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Dr. Machi is a professor emeritus at the University of La Verne. His Ed.D is in organizational leadership. He has taught research methods and a host of other courses over a lengthy career. He consults with many California school districts and is currently a Fulbright Specialist. He is an expert on how to conduct a literature review.
NAJP: Most of the time, students and even professors do not have the time to analyze every single article. How long does it take to complete the "6 steps to success?"
LM: The statement that professors and students do not have enough time to analyze every single article regarding the topic is not at issue. The researcher does not examine every possible article or text, but must select the salient ones. To conduct a successful literature review, the researcher must present an argument based on evidence that logically supports its conclusion. This evidence must present those facts (the appropriate literature) that make the evidentiary case. This information must present all sides of the case - for and against. The criteria for success is not gauged by time or volume, but by accuracy and completeness. The strength of the argument determines the strength of its conclusion, and the success of the literature review process.
The literature review is not a book report, nor an annotated bibliography, but a research project in and of itself. It provides the evidentiary case that argues for the thesis of the research, be it the current state of understanding about the topic, or the argument for a new research contribution. While most beginning researchers would rather not hear this, the average literature review can take hundreds of hours. The amount of time that it will take a researcher to complete a literature review really depends upon research acumen, a prior understanding of the subject matter, the nature of the research question, and the researcher's capability to conduct and produce a review.
NAJP: You discussed the issue of finding fallacies when researching articles. How often do you find them and where?
LM: Our purpose for including the fallacy discussion in our text (Machi & McEvoy, 2016) was to inform the reader about the potential errors a beginning researcher could commit when developing a literature review....