Research Guides: Literature Reviews: Additional Resources

Literature Review Resources

The Elements of an Effective Dissertation and Thesis by Raymond L. Calabrese
Publication Date: Rowan & Littlefield, 2006
With over 100 examples of completed dissertations from well-known universities and colleges, this book allows the student to concentrate on what makes sense and what is important to completing his or her research to writing an effective doctoral dissertation or a masters thesis.
Surviving Your Dissertation by Kjell Erik Rudestam; Rae R. Newton
Publication Date: Sage, 2015
Perfect for graduate students as well as behavioral and social scientists who supervise and conduct research! In the fully updated Fourth Edition of their best-selling guide, Surviving Your Dissertation, Kjell Erik Rudestam and Rae R. Newton answer questions concerning every stage of the dissertation process, including selecting a suitable topic, conducting a literature review, developing a research question, understanding the role of theory, selecting an appropriate methodology and research design, analyzing data, and interpreting and presenting results. In addition, this must-have guide covers topics that other dissertation guides often miss, such as the many types of quantitative and qualitative research models available, the principles of good scholarly writing, how to work with committees, how to meet IRB and ethical standards, and how to overcome task and emotional blocks. With plenty of current examples, the new edition features an expanded discussion of online research, data collection and analysis, and the use of data archives, as well as expanded coverage of qualitative methods and added information on mixed methods.
The Literature Review by Diana Ridley
Publication Date: SAGE, 2012
This second edition of Diana Ridley's bestselling book provides a step-by-step guide to conducting a literature search and literature review, using cases and examples throughout to demonstrate best practice. Ridley outlines practical strategies for conducting a systematic search of the available literature, reading and note taking and writing up your literature review as part of an undergraduate research project, Masters dissertation or PhD thesis.
Writing for Academic Success by Megan Poore; Gail Craswell
Publication Date: SAGE, 2012
Writing for Academic Success is a vital practical guide for any ambitious student. If you seek to manage your writing effectively, reduce stress, and improve your confidence and efficiency, this book is for you. The authors show you how to acquire communicative rigor in research essays, reports, book and article reviews, exam papers, research proposals, and literature reviews, through to thesis writing, posters and papers for presentation and publication.

Conducting Educational Research by Bruce W. Tuckman; Brian E. Harper
Publication Date: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012
Conducting Educational Research, Sixth Edition thoroughly addresses the major components of research design and methodology. The text is especially useful for inexperienced student-researchers and doctoral students in the early stages of preparing a dissertation. The early chapters of the text clearly describe the process of selecting a problem, reviewing the literature, constructing a hypothesis, identifying and labeling variables, and constructing operational definitions. The later chapters assist students in refining methodological procedures, analyzing data, and writing the final research report.
The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg; Marian Petre
Publication Date: McGraw-Hill, 2010
This book on the process of PhD research provides readers with engaging discussion and comprehensive guidance on aspects that other books don't usually mention. Covering all the key topics of the previous edition, including what a PhD is really about, how to do one well, how to decipher what your supervisor actually means by terms like 'good referencing' and 'clean research question', and how to design, report and defend your research,the authors continue to offer an accessible, down-to-earth, and insightful account of the whole PhD process.
The Student's Survival Guide to Research by Monty L. McAdoo
Publication Date: Neal-Schuman, 2015
Jumping head first into a research project is a surefire recipe for stress and confusion. But if you're a newbie, how do you know where to begin, let alone where to go from there? Library instruction expert McAdoo has penned a primer specifically tailored to novice researchers, offering beginning-to-end guidance for every step of the research process, from planning and preparing to conducting and writing
The Oxford Guide to Library Research by Thomas Mann
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Publication Date: Oxford University Press, 2015
This book shows researchers how to do comprehensive research on any topic. It explains the variety of search mechanisms available, so that the researcher can have the reasonable confidence that s/he has not overlooked something important. This includes not just lists of resources, but discussions of the ways to search within them: how to find the best search terms, how to combine the terms, and how to make the databases (and other sources) show relevant material even when you don't know how to specify the best search terms in advance. The book's overall structuring by nine methods of searching that are applicable in any subject area, rather than by subjects or by types of literature, is unique among guides to research.

Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new window
Books, charts, datasets, videos and reference content including the Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences series (Little Green Books), the Qualitative Research Methods series (Little Blue Books), and case studies. Helps you create research projects, understand the methods behind them, and create and share lists.

APA style guide to electronic references
Publisher: American Psychological Association, 2012
Adapted from the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, this comprehensive guide offers up-to-date information on formatting electronic references in APA Style. ERNIE login required.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association Staff
Publisher: American Psychological Association, 2010
In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables and figures.

MLA Handbook by The Modern Language Association of America
Publisher: The Modern Language Association of America, 2016
Shorter and redesigned for easy use, the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research. It then shows them how to cite sources in their writing and create useful entries for the works-cited list. More than just a new edition, this is a new MLA style.

Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review
Reviewing the literature requires the ability to juggle multiple tasks, from finding and evaluating relevant material to synthesizing information from various sources, from critical thinking to paraphrasing, evaluating, and citation skills . In this contribution, I share ten simple rules I learned working on about 25 literature reviews as a PhD and postdoctoral student. Ideas and insights also come from discussions with coauthors and colleagues, as well as feedback from reviewers and editors.
The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
This handout will explain what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It from the University of Toronto
Provides writing advice for planning, researching, and writing a literature review.

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