Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy

by Garrard, Judith, Ph.D.

• ISBN13: 9780763726737
• ISBN10: 0763726737
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Jones & Bartlett

Summary

Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The Matrix Method provides students and practitioners with a concrete understanding of scientific literature by instilling the essential skills needed to evaluate article findings. A multi-part case study, along with visual examples, is woven throughout the text so the reader can relate to the information by seeing it applied to a real-life research scenario. The Second Edition contains increased information on Internet research.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
PART I---FUNDAMENTALS OF A LITERATURE REVIEW	1	(60)
Introduction	3	(26)
Review of the Literature	4	(1)
Beyond Index Cards	4	(2)
To Own the Literature	6	(1)
Research Synthesis: Historical Perspective	7	(10)
The Matrix Method: Definition and Overview	17	(2)
Review Matrix: A Versatile Tool	19	(1)
Overview of Chapters and Appendix	20	(3)
References to Web Sites	23	(1)
Caroline's Quest: Understanding the Process	24	(5)
Basic Concepts	29	(32)
Source Materials Defined	30	(1)
Different Kinds of Source Materials	30	(8)
Anatomy of a Scientific Paper---Finding What You Need in a Typical Research Paper	38	(5)
Guidelines for a Methodological Review of the Literature	43	(14)
Caroline's Quest: Learning the Concepts	57	(4)
PART II---THE MATRIX METHOD	61	(86)
Paper Trail: How To Plan and Manage a Search of the Literature	63	(42)
What Is a Paper Trail?	64	(1)
How To Create a Paper Trail	64	(3)
How To Find Source Materials: Creating and Using a Paper Trail	67	(20)
Tips on Searching for Source Documents	87	(4)
Caroline's Quest: Managing the Search	91	(14)
Documents Section: How To Select and Organize Documents for Review	105	(8)
How To Select the Right Documents for Your Review	106	(1)
What Is a Documents Section?	107	(1)
How To Organize a Documents Section	108	(1)
How To Remember Where You Put the Documents	109	(2)
Caroline's Quest: Assembling a Documents Section	111	(2)
Review Matrix: How To Abstract the Research Literature	113	(22)
What Is a Review Matrix?	114	(1)
How To Construct a Review Matrix	115	(1)
How To Arrange Documents for Use in a Review Matrix	116	(1)
How To Choose Column Topics for a Review Matrix	116	(4)
How To Abstract Documents in a Review Matrix	120	(3)
Fringe Benefits of the Abstracting Process	123	(7)
Caroline's Quest: Constructing a Review Matrix	130	(5)
Synthesis: How To Use a Review Matrix To Write a Synthesis	135	(12)
What Is a Synthesis?	136	(1)
How To Use a Review Matrix To Write a Synthesis	137	(6)
Caroline's Quest: Writing a Synthesis	143	(4)
PART III---APPLICATIONS USING THE MATRIX METHOD	147	(44)
A Library of Lit Review Books	149	(6)
What Is a Library of Lit Review Books?	150	(1)
How To Create a Library of Lit Review Books	150	(1)
How To Use a Library of Lit Review Books	151	(2)
Caroline's Quest: Building a Library of Lit Review Books	153	(2)
The Matrix Indexing System	155	(18)
What Is the Matrix Indexing System?	156	(1)
How To Set up a Matrix Indexing System	156	(8)
How To Expand the Documents Section	164	(1)
How To Efficiently Update a Literature Review	164	(2)
Caroline's Quest: Using the Matrix Indexing System	166	(7)
Matrix Applications by Health Sciences Professionals	173	(18)
What Are Matrix Applications?	174	(1)
How To Use Matrix Applications in a Research Project	175	(2)
How To Use Matrix Applications in a Meta-Analysis	177	(2)
How To Use Matrix Applications in Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines	179	(2)
How To Use Matrix Applications in Evidence-Based Medicine	181	(3)
Caroline's Quest: Matrix Applications in a Nonscientific Setting	184	(7)
Appendix A---Useful Resources for Literature Reviews	191	(12)
Index	203	(6)
About the Author	209