LITERATURE REVIEW SYNTHESIS CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
When completing a Literature Review, you synthesize and integrate resources. For this Discussion, you will reflect on some of the challenges and strategies that you used as you began to synthesize and integrate the resources for your literature review.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To prepare:
- Review the steps you used to begin the literature review. Literature Review Essentials: Identify Themes (waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com)
- Consider the difficulties you faced in starting the literature review process.
- Think about the strategies that you used to deal with these challenges.
BY DAY 4
Post an explanation of the challenges you encountered as you began to synthesize and integrate the resources for your literature review. Describe how you addressed these challenges and offer at least one strategy to your colleagues for writing a literature review.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources, and identify current relevant literature to support your work.
References
- Walden University Writing Center. (2017, March 13). Literature review essentials: Identify themesLinks to an external site. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2017/03/literature-review-essentials-identify.html
- University of Washington Psychology Writing Center. (2017). Writing a literature review in psychology Download Writing a literature review in psychology. Retrieved from https://psych.uw.edu/storage/writing_center/litrev.pdf
- Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-f). Webinars: Graduate studentsLinks to an external site.. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/webinars/graduate#s-lg-box-18447417
Note: On this webpage, review the following webinar:- Writing Literature Reviews in Your Graduate Coursework
- Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-d). Using evidence: SynthesisLinks to an external site.. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence/synthesis
**Challenges and Strategies in Literature Review Synthesis**
The process of synthesizing and integrating resources for a literature review presents several challenges, particularly in managing the vast amount of information and ensuring coherence and relevance. Here are some of the key challenges I encountered and the strategies I used to address them:
### Challenges
1. **Volume of Information:**
One of the primary challenges was managing the sheer volume of information. With numerous articles and sources, it was overwhelming to identify which were most relevant to the research question.
2. **Identifying Themes:**
Another challenge was identifying common themes across different sources. Each study had its unique findings and perspectives, making it difficult to see the bigger picture and synthesize the information into coherent themes.
3. **Integration of Diverse Perspectives:**
Integrating diverse perspectives and findings from various studies was challenging. Ensuring that all perspectives were accurately represented without bias required careful reading and critical analysis.
4. **Maintaining Coherence:**
Maintaining coherence and a logical flow throughout the literature review was difficult. It was challenging to ensure that the synthesis of information was logically connected and presented in a way that made sense to the reader.
### Strategies
1. **Organized Note-Taking:**
To manage the volume of information, I used organized note-taking methods such as creating a matrix or spreadsheet. This allowed me to categorize each source by key themes, methodologies, findings, and relevance to my research question.
2. **Thematic Analysis:**
I employed thematic analysis to identify common themes across sources. By grouping similar findings and perspectives, I was able to see patterns and themes emerge, which facilitated the synthesis process.
3. **Critical Reading and Annotation:**
I practiced critical reading and annotation, highlighting key points, and making notes on how each source related to my research question. This helped in integrating diverse perspectives and ensuring that each source was accurately represented.
4. **Outlining and Structuring:**
To maintain coherence, I created a detailed outline before writing. This outline included major themes and sub-themes, which helped in organizing the literature review logically. Each section of the outline represented a different theme, ensuring a clear and logical flow.
### Suggested Strategy for Colleagues
One effective strategy I found was using concept maps to visually organize and synthesize information. Concept maps allow you to visually represent the relationships between different themes and findings, making it easier to integrate diverse perspectives and maintain coherence. By mapping out the connections, you can see how different studies relate to each other and to your research question, which helps in creating a structured and well-organized literature review.
**References**
Walden University Writing Center. (2017, March 13). Literature review essentials: Identify themes. Retrieved from [Walden Writing Center](http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2017/03/literature-review-essentials-identify.html)
University of Washington Psychology Writing Center. (2017). Writing a literature review in psychology. Retrieved from [University of Washington](https://psych.uw.edu/storage/writing_center/litrev.pdf)
Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-f). Webinars: Graduate students. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from [Walden University Writing Center Webinars](https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/webinars/graduate#s-lg-box-18447417)
Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.-d). Using evidence: Synthesis. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from [Walden University Writing Center Synthesis](https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence/synthesis)
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