PEER Module 5:
Conducting Literature
Reviews
Cyleste Collins, Ph.D., MSW, MA
The Circle of Inquiry
1. Identify
Knowledge Gap
2. Search for
Existing
Information
Disseminate & Implement
3. Focus the
Study Question
Analyze &
Interpret Results
Collect
Data
Design the
Study
Adapted from: Nutting, PA, Stange, KC. Practice-based research: The opportunity to create a learning discipline. In: The
Textbook of Family Practice, 6th Edition. Rakel RE (ed.), W. B. Saunders Company, 2001.
Forming your Questions
What do you want to know?
Reflect on:
“Practice” experiences in your work
Reading (searching the literature)
Working with a team to develop (PEER!)
Treating it as an iterative process
Searching the Literature
Learning about what’s been done
Where to Look--(A few) sources to explore
PubMed
Google Scholar
Social science literature databases
Ask colleagues & experts
Popular media
What are you looking for?
Questions to ask:
What has been done?
Why was it done?
How was it done?
What has been found?
How does it fit with what you’re doing/you’re interests?
Searching
Be as specific as you can to find out exactly what’s been done in
the area
If/when you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, “zoom
out”
Benefits of different search tools
Academic journals will point you toward peer-reviewed work
Google Scholar, browsers can help identify other sources that
could be useful
What did they do, and why?
What did they do?
Identify the research questions
Why did they do it? What
knowledge gap were they trying to
fill?
How did they do it? (Methods)
Quantitative Instruments
Items & scales
Validity, reliability, relevance
Existing scales or develop your own
Qualitative Research
Surveys and/or interviews
Direct observation
Case studies
What did they find?
Summarizing Results
Making sense of the results
Framing the implications of the
results
Critically Analyzing Articles
Use your experience in practice, your knowledge of research
and your instinct
Do the findings “ring true” for you? Why or why not?
Do the findings apply to your population?
Could repeat the study yourself? Why or why not?
What’s great about the study? What’s missing?
Try not to be intimidated when you don’t understand
everything in every article. You don’t have to!
Keep focused on the big picture: YOUR study!
Weeding out and Dealing with
Article Overwhelm
1. Stay focused. Keep asking yourself: “How much does this apply
to my project?
2. Create a “parking lot,” “bins,” or files for articles that are
interesting and relevant to your overall topic or subject area but
not DIRECTLY relevant to the exact project you want to do.
3. Consider creating summaries/notes on each article. Note
cards/file programs (e.g. Refworks) to store articles, keep articles.
4. Always think about what can realistically be done within your
time frame, in your organization, with the resources you have.
5. Talk to your supports—PEER staff, faculty partner,
organizational mentor to help you focus and stay focused.
(Some of) what to look
for/assessing evidence
Systematic reviews & meta-analyses
Inclusion of comparison groups and control groups
Populations that are similar/comparable to yours
“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't
understand it yourself.”
- Albert Einstein
Focusing and Revisiting the Topic
Be clear about how topic addresses something new and/or
fills gaps in existing knowledge
Understand how your topic fits in to the larger picture (or
doesn’t)
Common holes to fill:
Client perspective
Agency/provider perspective
Boundary regions between disciplines
Refining and Revisiting your Topic
Try to become comfortable feeling a bit “groundless” as the
ground will continue to shift as you refine your topic
What you learn might make you question your topic (again and
again), and that’s okay!
Keep in mind that research and evaluation are primarily about
learning, not getting it all perfect or “right”
An Example
Research Question: To what extent are “Housing First”
programs for chronically homeless families whose head of
household also has substance abuse and/or mental health
issues effective in increasing housing stability?
Google Scholar search: Results initially for single adults. Down
the list, see reference to an organization’s report on Housing
First for families. Conducted new search on report title…
Questions &/or Comments!?