Writing the Literature Review, Second Edition

Taking the stress out of a challenging process, the first book to focus on crafting different types of literature reviews (systematic, traditional–narrative, and hermeneutic–phenomenological) is now in a revised and updated second edition. Sara Efrat Efron and Ruth Ravid explain the integral role of the literature review in a thesis, dissertation, term paper, or grant proposal, and guide writers to develop reviews that reflect their research questions, methodological choices (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), and approaches to knowledge. The text provides a roadmap for each step of searching for, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing prior studies. It features examples of student work; excerpts from peer-reviewed articles; software suggestions for locating, organizing, and arranging sources; templates, checklists, vignettes, and group activities; and writing and organizational tips.

New to This Edition

• Chapter-opening vignettes that draw readers in to each chapter's content.
• New section on using AI in literature searches and expanded guidance for using electronic sources, such as EBSCO and Google Scholar.
• New or expanded discussions of constant comparative analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, finding and using grey literature, differences between literature reviews for class papers and research papers versus dissertations, the literature review across different dissertation formats, and more.
• New and updated literature examples throughout the book.
• Updated guidance for reference lists and in-text citations.

Pedagogical Features

• Chapter-opening vignettes that serve as advance organizers for each chapter.
• Checklists and To Do activities that break down key steps to take.
• Boxed examples, graphics that organize and visually illustrate key concepts, summary tables comparing techniques, and software suggestions.
• Group activities to further explore and apply the methods discussed in each chapter.
• Detailed directions for using four different organizing strategies: synthesis matrix, summary table, mapping, and topic outline.
• End-of-chapter summaries and What's Next sections.
• Assessment matrices for evaluating and refining the completed review.

The first edition won the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Nursing Research Category (First Place).

Sara Efrat Efron, EdD, is Professor Emerita of Education at National Louis University. Her areas of interest include teacher research, mentoring, and moral and democratic education in times of crisis. Dr. Efron is coauthor with Ruth Ravid of Action Research in Education, Second Edition, and Writing the Literature Review, Second Edition. She has published numerous book chapters and journal articles and presents widely at national and international conferences. She has also written several foreign-language instruction books for middle and high school students.

Ruth Ravid, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Education at National Louis University. Her areas of interest include educational research, action research, assessment, and school–university collaboration. Dr. Ravid has authored or edited eight books, including Writing the Literature Review, Second Edition, and Action Research in Education, Second Edition, both coauthored with Sara Efrat Efron. She has also written numerous journal articles and book chapters.