ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on our writing of an integrative critical literature review (Compton-Lilly, Rogers, & Lewis, 2012). As Rogers did in Chapter 3, I (Compton-Lilly) retrospectively construct and critique the process we used to conceptualize and conduct an integrative critical literature review. Also use the pronoun “we” to refer to the research team. Specifically, I describe and problematize each step of the literature review process – from identifying search terms and sampling studies, to revealing assumptions embedded in analyzing and sorting research studies, to examining the representational choices we made as we wrote and rewrote our analysis for multiple audiences. Along the way, I reference feedback from reviewers to highlight how the review process shaped our writing of this integrative review. The chapter includes reflections on the limitations and possibilities of integrative literature reviews, and offers insight into the possible reasons for the relatively small number of integrative literature reviews when compared to traditional literature reviews. Suggestions for conducting large-scale, publishable integrative literature reviews are shared along with ideas for how these reviews contribute to how we make sense of scholarship within a given field of study.
