Research- Chapter 7
What is the first step in writing a review of literature? A) Determine the question to be addressed B) Select the bibliographic database to use C) Specify the medical subject headings to use D) Conduct an Internet search engine search
Ans: A Conducting a literature review is a little bit like doing a full-fledged study: a reviewer must start with a question, such as an EBP question (Chapter 2) or a question for a new study (Chapter 6). The reviewer then must gather, analyze, and interpret the information, and summarize the ìfindingsî in a written product. Selecting a bibliographic database and specifying the medical subject headings to use are later steps in the process. Using common Internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo is not recommended for nursing research, as they tend to provide far too many irrelevant hits.
What is the primary question that should be addressed when evaluating published research reports in a literature review? A) To what extent do the findings reflect the truth (the true state of affairs)? B) Have the authors conducted an adequate literature review in their research report? C) Did the authors cite appropriately from the previously published literature related to the problem under study? D) Was the research question appropriate considering the available evidence at the time of the study?
Ans: A In literature reviews, methodological features of the studies under review need to be assessed with an eye to answering a broad question: To what extent do the findings reflect the truth (the true state of affairs) or, conversely, to what extent do flaws undermine the believability of the evidence? The ìtruthî is most likely to be discovered when researchers use powerful designs, good sampling plans, high-quality data collection procedures, and appropriate analyses.
What is the primary purpose of the review of literature in a research report? A) Reporting on the state of the current evidence about the problem under study B) Demonstrating the research capabilities of the authors C) Focusing on the gaps in research related to the problem under study D) Making recommendations about future study designs
Ans: A A literature review is a written summary of the state of evidence on a research problem. The primary purpose of literature reviews is to integrate research evidence to sum up what is known and what is not known. Literature reviews are sometimes stand-alone documents intended to share the state of evidence with interested readers, but reviews are also used to lay the foundation for new studies.
Which electronic database would you first use to access nursing and allied health literature? A) CINAHL B) MeSH C) Google D) MEDLINE
Ans: A CINAHL is the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature and provides references for nursing and allied health journals, books, book chapters, and dissertations. The MEDLINEÆ database, developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, is the premier source for bibliographic coverage of the biomedical literature. MEDLINEÆ uses a controlled vocabulary called MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) to index articles. MeSH terminology provides a consistent way to retrieve information that may use different terminology for the same concepts. Google is a general Internet search engine that would not be useful for accessing nursing and allied health literature.
Which verbiage is most likely found in a well-written research review? A) "The hypothesis in this study was supported by the research findings." B) "Results from this study proved that nursing actions were instrumental to improved patient outcomes." C) "All of these studies verify that levels of understanding cannot be changed easily." D) "It is clear that the presence of nurses improves the health status of patients in the clinical setting."
Ans: A Hypotheses cannot be proved or disproved, rather they are supported by the published reports.
The electronic database that focuses on the nursing and allied health literature is: A) CINAHL B) EMBASE C) Web of Knowledge D) MEDLINE
Ans: A Key resources for a research literature search are the bibliographic databases that can be searched electronically. For nurses, the CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) and MEDLINEÆ (Medical Literature On-Line) databases are especially useful. Other useful bibliographic databases for nurses include the Web of Knowledge, and EMBASE (the Excerpta Medica database). The Web of Knowledge database is useful for a descendancy search strategy because of its strong citation indexes. Of these, only CINAHL is focused on nursing and allied health literature.
What is the primary purpose in documenting the literature retrieval process? A) Ensuring approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) B) Preventing duplication of located references C) Providing a history of useful search words D) Simplifying preparation of the reference list
Ans: B Documentation will help you to conduct a more efficient search by preventing unintended duplication, and will also help you to assess what else needs to be tried. Although documentation does provide a history of useful search words and may simplify preparation of the reference list, neither of these is the primary purpose. Documentation does not ensure approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
What mechanism does the MEDLINE database use to provide consistency in information retrieval? A) Textwords B) MeSH terminology C) Boolean operators D) Scopus reviews
Ans: B MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terminology is a controlled vocabulary used in MEDLINE that provides a consistent way to retrieve information that may use different terminology for the same concepts.. A textword search looks for your keyword in the text fields of the records, i.e., in the title and the abstract. Boolean operators (such as ìandî and ìorî) can be used to expand or restrict a search. For example, if you wanted citations on lung cancer and smoking, you could enter the following: lung cancer AND smoking. The Boolean operator AND would restrict the search to citations with both lung cancer and smoking as textwords or subject headings. The Boolean operator ìORî expands a searchóif you entered lung cancer OR smoking, you would retrieve all references with either term. Scopus is a bibliographic database useful for nurses.
At what point in the research process do grounded theory qualitative researchers conduct a literature review? A) Prior to data collection B) After beginning to collect data C) At the conclusion of the study D) Prior to sample selection
Ans: B Grounded theory researchers typically begin to collect data before examining the literature. As the grounded theory takes shape, researchers then turn to the literature, seeking to relate prior findings to the theory.
Which of the following statements is true? A) The MEDLINE database can only be accessed through subscriptions with a commercial vendor B) PubMed provides access to MEDLINE free of charge C) PubMed does not allow users to find ìrelated citationsî for a previously identified record in MEDLINE D) A search in MEDLINE and CINAHL for a given keyword would yield identical results
Ans: B MEDLINEÆ covers about 5000 medical, nursing, and health journals and has more than 21 million records. MEDLINEÆ can be accessed for free on the Internet at the PubMed website. In a search conducted by the authors, the list of records in the two PubMed and CINAHL searches overlapped considerably, but new references were found in each search. After you have found a study that is a good exemplar of what you are looking for, you usually can search for similar studies in the database. In PubMed, for example, after identifying a key study, you could click on ìRelated Citationsî on the right of the screen to locate similar studies.
In an electronic literature search, the searcher does not necessarily have to know the database's subject headings for retrieving information on a topic because of the capability known as which of the following? A) Searching B) Mapping C) Restricting focus D) Copying
Ans: B Mapping is a feature that allows you to search for topics using your own keywords, rather than the exact subject heading used in the database. In searching a bibliographic database, users can do a keyword search that looks for terms in text fields of a database record (or that maps keywords onto the database's subject codes), or can search according to the subject heading codes themselves. Restricting focus and copying do not pertain to the database's subject headings for retrieving information on a topic.
In the following CINAHL citation, to what does the ì6î refer? Nursing Research 2012 Nov/Dec; 61(6): 405-411. A) Journal volume B) Journal issue in a given year C) Month of issue D) A page number
Ans: B Name of the journal (Nursing Research 2012) Year and month of publication (2012 Nov/Dec) Volume (61) Issue (6) Page numbers (405-411)
What term is used to describe accounts of research in the literature prepared by someone other than the researchers who conducted the study? A) Primary sources B) Secondary sources C) Ghost writer studies D) Literature reviews
Ans: B Secondary sources are written reports on studies prepared by someone other than the researcher who conducted the study. Primary sources, on the other hand, are descriptions of studies written by the researchers who conducted them. A literature review is a type of secondary source that consists of a written summary of the state of evidence on a research problem. "Ghost writer" is not a type of research study.
Which of the following would be a primary source for a research literature review? A) A meta-analysis appearing in the Cochrane Reviews B) A metasynthesis published in the journal Qualitative Health Research C) An experimental study published in the journal Research in Nursing & Health D) A systematic review published in the journal Nursing Research
Ans: C A primary source is the original description of a study prepared by the researcher who conducted it; a secondary source is a description of a study by another person. A meta-analysis appearing in the Cochrane Reviews, a metasynthesis published in the journal Qualitative Health Research, and a systematic review published in the journal Nursing Research are examples of secondary sources. Literature reviews should be based on primary source material.
Which statement accurately reflects a characteristic of a well-written literature review? A) Only a few key reports by the same author should be included if that author has published extensively on the topic under study. B) The review should primarily contain reports supportive of your general hypothesis about the problem under study. C) The review should include reports that both support and contradict your own ideas. D) The review should clearly identify points that have been proven by previous research.
Ans: C A well-written literature review includes a comprehensive and objective summary of the published literature related to the problem under study. That means inclusion of reports that both support and refute your hypothesis. The other answers do not necessarily characterize a well-written literature review.
When doing a computerized search for quantitative studies on a topic, which of the following statements is most accurate? A) The best place to begin is to use a search engine such as Yahoo or Google B) The primary keyword to use in the search typically would be the population C) The keywords to start the search typically would be the independent and dependent variables D) The specific subject headings used in each bibliographic database would have to be learned
Ans: C For quantitative studies, the keywords are usually the independent or dependent variables (i.e., at a minimum, the ìIî and ìOî of the PICO components), and perhaps the population. For qualitative studies, the keywords are the central phenomenon and the population. Google and Yahoo are not the best search engines to use when looking for nursing research; the more specialized bibliographic databases, such as CINAHL and MEDLINE, are preferable. One does not need to learn the specific subject headings used in each bibliographic database to conduct a search.
Which search strategy selects an important early study and locates subsequent citations in the literature? A) Ancestry approach B) Database search C) Descendancy approach D) Footnote chasing
Ans: C The descendancy approach identifies an early key study and uses citation indexes to locate later studies that cite the original study. Another approach is to search for evidence in bibliographic databases. Yet another strategy is the ancestry approach ("footnote chasing"), in which citations from relevant studies are used to track down earlier research on which the studies are based (the "ancestors").
What term is given to unique symbols that expand search results and allow for a simultaneous search of numerous words of the same root within an electronic database? A) Textword search B) Keywords C) Wildcard characters D) Expanders
Ans: C Wildcard characters such as * or $ are used in electronic databases to search for related words. An example would be that ìnurs*î typed in a database may yield results that include nurse, nurses, and nursing. A keyword is a word or phrase that captures the key concepts in your question. A textword search looks for your keyword in the text fields of the records, i.e., in the title and the abstract. "Expanders" is not a term related to electronic database searches.
In conducting a subject search in an electronic database, you would most likely initiate the search by typing in which of the following? A) An author's name B) Restrictions to the search C) A topic or keyword D) An ancestor or descendant
Ans: C You conduct a subject search by entering a subject heading, such as a topic or keyword into the search field. The subject names have hyperlinks so that we could expand the search by clicking on them or could also click on the author's name or on the journal. Restrictions to the search will place limitations on the subject search in an electronic database, but are not typed in to initiate the search. The ancestry approach (ìfootnote chasingî), in which citations from relevant studies are used to track down earlier research on which the studies are based (the ìancestorsî) and the descendancy approach, finding later studies that proceeded from an early study, are other approaches to research, different from the subject search
Identifying patterns, regularities, and irregularities in the published literature about the problem under study when constructing a literature review is a process called which of the following? A) Structuring B) Sorting C) Content organizing D) Thematic analysis
Ans: D Once relevant studies have been retrieved, abstracted, and critiqued, the information has to be analyzed and synthesized. A thematic analysis essentially involves detecting patterns and regularitiesóas well as inconsistencies. Sorting, content organizing, and structuring are later steps undertaken when preparing a written literature review.
Which of the following is an appropriately worded sentence for a research review? A) Five recent studies have proved that men are less well able to cope with the loss of a spouse than women. B) The HIV-epidemic has been the cause of considerable anxiety in the gay community. C) Nurses and physicians struggle with the decision about whether to work in environments where abortion services are offered. D) Research has consistently found that infant's sleeping position is related to the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Ans: D A written research review should provide readers with an objective, well-organized synthesis of current evidence on a topic. The review should be as unbiased as possible. The sentence, "The HIV-epidemic has been the cause of considerable anxiety in the gay community," presents subjective data, as does the sentence, "Nurses and physicians struggle with the decision about whether to work in environments where abortion services are offered." A literature review should be neither a series of quotes nor a series of abstracts such as, "Five recent studies have proved that men are less well able to cope with the loss of a spouse than women." The central tasks are to summarize and critically evaluate the evidence to reveal the current state of knowledge on a topic-not simply to describe what researchers have done.
You have identified 66 potential references through electronic database searches for your review of literature. Which action in the screening process would be the most appropriate next step in identifying the most useful articles? A) Comparing databases for duplicate-referenced reports B) Evaluating the heading terms C) Reading each article in detail D) Reviewing the abstracts
Ans: D Although reading each article in detail would allow you to evaluate each reference in terms of relevance, reviewing the abstracts would be most time efficient. Evaluating the heading terms in the articles would not be helpful in identifying the most useful articles, because they would not tell you enough information about the article. Comparing databases for duplicate-references reports would also not be useful for this purpose.
Which of the following statements is true? A) The CINAHL database includes only journals B) The CINAHL database includes about 15 million records C) The CINAHL database uses the controlled vocabulary called MeSH to index entries D) Subject headings in CINAHL include substantive and methodologic topics
Ans: D CINAHL is an important electronic database for nurses. It covers references to hundreds of nursing and allied health journals, as well as to books, book chapters, and dissertations. CINAHL contains more than 1 million records, but not 15 million. Note that its subject headings include substantive headings, such as Music Therapy in Old Age, as well as methodologic (e.g., Quasi-Experimental Studies) and sample characteristic headings (e.g., Male; Female). It is MEDLINE, not CINAHL, that uses the controlled vocabulary called MeSH to index entries.
Which of the following is an important characteristic of a high-quality literature review? A) Restricted to articles written in nursing journals B) Restricted to recent studies C) Full of opinions D) Reproducible, with justifiable decision rules
Ans: D Conducting a literature review is an art and a science. A high-quality review should be unbiased, thorough, and up-to-date. Also, a high-quality review is systematic. Decision rules for including or excluding a study should be explicit because a good review should be reproducible. This means that another diligent reviewer would be able to apply the same decision rules and come to similar conclusions about the state of evidence on the topic.
What is the most important type of information that should be included in a literature review? A) Clinical anecdotes B) Opinion articles C) Case reports from applicable clinical settings D) Findings from prior studies
Ans: D Findings from prior studies are the most important type of information for a research review.
