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HCAD 3370 Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine Literature Review Research

A literature review is a critical summary of what has been written about a specific topic. A literature review can stand alone or be included as part of a research article. This guide will point you to useful resources for understanding what a literature review is and how to create one. As always please reach out to your librarian for more help.

There are many resources available to help you understand what a literature review is and how to write one. Here are a few:

This paragraph from an example literature review demonstrates how to synthesize different sources without summarizing:

While the articles used in this research agree that women made many advances during the World War II period, it is crucial to realize that not all these changes were welcomed. In most cases women faced discrimination from just about everyone around them. Women in the workplace were often placed in positions of inferiority or treated as being less physically able to the same work the men did. Many women were often not trained because they were viewed as temporary employees who were only there for the duration of the war (Bruley, 2003, pp.221-222). Women were very rarely given equal pay as men, even though some of them did the same work. Women in the military faced not only mental abuse but also physical harm from their male counterparts. According to Cornelsen (2005) there were many instances where female aviators were injured or killed due to being made to fly ill-maintained aircrafts or aircrafts that had been sabotaged (p.114).

Note that the author in this example compares the two cited articles in their synthesis, explaining not only that the two are similar, but explaining how they are different.

This passage is taken from the handout linked below:

What's a keyword?

It's really important to distill your topic down into searchable keywords. You might need to change your keyword language or spelling, or use specific symbols or connecting words to combine keywords to get the best results.

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Finding quality, scholarly sources  

You'll be searching multiple online resources, all with different types (and access) to information. Typically you'll be looking in

  • Library access sources - you need to go to the library's website and log in with your current student credentials to access.
  • Web access sources - these sources are available for anyone with a working internet connection to use.

Here are some categories and sources from broad to narrow to help you get started in terms of places to look:

  • Google Scholar - This version of Google features academic resources and many scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Customize your Google Scholar settings to connect to the library's resources
     
  • Library Quick Search searches through all the library's resources, print, online, and media, and includes content that's normally inaccessible behind paywalls for the general public. Start at the library's website to access.
     
  • Library Databases - subscription services for specialized information, including content that is inaccessible to the general public, and only available through libraries. Go to the library's website to access these resources, and log in with your IslandID to use remotely. There are different categories of specific databases:
     
    • Web of Science - (Library access) Broader than a subject-specific database, and specialized for literature reviews because of the citation analysis.
       
    • PubMed (Web access) is an example of a subject-specific database or repository containing scholarly articles that is free to access, although it's listed on the library's website.
       
  • Journals Search 

APA CITATION RESOURCES ON THE WEB

The following two sites are good places to get guidance on APA citation style on the web.

Texas A&M Univeristy Corpus Christi CASA Center for Academic Student Achievement Writing Center


The CASA Writing Center can help with any type of writing at all stages of the writing process!

The Writing Center can help:

  • brainstorm ideas
  • outline your paper
  • organize your argument
  • use the clearest language possible
  • check your technical style (APA/MLA/Chicago)
  • identify and correct grammatical errors and look for patterns
  • revise your own paper
  • edit, format, and proofread your own paper

Visit their website for location, hours and contact information.