article Introductions

Move 2 Language: Establishing the Research Gaps

Contrastive statements

Research has tended to focus on . . , rather than on . . . .

These studies have emphasized . . , as opposed to . . . .

Although considerable research has been devoted to . . ,

rather less attention has been paid to . . . .

Most studies have been content to . . . . Little attempt has

been made to explain why . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from John Swales’ Aspects of Article Introductions and Swales and Feak’s

Academic Writing for Graduate Students

Move 2 Language: Establishing the Research Gaps

Raise a question, hypothesis, or need for more research

However, it remains unclear whether . . . .

It would thus be of interest to learn how . . . .

If these results could be confirmed, they would provide

strong evidence for . . . .

If further research were done, it could lead to effective

approaches to . . . .

It would seem, therefore, that further investigations are

needed in order to . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from John Swales’ Aspects of Article Introductions

Move 3 Language: Filling the Research Gap

Indicating what the present study accomplishes

Referring to the type of text—“This paper…”

paper, article, thesis, report, research note

Referring to type of investigation—“This study…”

experiment, investigation, study, survey

Referring to the text usually in present tense

Referring to the investigation can be in either

tense (past as you have already performed the

study or present to make it seem new or current)

Examples taken or adapted from Swales and Feak’s Academic Writing for Graduate Students

Move 3 Language: Filling the Research Gap

Some examples

This paper reports on the results obtained . . . .

The present work is concerned with. . . . .

The primary focus of this paper is on how to

maximize . . . .

In the present investigation, . . . have been

studied.

We have investigated the effect of . . . .

Therefore, we developed a new . . . as an

alternative for . . . .

Examples taken or adapted from Swales and Feak’s Academic Writing for Graduate Students

Review Examples and Look for Moves

• Move 1: Establishing a Research Territory

• Show that the general research area is important, central,

interesting, problematic, or relevant in some way

• Introduce and review items of previous research in the area

• Move 2: Creating a Niche

• Indicate a gap in the previous research, or extend previous

knowledge in some way

• Move 3: Occupying the Niche

• Outline purposes or state the nature of the proposed research

• List research questions or hypotheses

• State the value of the proposed research (significance)

Adapted from John Swales’ “Creating a Research Space” (CARS) approach to introductions

Discussion of example: Rociletinib in EGFR-

Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung Cancer

• Read the introduction to the following paper:

Rociletinib in EGFR-Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung

Cancer

• Where do you see the 3 moves taking place in the

introduction?

Discussion of example: Rociletinib in EGFR-

Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Increasingly, treatment decisions for patients with non–small-cell

lung cancer (NSCLC) are based on the driver mutation rather

than the histologic subtype, when such mutations are present.

Mutations in the gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor

(EGFR) are among the most common oncogenic mutations in

lung adenocarcinoma and are present in approximately 10 to

15% of Western patients and 30 to 35% of Asian patients.

At the

time of diagnosis, approximately 90% of EGFR-mutation–

positive patients have one of two activating mutations, an in-

frame deletion in exon 19 or an L858R point mutation in exon

21.

The first-generation and second-generation EGFR tyrosine

kinase inhibitors gefitinib, erlotinib, and afatinib are highly active

against cancers with these mutations, with objective response

rates of 50 to 70%.

2-4

Discussion of example: Rociletinib in EGFR-

Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung Cancer

However, acquired resistance develops after a median of 9

to 13 months

2-4

and is most commonly due to the EGFR

T790M mutation, present in approximately 50 to 60% of

resistant cases.

5,6

There are no approved therapies that

specifically target T790M, so cytotoxic chemotherapy is

typically used. The median survival is less than 2 years

after the emergence of T790M.

Discussion of example: Rociletinib in EGFR-

Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Rociletinib (CO-1686; Clovis Oncology) is a small-molecule,

orally available, mutant-selective covalent inhibitor of commonly

mutated forms of EGFR, including exon 19 deletions, L858R,

and T790M, but not exon 20 insertions. Preclinical studies have

confirmed that rociletinib has minimal activity against wild-type

EGFR.

In contrast, currently approved EGFR tyrosine kinase

inhibitors result in substantial inhibition of nonmutant EGFR,

leading to rash and diarrhea as their two most common and

dose-limiting side effects. In xenograft models with EGFR-

activating mutations alone or combined with T790M resistance

mutations, rociletinib resulted in durable tumor shrinkage,

which

was most marked when plasma concentrations were maintained

at more than 200 ng per milliliter across the dosingminterval.

Discussion of example: Rociletinib in EGFR-

Mutated Non--Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Therefore, we performed a phase 1–2 study of rociletinib in

patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC with acquired

resistance to first-generation or second-generation EGFR

tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as erlotinib, gefitinib, or

afatinib.

Creating a

Research Space

Questions to Ask Answer Questions

Based on Existing Lit

Move 1: Establishing a

Research Territory

What do we know?

(about this topic,

concept, source)

• We know that…

• Studies have shown

that..

Move 2: Defining the

Research Gap

What do we not know?

(that we should want to

know)

• We do not know…

• Scholars have not yet

investigated…

Move 3: Filling the Gap

What do we want to find

out?

Why is that important for

the field?

• My study will

examine…which is

important because…

Brainstorm around Existing Knowledge and Gaps

Different Ways of Mapping

• Venn Diagram (Rudestam & Newton, 2007)

• Conceptual Maps/Diagrams (Creswell, 2013)

• Various Types of Maps/Diagrams (Maxwell, 2013)

• Various Types of Maps Diagrams (Hart, 1998)

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science

research imagination. Sage.

• We will focus on Venn Diagrams for doing simple

categorization of previous studies

• Caveat: If you’re not fond of mapping/drawing, you can also

track similar information (topics, concepts, theories, variables,

methods) through key words in either Zotero or a carefully

constructed Excel spreadsheet

Venn Diagram of Relevant Literature

Topic 1

Topic 3Topic 2

Venn Diagram of Relevant Literature

Topic 1

Topic 3Topic 2

Mind Mapping Relevant Literature

Diagram Exercise

• Review introduction/background for one of the articles

• Create a tentative diagram of key areas of existing

research using either a Venn diagram or a mind map

• Think about where citations would fit in the diagram,

especially overlaps of circles

EXAMPLE: Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary

Neutron Star Merger

EXAMPLE: Multi-messenger Observations of a

Binary Neutron Star Merger

Merging binary

neutron stars

Gravitational

waves

Short gamma

ray bursts

Example: Rociletinib in EGFR-Mutated Non–

Small-Cell Lung Cancer

• ABSTRACT BACKGROUND

Non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a mutation in the

gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is

sensitive to approved EGFR inhibitors, but resistance

develops, mediated by the T790M EGFR mutation in most

cases. Rociletinib (CO-1686) is an EGFR inhibitor active in

preclinical models of EGFR-mutated NSCLC with or

without T790M.

Rociletinib in EGFR-Mutated Non–Small-Cell Lung

Cancer

Rociletinib

Lung Cancer

Treatment

EGFR-

Mutated

Non–Small-

Cell Lung

Cancer

A few words about longer reviews

• Review article (literature review as a publication)

- Graduate students sometimes publish these when they

are working in an emerging fields.

- Otherwise they are more commonly published by more

senior academics.

• Literature review chapter in dissertation, usually in a form

similar to a review article.

- Some departments require this type of dissertation

chapter

Example of published review article

Krogh, L., Vlach, H., & Johnson, S. P. (2013). Statistical learning across

development: flexible yet constrained. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 59

Much research in the past two decades has documented infants’ and

adults’ ability to extract statistical regularities from auditory input.

Importantly, recent research has extended these findings to the visual

domain, demonstrating learners’ sensitivity to statistical patterns within

visual arrays and sequences of shapes. In this review we discuss both

auditory and visual statistical learning to elucidate both the generality of

and constraints on statistical learning. The review first outlines the

major findings of the statistical learning literature with infants, followed

by discussion of statistical learning across domains, modalities, and

development. The second part of this review considers constraints on

statistical learning. The discussion focuses on two categories of

constraint: constraints on the types of input over which statistical

learning operates and constraints based on the state of the learner. The

review concludes with a discussion of possible mechanisms underlying

statistical learning.

Krogh et al.—Outline of article

• Introduction

• Auditory Statistical Learning

- Artificial Language

- Natural Language

- Non-linguistic Stimuli

• Visual Statistical Learning

- Infants

- Adults

• Constraints on Statistical Learning

- Types of Input (more subheadings)

- The State of the Learner (more subheadings)

• Mechanisms Underlying Statistical Learning

• Conclusion

Example of dissertation chapter

O’Hare, Elizabeth D. (2008). Verbal working memory

development and the cerebro-cerebellar system : structural

and functional neuroimaging studies in children with and

without prenatal alcohol exposure.

Verbal working memory development and the cerebro-

cerebellar system...

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

O’Hare (2008)

Cerebellum/

Cerebro-

Cerebellar

Networks

Fetal-

Alcohol

Syndrome

Working

Memory

Narrative vs Systematic Review

• The above examples from psychology (review article) and

neuroscience (dissertation chapter) would both be what

you would call a “narrative review”

• Systematic reviews are becoming more common in health

research, and they need to certain agreed-upon criteria

for how they are developed, such as describing:

- clear search parameters and protocols

- criteria for eligibility and exclusion from literature

- methods for extracting data from literature

- methods for analyzing these data

- analysis of bias across studies

• PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews

(http://www.prisma-statement.org)

Narrative vs Systematic Review

• The above examples from psychology (review article) and

neuroscience (dissertation chapter) would both be what

you would call a “narrative review”

• Systematic reviews are becoming more common in health

research, and they need to certain agreed-upon criteria

for how they are developed, such as describing:

- clear search parameters and protocols

- criteria for eligibility and exclusion from literature

- methods for extracting data from literature

- methods for analyzing these data

- analysis of bias across studies

• PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews

(http://www.prisma-statement.org)

Genre Considerations

• Fellowships/short grants: background sections are so short,

you often have to sketch the research territory more generally

with minimal citations

• Empirical articles/long grants: vary in length somewhat—

depending on field, journal, and length of article (look at

models). Typically topical (one topic per paragraph). Often go

through 3 moves in order, but vary more the longer they get;

1st paragraph can sometimes have all 3 moves briefly.

• Review articles, dissertation proposals, dissertations: often

require a longer background/literature review; some fields may

require a review article type of dissertation chapter. You may

have multiple instances of the 3 moves, or at least back and

forth between move 1 (what is known) and move 2 (the gaps in

the field) before introducing what your study will accomplish.

• Look for models and do backwards outlines to understand the

organizational patterns and 3 moves framing the research.

Genre Considerations

• Fellowships/short grants: background sections are so short,

you often have to sketch the research territory more generally

with minimal citations

• Empirical articles/long grants: vary in length somewhat—

depending on field, journal, and length of article (look at

models). Typically topical (one topic per paragraph). Often go

through 3 moves in order, but vary more the longer they get;

1st paragraph can sometimes have all 3 moves briefly.

• Review articles, dissertation proposals, dissertations: often

require a longer background/literature review; some fields may

require a review article type of dissertation chapter. You may

have multiple instances of the 3 moves, or at least back and

forth between move 1 (what is known) and move 2 (the gaps in

the field) before introducing what your study will accomplish.

• Look for models and do backwards outlines to understand the

organizational patterns and 3 moves framing the research.

Play Around with Your Own Research Topics

• Sketch a Venn diagram or other map of the topic areas for

studies that relate to your research

• Pick a topical area (or concept, variable, etc.)

• Brainstorm a list of what is known from previous research about

this topic (write down statements/assertions)

• Brainstorm a list of what is not known (write down statements using

negative or contrastive language)

• What needs to be investigated and why is it important?

• Do some reflective/exploratory writing about the research

topic you are interested in and what the research territory

looks like around this topic.

Come See us at the Graduate Writing Center

• One-on-one appointments

https://gwc.gsrc.ucla.edu/Appointments

• Writing consultants from many different fields

https://gwc.gsrc.ucla.edu/Consultants

• GWC workshops

https://gwc.gsrc.ucla.edu/Workshops

• GWC thesis and dissertation programs

https://gwc.gsrc.ucla.edu/Programs