The Literature Review
Six Steps to Success
- Lawrence A. Machi - University of La Verne, USA
- Brenda T. McEvoy - Independent Writer/ Researcher
From daunting to doable in six steps
Graduate students who turn in exceptional literature reviews are recognized as excellent critical thinkers, as well as masters of academic argumentation, research writing and writing academic papers. But literature searches and composing the review itself can be intimidating and frustrating.
The six-step process pioneered by this book has made the task flowing and seamless for masters and doctoral candidates in Education and related fields. This updated third edition features a wealth of all-new content including:
- A flowchart that graphically illustrates Machi and McEvoy’s process.
- Reflective Oversight boxes in each chapter that prompt readers to direct metacognitive activities.
- Links to online guides and resources.
- Expanded examples illustrating theoretical concepts.
When you apply this system to your next literature review the work will be intuitive and enjoyable for you, and the results will impress your teachers and fellow researchers.
Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides offer complete flexibility for creating a multimedia presentation for the course:
Slides - Introduction to The Lit Rev
Slides - Step 1 - Select a Topic
Slides - Step 2 - Develop Tools of Argumentation
Slides - Step 3 - Search the Literature
Slides - Step 4 - Survey the Literature
Slides - Step 5 - Critique the Literature
Slides - Step 6 - Write the Thesis
"The Literature Review clearly walks educators through the steps to completing a literature review with helpful checklists and graphic representations of the process. It makes a very daunting task much more manageable and systematic."
Andrea M. Capizzi
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
"This text is the best guide yet for our dissertation students. The format provides the learner with the framework to think about each step of the literature review process. This thorough and practical guide will provide candidates with the scholarly application that they require to think about their research."
Barbara J. Poling, Interim Dean
College of Education and Organizational Leadership, University of La Verne
"The Literature Review clearly walks educators through the steps to completing a literature review with helpful checklists and graphic representations of the process. It makes a very daunting task much more manageable and systematic for those who are new to writing literature reviews or who are having trouble getting started and maintaining momentum."
"The authors have provided a primer for planning, creating, developing, and researching literature reviews for new and experienced social scientists."
"The third edition of this text is the best guide yet for our dissertation students. The format provides the learner with the framework to think about each step of the literature review process. Candidates will find the graphs and charts most helpful as they conceptualize the process they will be using to think about their topic. This edition uses adult learning theory to keep the candidate focused on the best use of their time while organizing their review. This thorough and practical guide will provide candidates with the scholarly application that they require to think about their research."
Content is not appropriate for intended student population
Very useful for students carrying out research
Great source outlining the literature review step-by-step. I also recommend this book for doctoral candidates working on their study conceptualization.
I was looking for a tool to help my students develop stronger literature reviews. The chapters on how to construct a strong argument were especially helpful.
I'll be using this text for the Summer term. It is perfect for doing research for position papers.It addresses the heart of the matter,i.e. the lit review, better than any text that I'm aware of. Most research texts are too spread out, too general. I'll let you know how the students respond to the Machi, McEvoy text.
Walter Charley, PhD