Literature Review - A Self-Guided Tutorial: 5. Analyze

Ask yourself questions like these about each book or article you include:

1. What are the author's credentials?
2. What is the research question?
3. Are the author's arguments supported by evidence?
4. What is the primary methodology used?
5. How was the data gathered?
6. How is the data presented?
7. Is the author's perspective even-handed or biased?
8. What are the main conclusions?
9. Are these conclusions reasonable?
10. What theories are used to support the researcher's conclusions?
11. Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

This sample template (below) may also be useful for critically reading and organizing your articles.

More resources to help evaluate:

Take notes on the articles as you read them and identify any themes or concepts that may apply to your research question.

Opening an article in PDF format in Acrobat Reader will allow you to use "sticky notes" and "highlighting" to make notes on the article without printing it out. Make sure to save the edited file so you don't lose your notes!

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