PSY 302 Reviewing the Literature Module 4
The discussion contains
Summary of Results,Contributions, Applications/Implications,Limitations, Future Directions
What is a good quick way to determine the nature of a journal article? a. Ask your professor. b. Do an internet search. c. Read the abstract. d. Read the article.
c
Nonscholarly Sources
magazine and news articles, web pages, blog posts, interviews, and books written for a general audience (i.e., readers who are not scholars on that topic).
Types of review articles include:
narrative review, meta-analysis, and theoretical article
The ------ ------- provides the information needed to locate the original sources, which typically includes the author names, year of publication, article title, journal name, journal volume, and page numbers.
reference list
The best way to read the Results section is to
remind yourself of the hypothesis(es) or research question(s).
The ------ ------ presents the findings from the study.
results section
When citing a ______________, you should focus on the authors' main points and conclusions, but you should not cite any of the primary articles that the authors cited unless you have read the corresponding research articles yourself.
review article
a scholarly source is a combination of 3 factors
the authors, the review process, and the scientific evidence.
Scholarly source
A source (article, chapter, book) that was written by an expert or scholar, has been reviewed by other experts on the topic, and includes scientific evidence.
There are several types of academic journal articles. You can determine the type of journal article by reading the _____________ (a brief summary that typically appears at the beginning of the article).
Abstract
Theoretical article
An article that describes a theory or model, the accumulation of evidence that supports that theory or model, and any part of the theory or model for which there is insufficient evidence.
Research or empirical article
An article that describes the method and results of a study.
Narrative review article
An article that provides a critical synthesis of published empirical articles.
Contributions
Authors discuss the ways in which the study contributes to the existing literature on the topic.
Future Directions
Authors often describe future studies that will be conducted as next steps in the research program. In many cases, a list of future directions may address the limitations listed in earlier.
Applications/Implications
Authors often indicate how the results can be used in the real world (applications), and what the results might mean for a real-world situation or for future research (implications).
Summary of Results
Authors provide a brief summary of the results of the study and a clear statement about whether the results did or did not support the hypothesis.
Introduction
First part of a research article that explains the rationale for the study and includes the study hypothesis or research question.
Implications
Part of the research conclusions that describe how the study results are relevant. Found in the Discussion section.
The method includes
Participants, manipulated (or independent) variables, measured variables, procedures.
article analysis
Rather, an analysis should focus on the: nature and quality of the research question being addressed in the article, hypothesis, methods the authors used to conduct the study (the participants, manipulated and measured variables, procedures), ways in which the authors analyzed the data, authors' interpretation of the results, and significance and application of the data.
________________, also referred to as ______________, describe in detail the methodology used to conduct a specific study and the corresponding results.
Research articles, empirical articles
Scholar
Someone with an advanced degree who has rigorous training in research methodology and a particular specialty area.
scholar
Someone with an advanced degree who has rigorous training in research methodology and a particular specialty area.
Primary source
The original (first) source of information regarding a specific study, written by the same researchers who conducted the study.
A scholarly book a. Is revised according to internal reviewers' and sometimes external reviewers' feedback. b. must be approved be a peer-review team before publication. c. is not reviewed before publication. d. uses the same peer-review process as a journal article.
a
In which section of a journal article will the authors describe the number of participants in a study and how they were recruited? a. Method b. Abstract c. Introduction d. Discussion
a
Scientific evidence includes a. results of a scientific study. b. anecdotal evidence observed by a scientist. c. an article in a popular science magazine. d. opinions offered by a scholar.
a
How might you apply the findings of your literature review to your own study? Select all that apply. a. You could identify methods or tools that might be useful in your study. b. You could develop a hypothesis that is in opposition to the findings of other research studies in the hopes of discovering something more exciting. c. You could refine your research question to address a gap in the literature. d. You could develop a hypothesis that is consistent with the findings of other research studies.
a, c, d
The ------- provides a brief summary of the article.
abstract
Citations
appear in the body of a paper and point the reader to the references. For that reason, they are called in-text citations.
In which section of a journal article is the sentence "There are several limitations to this study..." likely to appear? a. Abstract b. Discussion c. Method d. introduction
b
Citations
Appear in the body of a paper and point the reader to the references (also known as in-text citations).
Limitations
Authors describe the possible limitations in interpreting and generalizing the results of the study. The limitations might include concerns over whether differences detected between groups of participants are due to the manipulation, or the limitations might include concerns over whether the study sample reflects the population of interest.
References
Listed at the end of a scholarly work and allow you to locate the original source. Typically include the author names, year of publication, article title, journal name, journal volume, and page numbers. They follow a who-when-what-where format. For example: Ayubi, E. (2019, October 1). Hear, hear! It's finally here! APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/new-edition-here
research
Research refers to the process of designing a study, collecting data, and analyzing the results of that study.
______________ critically synthesize the results of multiple published empirical articles on a given topic and provide a comprehensive reference list of related sources.
Review articles
Method section
Section of a research article that explains how the authors conducted the study; this typically includes a description of the participants, the manipulated variable(s), the measured variable(s), and the procedures for the study.
Result section
Section of a research article that presents the findings from study.
Discussion section
Section of a research article that puts the study in context of what is already known from previous research and typically includes limitations, contributions, and implications.
Abstract
Short summary of a research study typically found at the beginning of a journal article.
The -------- explains the rationale for the study and includes the study hypothesis or research question.
introduction
What are 3 common themes that will help link distinct scholarly sources into a more unified field of inquiry?
journals/books, terminology or conceptual definitions, and author's names
The ------ -------- describes how the authors conducted the study. This section will include a description of the participants, the manipulated variables, the measured variables, and the procedures for the study.
method section
Nonscholarly articles have:
nonscholar authors, lack of expert review, little or no scientific evidence
Scholarly sources of information are authored by
scholars, individuals with an advanced degree who have rigorous training in research methodology and a particular specialty area.
Review articles are considered ______________________ because they do not include new research evidence, but rather discuss evidence that has already been published elsewhere.
secondary sources
meta-analysis
summarizes a body of research on a topic by mathematically combining the results of previously published studies. Like narrative reviews, meta-analyses provide an organized summary of published research findings. Provides statistical results.
The introduction should contain
the study hypothesis or research questions and the article's purpose
peer-reviewed journals
use external experts (i.e., experts who were not involved in the writing of the particular article) to review and approve an article before it is published
What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source? a. A primary source is less scientifically rigorous than a secondary source. b. A primary source is always cited in other sources, whereas a secondary source is never cited in other sources. c. A primary source is the first source you read, whereas a secondary source is the second source you read. d. A primary source is the original source of information regarding a specific study, whereas a secondary source discusses information originally presented elsewhere.
d
Which of the following is not considered a review article? a. A meta-analysis b. A theoretical article c. A narrative review d. An empirical article
d
theoretical article
describes a theory or model, the accumulation of evidence that supports that theory or model, and parts of the theory or model for which there is insufficient evidence.
Narrative Review
describes the research that has been published on a topic, the strengths and weaknesses of the research conducted thus far, and future directions for research on that topic.
The ------ -------puts the study in the context of what is already known from previous research, explains the study's contributions to the field and its implications, and points out its limitations as well as possible directions for future research.
discussion section
Scholarly books
do not follow the same strict procedures as peer-reviewed journals in that books do not typically require approval from external experts before they are published. Nonetheless, scholarly books undergo a review process in which external experts read an initial draft of the book and give recommendations for strengthening it.
In psychological science, _______________ are considered primary sources because they are the original (first) source of information regarding a specific study, written by the same researchers who conducted the study.
empirical articles
The purpose of the article
some authors explicitly state the purpose of their research in the introduction. When an explicit statement of the purpose isn't provided, you can infer the purpose from what the author includes in the introduction. When extracting the purpose from an article, you should write it in your own words. If you understand the purpose, you should be able to say "The purpose of this article is to..." without directly quoting from the introduction.
Secondary source
Discusses evidence that has already been published elsewhere and does not include new research evidence.
Types of Journal Articles
Empirical articles, research articles, review articles,
literature review
Whether you are writing a research paper, designing a research study, or making an evidence-based decision at work, you need to locate, read, and critically synthesize what other researchers have already explored and learned about the topic. In scientific research, this process is known as the
Which of the following sentences would you expect to find in the Introduction section of an article? Select all that apply. a. We were interested in the relationship between sleep quality and attention. b. A limitation of this study was the sample only included adults aged 20-22. c. We collected data from 55 college students. d. Previous research has shown a link between daily exercise and sleep quality.
a, d
reports published by agencies:
are published in a document by the agency that conducted the research rather than in a journal; are not peer reviewed (i.e., do not undergo review by scholars outside of the agency); typically do not list individuals as authors (the agency itself is usually the author); and are usually made freely available to the public for download directly from the agency.
An article that summarizes research in a topic area, including strengths, weaknesses, and future directions, but does not include a statistical analysis of past research would be considered a a. Meta-analysis. b. Narrative review. c. Theoretical article. d. Research article.
b
Which of the following is not a factor when determining whether a source is scholarly? a. The credentials of the authors b. The page length of the source c. The presence of citations d. The publication review process
b
1. Which of the following sources describes an original study in depth? a. A meta-analysis b. A narrative review c. A research article d. A theoretical article
c
An example of a scholar is a(n) a. journalist who has researched a topic extensively. b. undergraduate student who is conducting a research project. c. professor who conducts scientific research. d. motivated individual who searches the internet on a specific topic.
c
Peer-reviewed journal articles are reviewed by a. the author's friends. b. scholars who helped to write the article. c. scholars who did not help to write the article. d. the public.
c
Which of the following is an important criterion for analyzing an empirical article? a. Whether the findings "ring true" based on your personal experience b. Readability c. The analysis of data d. The presence of visual aids
c
Within the Discussion section of an article, you will typically find (select all that apply) a. a summary of relevant past research studies. b. a list of keywords. c. the unique contribution this study makes to the literature. d. what the study's results mean for future research.
c, d
Article analysis
An examination of an article that focuses on the quality of the research question being addressed, the hypothesis, the method, forms of data analysis, and the authors' interpretation of the results.
Here are five common methods for finding scholarly sources:
1. Nonscholarly sources such as magazines, news feeds, blog posts, and popular books can give you an accessible overview of a topic and introduce you to key terminology and concepts that will inform the rest of your search. 2. You can check the reference list within a scholarly article or chapter that you have read so you can see what sources are cited by that author. Some nonscholarly publications also cite sources that may be scholarly. 3. You can read a scholarly article's Introduction, which typically contains descriptions for each cited source that is used as background information. 4. You can use a scholarly database to see what other sources have cited this work. Scholarly databases will allow you to search for who has cited an article. By checking to see who else has cited the source you have, you can find more recent, and potentially more relevant, information on your topic. 5. If you know the names of journals that publish on the topic in which you are interested, you can search for keywords within those journals (i.e., narrow your database search to those particular journals).
The most effective way to make that judgment is to read through the abstract of each article and then ask yourself three questions:
1.Does the article describe a study that investigates the same or similar research question that you wish to address in your study? 2.Does the article investigate factors you haven't considered that may be relevant to your study, especially in developing a better-informed hypothesis? 3.Does the article describe methods and procedures that will be helpful to you in investigating your research question?
Academic journal
A journal that publishes articles that have been reviewed and accepted by experts on the article topic.
Meta-analysis
A quantitative synthesis of a body of research on a topic that combines the results of previously published studies.
Academic Journal
An ________ ________ is a collection of articles written by scholars. For example, American Psychologist and the Journal of Applied Psychology are well-known scholarly psychology journals.