Book Reviews

Issue 29(2)

The literature review: Six steps to success (2008) Lawrence A. Machi & Brenda T. McEvoy, Corwin Press (SAGE Publications) 184 pp., $62.95, (paperback), ISBN 978-1-4129-6135-6,

Review by: Lianna L. Scull

Academic Advising

Laboratory Institute of Merchandising ( New York )

”Six Steps to Success” may not be a first pick for the personal collection of every academic advisor, but it is a clear, practical and user-friendly pick for any advisor interested in expanding the knowledge base of the advising profession. Indeed, if advisors are interested in furthering the profession as a whole, or are simply in need of a guide while working to further their own professional and academic career, than this book is a must! As indicated by the title, this book truly is a clear and concise “Six-Steps-to-Success-guide” to the potentially daunting task of exploring, organizing and writing “The Literature Review”. This text simplifies the literature review process into six manageable steps: selecting a topic, searching the available literature, developing a meaningful argument, surveying and critiquing the literature and finally, writing the review.

The goal of this particular guide is to assist both first-time and more advanced researchers, in the early stages of preparing a review, developing a purposeful argument and acquiring the writing skills needed to complete an effective literature review. This text includes useful exercises for clarification and reinforcement, offering the reader guided practice and examples of procedures. The text also offers suggestions for updated technological software to assist in the literature review process. The numerous charts and graphics lend themselves to the user-friendly format of this book, while clear definitions and reference sections provide accessible explanations and practical resources, particularly beneficial for the novice researcher. Each chapter ends with a summary and specific tips for the practical use of the materials covered in the proceeding chapter. Finally, all chapters conclude with a summarizing checklist, which keep the book’s readers on track and focused on the “step at hand”.

One potential limitation of this book, as the author clarifies from the start, is that this text is intended for Master’s students (mainly within the social sciences) and for those more advanced research students looking for a quick “brush-up” (Machi, 2008, pg. ix). The author informs the reader that for a more advanced purpose; such as a doctoral dissertation, additional resources would be suggested in conjunction with this guide. As this book focuses on the basic literature review and is not intended to lead the researcher through scientific methods or a dissertation defense, readers with more extensive goals may want to refer to additional resources (Becker, 2007; Roberts, 2004; Rudestam, 2007).

As an aspiring doctoral student and a research-oriented practitioner of the profession of advising, I feel that in the appropriately “inquiring hands” this book can be put to great use. This text will aide any genuinely motivated party in the exploration (and ultimate publication) of the upcoming, key theoretical and practical questions and challenges that advisors all face. On that note, I suggest that, even if this book might not be right for every advisor, depending on the advisor’s current interests (or lack thereof) in research, one could consider this book for a fellow professional or student. I recommend this read as a top choice for anyone whom could benefit from a straightforward, well-organized and detailed approach to the literature review.