ABSTRACT
Doing a review of the literature can be a time-consuming activity. Usually, students undertake the arduous task of reviewing a source or two at a time through the use of scholarly journals, books, quarterly and annual reviews, or selected abstracts. However, other resources found at many institutions of higher education, the Dissertation Abstracts International CD-ROM and the Comprehensive Dissertation Index CD-ROM, provide researchers with access to potentially hundreds of dissertation and thesis subjects. In addition, the Internet has a resource called WorldCat, which provides researchers with a means to search libraries throughout the world for a source. Finally, a student’s major professor or committee member may mention, on more than one occasion, an obscure source that should be incorporated in the literature review. Often, the professor cannot remember where he or she found out about or received a copy of this magnum opus. Chances are the major professor or committee member had contact with the source at a conference that was supported by a professional organization. Thus, to find a very obscure source, students may want to consult with professional higher education organizations that publish specialized handbooks and monographs.
