Doctoral Identity

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“Why?” when reading these articles.

Work towards a synthesis of the three articles: what is the shared message of all three literature reviews? What does that mean?

Comparison of Sample Populations

Similar to the above section, in this section, analyze the sample populations. Note the number of participants and their demographics. What are the similarities and differences? Why are these populations important? How do they relate to the research question? Why do the samples differ from study to study?

Two of these articles do not have sample populations, so consider the target of each article’s inquiry. Who are the authors studying, and why?

Comparison of Results/Conclusions

This section will discuss the results and conclusions each article discussed. What were the results for each study? Did those data support the hypotheses of the study? Were the research questions answered? What conclusions did the authors draw? Compare and contrast the three articles in terms of these questions. Any significant differences? Why might those exist?

Just as in the research question and literature review sections, synthesize the articles. What are the conclusions of each article, and how would you summarize all three articles together? Is there a grand conclusion you can reach after reading all three articles?

Comparison of Limitations

All studies have limitations, and even if the authors list some limitations, there are likely more limitations to be explored. Think deeply about these articles. Do the authors present an adequate literature review? Does their lit review support their research questions? Any concerns with the methodology? Can you detect any potential biases? Support your statements!

What commonalities do you see in the limitations between articles? What might that mean?

Author Identified Limitations

This is a level 2 heading, it indicates a sub-topic in this section. Use sub-headings to organize this section into author identified limitations and additional limitations.

Additional Limitations

Levels of headings are described on page 62 of the APA Manual, I recommend checking that out.

Conclusion and Recommendations for Future Research

What are your conclusions after comparing these three articles? What commonalities or differences were most striking or meaningful? If you consider all three articles to be a single entity, what conclusions can you draw from their combined research? What is the overall message of the articles, and why is that important?

Your recommendations for future research may be inspired by questions that you would want to ask the authors, so you may embed those questions in this section. Do not use first person, e.g., “I would ask the authors if they had considered…” All questions that I suggest or that are suggested in the assignment directions are guidelines or prompts for your writing. A good place to start thinking about recommendations for future research is the limitations. Where should this field go from here? What are the gaps in the research? What questions still need to be asked? Support your assertions.

The conclusion should relate back to your introduction and provide your reader with a concise and reflective summary of your analysis.

References