https://www.editage.com/insights/tips-for-effective-literature-searching-and-keeping-up-with-new-publications What alternative vocabulary is used in discussion of my topic? Are there American and British variants of spelling or vocabulary? Can I identify a word-stem for truncation? E.g., child$ to find child, children, or childish. Are common abbreviations, acronyms or formulae used? What specific cases or examples am I interested in? What more general terms might include my topic? Are there categories I’d like to exclude? Places to search: Google Scholar University of Essex – ‘Search Library’ function University of Essex Databases – e.g PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and Science Direct It is important to note that you won’t be able to read everything. A skill that you will develop is knowing when to exclude or include a paper in literature review. Please ensure that you keep referring back to the topic and only include papers if they are relevant. How to decide whether to select the paper: Read the title to establish whether the paper is relevant Read the abstract to find a summary of the paper and whether it matches what you are looking for. Read the full paper to identify the aims, findings and conclusion What should I cover in my literature review: Your literature review should provide an overview of the subject under consideration and typically it should address the following points: Include an introduction to the topic, followed by key approaches and studies in the area; show how your study relates to previous studies. This can include differences in methodology, and areas of disagreement; conclude by summarising what the literature says and use this material to frame the rationale for the current study; the research question (which you will answer with your analysis). Writing TIP – The early part of the introduction is broad; for example, an overview of the phenomenon of interest, becoming more focused as it builds an argument to justify the current study. The introduction concludes with a summary of the key findings, building into a clear justification for the current study. This section ends with the aims of the current study and research question to be investigated. Proposed Reading Stroop, J.R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643-662.
