Nursing

What is synthesis?

Synthesis in a literature review means that you take key points from your source material and make inferences about how the material connects to your research question. Synthesis is not summary. Body paragraphs in a literature review should analyze, quote, or paraphrase a variety of sources that speak to a common theme, rather than summarize each article one-by-one.

How do I organize a lit review?

Like any academic publication, a literature review should contain an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your specific assignment may designate certain sections (such as introduction, methodology, historical background, etc.). Below are some general guidelines:

Introduction

• Why is your topic important?
• What is the scope of your review. For example:
  • How far back does your review extend?
  • What demographic populations are included?
  • What issues within your topic does the review cover?
• What criteria were used to select the articles reviewed?
• How is your review organized?

Body

• Organize paragraphs based on a strategy. Here are some options:
  • Chronological - tracks the progression of a concept over time and provides historical background for your research question.
  • Thematic - focuses on topics or issues shared by the source material; chronology may or may not be considered depending on its use to the argument.
  • Methodological - the focusing factor is the methodology of the researcher or writer rather than the content of the source material.
• Synthesize several of your reviewed articles in each paragraph making explicit connections between your sources.
• Critically analyze your sources to reveal how they contribute to the research question you are studying.

Conclusion

• Summarize how the literature agrees, disagrees, or supports the unifying topic of your review (your research question).
• Identify gaps or areas for further research.
• Give your critical analysis of the reviewed articles and how they inform your overall perspective on the topic or the practice you're recommending.

A literature review should center your voice, even though you are presenting the work of others. Strive to begin and end a paragraph with your own interpretation of the evidence. Use quotes sparingly.

Clearly document how you found your sources and why you decided to include or exclude sources.

When paraphrasing, make sure to represent the original author's words or findings accurately and use a signal phrase or in-text citation to give proper credit. See the APA Style page for more information on citation.