say something about literature review mind map brainly

USC Libraries
Research Guides

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

5. The Literature Review
Purpose of Guide
Design Flaws to Avoid
Independent and Dependent Variables
Glossary of Research Terms
Reading Research Effectively
Narrowing a Topic Idea
Broadening a Topic Idea
Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
Academic Writing Style
Choosing a Title
Making an Outline
Paragraph Development
Research Process Video Series
Executive Summary
The C.A.R.S. Model
Background Information
The Research Problem/Question
Theoretical Framework
Citation Tracking
Content Alert Services
Evaluating Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Tiertiary Sources
Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods
Insiderness
Using Non-Textual Elements
Limitations of the Study
Common Grammar Mistakes
Writing Concisely
Avoiding Plagiarism
Footnotes or Endnotes?
Further Readings
Generative AI and Writing
USC Libraries Tutorials and Other Guides
Bibliography

A literature review surveys prior research published in books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have used in researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within existing scholarship about the topic.

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.

Importance of a Good Literature Review

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:

Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2011; Knopf, Jeffrey W. "Doing a Literature Review." PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (January 2006): 127-132; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012.

Types of Literature Reviews

It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.

In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.

Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews [see below].

Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.

Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.

Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem . Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social sciences.

Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

NOTE : Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the literature.

Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews." Review of General Psychology 1 (September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

Structure and Writing Style

I. Thinking About Your Literature Review

The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the research problem :

An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review,
Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider :

Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

II. Development of the Literature Review

Four Basic Stages of Writing 1. Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2. Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. 3. Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. 4. Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Consider the following issues before writing the literature review: Clarify If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1. Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include? 2. What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3. Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4. Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the research problem? 5. Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent entry points into your own research. Narrow the Topic The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research. For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the text. Consider Whether Your Sources are Current Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.

III. Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronology of Events If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematic [“conceptual categories”] A thematic literature review is the most common approach to summarizing prior research in the social and behavioral sciences. Thematic reviews are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time, although the progression of time may still be incorporated into a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it would still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The difference in this example between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: themes related to the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point being made. Methodological A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

Other Sections of Your Literature Review Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.

Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include depending on the type of review you write:

Current Situation : Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature review.
Sources Used : Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to identify the literature you reviewed.
History : The chronological progression of the field, the research literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
Selection Methods : Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed [i.e., scholarly] sources.
Standards : Description of the way in which you present your information.
Questions for Further Research : What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?

IV. Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid. Be Selective Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information, but that are not key to understanding the research problem, can be included in a list of further readings . Use Quotes Sparingly Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for using your own words in reviewing the literature. Summarize and Synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others. Keep Your Own Voice While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording. Use Caution When Paraphrasing When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.

V. Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.

Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic methods; and,
Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.

Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.

Writing Tip

Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.

Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity . New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

How are they organizing their ideas?
What methods have they used to study the problem?
What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?

When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1 998.

Yet Another Writing Tip

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:

Look for repeating patterns in the research findings . If the same thing is being said, just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research? Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address the research problem.
Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

<< Previous: Theoretical Framework
Next: Citation Tracking >>
Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 10:40 AM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide

Research Guides

Literature Review: A Self-Guided Tutorial

Using concept maps.

Literature Reviews: A Recap
Peer Review
Reading the Literature
Developing Research Questions
Considering Strong Opinions
2. Review discipline styles
Super Searching
Finding the Full Text
Citation Searching This link opens in a new window
When to stop searching
Citation Management
Annotating Articles Tip
5. Critically analyze and evaluate
How to Review the Literature
Using a Synthesis Matrix
7. Write literature review

Concept maps or mind maps visually represent relationships of different concepts. In research, they can help you make connections between ideas. You can use them as you are formulating your research question, as you are reading a complex text, and when you are creating a literature review. See the video and examples below.

How to Create a Concept Map

Credit: Penn State Libraries ( CC-BY ) Run Time: 3:13

Bubbl.us Free version allows 3 mind maps, image export, and sharing.
MindMeister Free version allows 3 mind maps, sharing, collaborating, and importing. No image-based exporting.

Mind Map of a Text Example

Credit: Austin Kleon. A map I drew of John Berger’s Ways of Seeing in 2008. Tumblr post. April 14, 2016. http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/142802684061#notes

Literature Review Mind Map Example

This example shows the different aspects of the author's literature review with citations to scholars who have written about those aspects.

Credit: Clancy Ratliff, Dissertation: Literature Review. Culturecat: Rhetoric and Feminism [blog]. 2 October 2005. http://culturecat.net/node/955 .

<< Previous: Reading the Literature
Next: 1. Identify the question >>
Last Updated: Feb 22, 2024 10:53 AM
URL: https://libguides.williams.edu/literature-review

Literature Reviews

Getting Started
Choosing a Type of Review
Developing a Research Question
Searching the Literature
Searching Tips
ChatGPT [beta]
Documenting your Search
Using Citation Managers
Concept Mapping
Concept Map Definition

MindMeister

Writing the Review
Further Resources

Additional Tools

Google slides.

GSlides can create concept maps using their Diagram feature. Insert > Diagram > Hierarchy will give you some editable templates to use.

Tutorial on diagrams in GSlides .

MICROSOFT WORD

MS Word can create concept maps using Insert > SmartArt Graphic. Select Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, or Relationship to see templates.

NVivo is software for qualitative analysis that has a concept map feature. Zotero libraries can be uploaded using ris files. NVivo Concept Map information.

A concept map or mind map is a visual representation of knowledge that illustrates relationships between concepts or ideas. It is a tool for organizing and representing information in a hierarchical and interconnected manner. At its core, a concept map consists of nodes, which represent individual concepts or ideas, and links, which depict the relationships between these concepts .

Below is a non-exhaustive list of tools that can facilitate the creation of concept maps.

say something about literature review mind map brainly

www.canva.com

Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform that enables individuals to create visual content quickly and easily. It offers a diverse array of customizable templates, design elements, and tools, making it accessible to users with varying levels of design experience.

Pros: comes with many pre-made concept map templates to get you started

Cons : not all features are available in the free version

Explore Canva concept map templates here .

Note: Although Canva advertises an "education" option, this is for K-12 only and does not apply to university users.

www.lucidchart.com

Lucid has two tools that can create mind maps (what they're called inside Lucid): Lucidchart is the place to build, document, and diagram, and Lucidspark is the place to ideate, connect, and plan.

Lucidchart is a collaborative online diagramming and visualization tool that allows users to create a wide range of diagrams, including flowcharts, org charts, wireframes, and mind maps. Its mind-mapping feature provides a structured framework for brainstorming ideas, organizing thoughts, and visualizing relationships between concepts.

Lucidspark , works as a virtual whiteboard. Here, you can add sticky notes, develop ideas through freehand drawing, and collaborate with your teammates. Has only one template for mind mapping.

Explore Lucid mind map creation here .

How to create mind maps using LucidSpark:

Note: U-M students have access to Lucid through ITS. [ info here ] Choose the "Login w Google" option, use your @umich.edu account, and access should happen automatically.

www.figma.com

Figma is a cloud-based design tool that enables collaborative interface design and prototyping. It's widely used by UI/UX designers to create, prototype, and iterate on digital designs. Figma is the main design tool, and FigJam is their virtual whiteboard:

Figma is a comprehensive design tool that enables designers to create and prototype high-fidelity designs

FigJam focuses on collaboration and brainstorming, providing a virtual whiteboard-like experience, best for concept maps

Explore FigJam concept maps here .

Note: There is a " Figma for Education " version for students that will provide access. Choose the "Login w Google" option, use your @umich.edu account, and access should happen automatically.

www.mindmeister.com

MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool that allows users to visually organize their thoughts, ideas, and information in a structured and hierarchical format. It provides a digital canvas where users can create and manipulate nodes representing concepts or topics, and connect them with lines to show relationships and associations.

Features : collaborative, permits multiple co-authors, and multiple export formats. The free version allows up to 3 mind maps.

Explore MindMeister templates here .

<< Previous: Using Citation Managers
Next: Writing the Review >>
Last Updated: Feb 29, 2024 10:31 AM
URL: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/litreview

Literature Review - what is a Literature Review, why it is important and how it is done

The research process.

Evaluating Literature Reviews and Sources
Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
Writing Literature Review: Useful Sites
Citation Resources
Other Academic Writings
Useful Resources

Finding sources (scholarly articles, research books, dissertations) for your literature review is part of the research process, a process that is iterative--you go back and forth along the process as new information is gather and analyze until all necessary data is acquire and you are ready to write. The main steps in this research process are:

Searching : While searching take note of what other keywords are used to describe your topic and use them to do more searches

– Most articles include a keyword section – Key concepts may change name through time so make sure to check for variations

Organising : Start organizing your results by categories/key concepts or any organizing principle that make sense for you. This will help you later when you are ready to analyze your findings

Analysing : While reading, start making notes of key concepts and commonalities and disagreement among the research articles you find.

– Create a spreadsheet document to record what articles you are finding useful and why. – Create fields to write summaries of articles or quotes for future citing and paraphrasing .

Writing : Synthesize your findings. Use your own voice to explain to your readers what you learn about the literature your search; its weaknesses and strengths; what is missing or ignore

Repeat : at any given time of the process you can go back to a previous step as necessary

There is no magic number regarding how many sources you are going to need for your literature review, it all depends on the topic and what type of the literature review you are doing:

► Are you working on an emerging topic? You are not likely to find many sources, which is good because you are trying to prove that this is a topic that needs more research. But, it is not enough to say that you found few or no articles on your topic in your field. You need to look broadly to other disciplines (also known as triangulation ) to see if your research topic has been studied from other perspectives as a way to validate the uniqueness of your research question.

► Are you working on something that has been studied extensively? Then you are going to find many sources and you will want to limit how far you want to look back. Use limiters to eliminate research that may be dated and opt to search for resources published within the last 5-10 years.

<< Previous: Home
Next: Evaluating Literature Reviews and Sources >>
Last Updated: Nov 25, 2021 10:46 AM
URL: https://lit.libguides.com/Literature-Review

The Library, Technological University of the Shannon: Midwest

UConn Library
Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide
Strategies to Find Sources

Literature Review: The What, Why and How-to Guide — Strategies to Find Sources

Getting Started
Introduction
How to Pick a Topic
Evaluating Sources & Lit. Reviews
Tips for Writing Literature Reviews
Writing Literature Review: Useful Sites
Citation Resources
Other Academic Writings

The Research Process

Interative Litearture Review Research Process image (Planning, Searching, Organizing, Analyzing and Writing [repeat at necessary]

Planning : Before searching for articles or books, brainstorm to develop keywords that better describe your research question.

Searching : While searching, take note of what other keywords are used to describe your topic, and use them to conduct additional searches

♠ Most articles include a keyword section

♠ Key concepts may change names throughout time so make sure to check for variations

Organizing : Start organizing your results by categories/key concepts or any organizing principle that make sense for you . This will help you later when you are ready to analyze your findings

Analyzing : While reading, start making notes of key concepts and commonalities and disagreement among the research articles you find.

♠ Create a spreadsheet to record what articles you are finding useful and why.

♠ Create fields to write summaries of articles or quotes for future citing and paraphrasing .

Writing : Synthesize your findings. Use your own voice to explain to your readers what you learned about the literature on your topic. What are its weaknesses and strengths? What is missing or ignored?

Repeat : At any given time of the process, you can go back to a previous step as necessary.

Advanced Searching

All databases have Help pages that explain the best way to search their product. When doing literature reviews, you will want to take advantage of these features since they can facilitate not only finding the articles that you really need but also controlling the number of results and how relevant they are for your search. The most common features available in the advanced search option of databases and library online catalogs are:

Boolean Searching (AND, OR, NOT): Allows you to connect search terms in a way that can either limit or expand your search results
Proximity Searching (N/# or W/#): Allows you to search for two or more words that occur within a specified number of words (or fewer) of each other in the database
Limiters/Filters : These are options that let you control what type of document you want to search: article type, date, language, publication, etc.
Question mark (?) or a pound sign (#) for wildcard: Used for retrieving alternate spellings of a word: colo?r will retrieve both the American spelling "color" as well as the British spelling "colour."
Asterisk (*) for truncation: Used for retrieving multiple forms of a word: comput* retrieves computer, computers, computing, etc.

Want to keep track of updates to your searches? Create an account in the database to receive an alert when a new article is published that meets your search parameters!

EBSCOhost Advanced Search Tutorial Tips for searching a platform that hosts many library databases
Library's General Search Tips Check the Search tips to better used our library catalog and articles search system
ProQuest Database Search Tips Tips for searching another platform that hosts library databases

There is no magic number regarding how many sources you are going to need for your literature review; it all depends on the topic and what type of the literature review you are doing:

► Are you working on something that has been studied extensively? Then you are going to find many sources and you will want to limit how far back you want to look. Use limiters to eliminate research that may be dated and opt to search for resources published within the last 5-10 years.

<< Previous: How to Pick a Topic
Next: Evaluating Sources & Lit. Reviews >>
Last Updated: Sep 21, 2022 2:16 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/literaturereview

Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library

Collections
Research Help

YSN Doctoral Programs: Steps in Conducting a Literature Review

Biomedical Databases
Global (Public Health) Databases
Soc. Sci., History, and Law Databases
Grey Literature
Trials Registers
Data and Statistics
Public Policy
Google Tips
Recommended Books
Steps in Conducting a Literature Review

What is a literature review?

A literature review is an integrated analysis -- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question. That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.

A literature review may be a stand alone work or the introduction to a larger research paper, depending on the assignment. Rely heavily on the guidelines your instructor has given you.

Why is it important?

A literature review is important because it:

Explains the background of research on a topic.
Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
Identifies critical gaps and points of disagreement.
Discusses further research questions that logically come out of the previous studies.

APA7 Style resources

APA Style Blog - for those harder to find answers

1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by your central research question. The literature represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow. Is it manageable?
Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor and your class mates.

2. Decide on the scope of your review

How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover?

This may depend on your assignment. How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search.

Where to find databases:

use the tabs on this guide
Find other databases in the Nursing Information Resources web page
More on the Medical Library web page
... and more on the Yale University Library web page

4. Conduct your searches to find the evidence. Keep track of your searches.

Use the key words in your question, as well as synonyms for those words, as terms in your search. Use the database tutorials for help.
Save the searches in the databases. This saves time when you want to redo, or modify, the searches. It is also helpful to use as a guide is the searches are not finding any useful results.
Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
Check with your professor, or a subject expert in the field, if you are missing any key works in the field.
Ask your librarian for help at any time.
Use a citation manager, such as EndNote as the repository for your citations. See the EndNote tutorials for help.

Review the literature

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover?
Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions.
Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited? If so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips:

Review the abstracts carefully.
Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
Create a matrix of the studies for easy analysis, and synthesis, across all of the studies.
<< Previous: Recommended Books
Last Updated: Jan 4, 2024 10:52 AM
URL: https://guides.library.yale.edu/YSNDoctoral

Mind Map Gallery Conducting Literature Reviews

Conducting Literature Reviews

A review of the literature is a compilation of the research that has been published on a topic by recognized scholars and researchers.

Recommended to you

A Systematic Review of Scholarly Research on the Content of Wikipedia

Quality of Content

Comprehensiveness

Multidisciplinary and general

Medicine and health

Communication

Readability and Style

Reliability

Reliability assessment of Wikipedia

positive or equivalent evaluations

negative or inferior evaluations

verifiability: citing other sources

quality-related trends

Antecedents of Quality

Group characteristics

Editing patterns and processes

The effect of implementing mind maps for online learning and assessment on students during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross sectional study

Amany a. alsuraihi.

Physics Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589 Saudi Arabia

Associated Data

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available as additional files.

In Saudi Arabia, the sudden shift from conventional (in-person) to online education due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected teaching and assessment methods. This research aimed to assess the effectiveness of mind maps in this regard, measure students’ reactions to certain educational environment-related changes caused by the pandemic, and identify skills that students perceived they gained through mind mapping.

This study employed a non-intervention (cross sectional) design. Participants were King Abdulaziz University students from two medical physics courses (second and fourth level). Data were collected twice (after the first and last mind mapping assignments), and responses were analyzed using a paired t-test. Overall student results were compared against overall student performance in the previous term using chi-squares test hypothesis testing. The data were collected and analyzed using SPSS software.

The results of the paired t-test showed no significant differences between students’ mean satisfaction in both surveys. Nevertheless, students’ responses revealed their satisfaction with using mind maps. Moreover, students believed that they gained skills like organizing and planning, decision making, and critical thinking from the mind map assignments. The chi-squares test (Chi-square = 4.29 < x 0.05 , 4 2 = 9.48 and p -value = 0.36 > 0.05) showed no differences in students’ grade distribution between the two terms of 2020 (pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic) despite the change in assessment style post-pandemic commencement.

Conclusions

Mind mapping can be adapted as an online teaching and assessment method. Additionally, student support and education institution-level effective communication can reduce stress during challenging times.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-022-03211-2.

On January 7, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China [ 1 ]. Since then, millions of people globally have been infected with COVID-19, and many families have been affected. To protect against the rapid spread of the virus, the World Health Organization recommends that people should maintain social distancing, wear masks, and practice good hygiene at all times. On March 8, 2020, following these recommendations, the government of Saudi Arabia closed educational institutions, including universities and schools at all levels, to control the spread of COVID-19 and protect the population. Hence, to maintain the safety of students and school staff while continuing to provide education, the Saudi Ministry of Education [ 2 ] made a sudden switch from conventional in-person education to virtual online education via different platforms. For instance, King Abdulaziz University began using the Blackboard platform. Support including workshops, necessary learning materials, and helplines were provided to ensure a smooth transition. However, many exams and quizzes were cancelled, and lecturers were directed to assess students' progress using other methods.

In the education field, and specifically in medical education, many learning strategies and tools have been designed to enhance students’ learning experiences, such as case-based teaching [ 3 ], role playing [ 4 ], problem-based learning, discussion groups [ 5 ], didactic learning [ 6 ], concept maps [ 7 ], and mind maps [ 8 ]. Both concept maps and mind maps are excellent learning tools to enhance students’ abilities to formulate concepts, analyze data, as well as connect ideas and understand the relationships between them. They both involve visual knowledge reconstruction, are easier to follow and engage with than verbal and written scripts, and provide an interactive learning method for students. However, they have certain differences. Concept mapping has a top-down structure that begins with the main concept/idea and branches out into sub-concepts/ideas, which are enclosed in circles or boxes. Association phrases and arrows are used to demonstrate the relationship between them. The structure could be hierarchical, non-hierarchical or data-driven. Some of the drawbacks of using concept maps are their limited extensibility, low memorability due to the level complexity of certain concepts, and the medium to high level of difficulty, as it requires expertise and training to master concept maps [ 9 , 10 ].However, mind maps are easier to grasp, encourage creativity, enhance engagement, promote ownership of ideas, and involve both brain hemisphere [ 9 ]. While Eppler’s study [ 9 ] shows that combining more than one visual mapping method can be of more benefit than using individual techniques, Martin Davies [ 10 ], who studied both concept maps and mind maps, claims that the choice of mapping technique depends predominantly on the aim and purpose of its use. Therefore, in the present study, mind mapping was chosen as an online learning and group assessment tool in two medical physics courses during the sudden changes brought about by the pandemic. This occurred approximately during the mid-second term, Spring 2020.

Literature Review

The mind mapping technique was developed by Buzan [ 11 ], based on a theory inspired by da Vinci’s notes, and by scientists such as Galileo, Feynman, and Einstein. A mind map starts with the main topic represented as an image at the center of the page, then the subtopics branch out and are placed onto curved lines. A keyword or image is included on each branch to represent ideas. These ideas continue to branch out as far as is required by the subject. Furthermore, connection lines, codes, and symbols are used to connect ideas, highlight important concepts, and stimulate creative thinking [ 11 , 12 ]. Many studies have explored the benefits of Buzan’s technique for teaching and learning, such as retaining information, organizing thoughts, and developing critical-thinking skills (e.g., reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving) [ 11 , 12 ]. In a study conducted with elementary school teachers [ 13 ], teachers agreed that using mind maps in education would stimulate students’ creativity, enhance learning and memorization, and serve as a tool to assess students’ degree of comprehension for the topics being taught. Moreover, Ellozy and Mostafa [ 14 ] studied the feasibility of using a hybrid concept comprising mind mapping strategies among first-year students at the American University in Cairo and found that their technique enhanced students’ critical-thinking and reading comprehension skills, ability to engage in visualization, and imagination during learning and communicating ideas. Further, it was useful as an assessment tool for teachers to evaluate students’ systematic thinking [ 14 ]. Wu and Wu [ 15 ] showed that using mind mapping in medical education improved nursing students’ critical-thinking abilities and stimulated their eagerness to learn during their internship. This supported the findings of a previous study [ 8 ] that investigated the effectiveness of mind mapping as an active educational tool in a Nursing Management course to enhance students’ critical-thinking skills; the students’ scores were found to have improved. Mind maps were named as a factor contributing to the high-achieving medical students’ educational success [ 16 ]. Mind maps have also been used to enhance health education of patients and improve psychological well-being in cancer patients [ 17 ]. Chen [ 17 ] developed a mind map-based life review program (MBLRP), which is conducted through several sessions for the life review aspect (from childhood to adulthood, their cancer experience, and then a summary session of the life experience). Sessions use mind maps, videos and photos. Results show that the MBLRP is a promising intervention to promote psychological wellbeing among patients, while being enjoyable, feasible, and easily accepted. Another study done by Tan et al. [ 18 ] concluded that mind mapping can improve the effectiveness of health education and guidance for patients with lung cancer who were undergoing chemotherapy, where the level of perceived control improved symptom distress; the longer the period of health education, the better the effect. Yang et al. [ 19 ] investigated the effectiveness of using mind mapping as a health education tool for children with cavities who were in extended care, as well as their parents. The results show an increase in child and parent compliance with health education, which is evident from an increase in cavity knowledge and more follow-up visits to the dentist. Mind map have also proven effective as a language learning material for students; for example, Petrova and Kazarova [ 20 ] discussed the feasibility of using mind maps as a teaching and learning tool in foreign language acquisition, as it helps students to be independent learners and solve diverse problems. Kalizhanova et al. [ 21 ] created a trilingual e-dictionary using a mind map program for high school students, to teach them biological terms in Kazakhstan. Furthermore, Alahmadi’s [ 22 ] study showed a significant improvement in vocabulary acquisition by students who used mind maps as a learning strategy for English language vocabulary as a second language. Mind maps were also used in science and engineering as educational material, learning exercises, and a critical thinking tool for collaborative and independent learning. Gagic et al. [ 23 ] used mind maps to teach physics to primary school students; results showed an increase in student achievement and a decrease in the mental effort necessary to study physics, when compared to conventional teaching and learning methods. In the teacher education program for mathematics, Araujo and Gadanidis [ 24 ] have developed a theory to promote mathematical and pedological knowledge construction by applying an online collaborative mind mapping exercise to two educational courses: computational thinking in mathematics education and mathematics teaching methods. In a study conducted by Allen et al. [ 25 ], mind maps were used in flipped learning activities in a chemistry lab, which included students with special needs. Students were reflective on their learning, collaborative with their peers, and engaged with each other during the activity. This enhanced their critical thinking, deepened their knowledge, and strengthened their interpersonal skills. In the field of engineering, Lai and Lee [ 26 ] show that mathematical engineering students’ achievement levels increased by using mind maps, while their cognitive load reduced. Hence, using effective learning and teaching techniques like mind maps reduces students' cognitive load. Chen et al. [ 27 ] have studied the collaborative behavior of engineering students while doing brainstorming activities using mind maps. Their study analyzed the change in students’ behavior during mind map tasks and issues that arose to implement in the design of digital mind map tools. Selvi and Chandramohan [ 28 ] have used mind mapping technique in collaborative tasks for a mechanical engineering course, which increased students' academic achievement and motivation to learn. Here, using mind maps in collaborative and interactive learning settings enhanced students’ ability to recall technical terms. To the author’s knowledge, mind maps have not yet been investigated in a medical physics course. However, previous studies done on mind maps for medical, science, and engineering courses showed that they are on the same level as medical physics courses in terms of their cognitive load. Hence, it should be a suitable learning and assessment tool during the pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of mind mapping as a learning and assessment tool for medical physics students, while under stress from the COVID-19 pandemic and while experiencing the related educational mode changes. Accordingly, the following were assessed:

Student satisfaction with the provided information on mind mapping and associated course assignments.
Effects of changing the assessment style due to switching from on campus to online classes in relation to students’ satisfaction.
Student satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool and student perceptions of the skills gained from the assignment.

To evaluate these objectives, this study developed two online surveys (Surveys 1 and 2) It hypothesized that students could improve satisfaction by practicing mind maps and that academic achievement would be unaffected by the pandemic compared to previous pre-pandemic commencement results. This study could set the basis for future studies when adapting mind maps as an online learning and assessment method and presenting a measure for students’ satisfaction and perception on the technique.

During the online teaching period from March through the end of April 2020, three mind map assignments, one set of critique questions, and two surveys were given to students in two different courses as an alternative teaching and assessment method. These three assignments covered important topics in both courses, as the grading system was changed by the Ministry of Education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, mind mapping assignments were chosen as an alternative, to enhance students’ learning and memorizing and for use as an assessment tool. Performing this assignment as part of a group in such sudden and stressful circumstances could help students acquire soft skills, such as conflict resolution and time management. Moreover, results of total students’ achievement in these courses in the second term were compared with students’ achievement level in the first term of 2020, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, using hypothesis testing.

The sample chosen for the study was the cluster sampling from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah City, King Abdulaziz University, Department of Physics, Female Campus. Participants were medical physics students. The sample includes only female students, as the female and male campuses are separated at Saudi Arabian Universities. The study was conducted with female students enrolled in two separate medical physics courses taught by the author of the study: 1) health physics, a second-level introductory course, and 2) magnetic resonance and medical imaging (MRI), taught to fourth-year students. The sample of the study was 55 students in total, from both courses. Students were verbally informed that 1) survey participation would be voluntary, 2) responses would be anonymous, and 3) non-participation would not affect their course grades, as no identifying information would be collected. Thus, participation was considered to imply consent.

Assignments

To perform the mind mapping assignments, students were first assigned randomly to groups of 3–6 students using the Blackboard system. There were 11 students in the MRI course; thus, students were divided into 3 groups. There were two classes for the health physics course, one with 14 students and one with 30 students, who were divided into 3 and 5 groups, respectively. Thus, 55 students in total were given three mind map assignments that covered the most important course topics. Each mind map covered a section of the course that students had already completed.

All mind mapping assignments were posted on Blackboard with instructions for guidance. Students also participated in a short session in which the assignments were explained, with an emphasis on the resources provided to assist them and the grading style (rubric). Students were directed to engage in self-learning on the Blackboard platform by using the different posted YouTube video instructions and resources in Arabic and English on how to create a mind map. Students were also given the freedom to choose and download one of the three online mind mapping software apps: MindMaster [ 29 ], MindMeister [ 30 ], and XMind [ 31 ]. Online materials on how to use each tool were also posted for students on Blackboard.

Based on concept map assessment criteria published online, the author designed a mind map rubric to assess students’ accomplishments (see Appendix A in Additional File 1 ; [ 32 , 33 ]). After each mind mapping assignment, students received feedback on their work on Blackboard based on the rubric.

After these assignments were completed, a fourth assignment was posted for students on Blackboard. This assignment included mind maps that the students had worked on in each course: 23 for the health physics course, 8 for the MRI course, and a set of 3 questions. The mind maps with the highest scores were excluded from this assignment. Students were directed to choose a mind map that they did not work on and answer the three critique questions. The questions were as follows: “Does this mind map include all ideas and concepts related to the subject? If not, state what is missing? State only one aspect that is missing;” “What are the aspects that you like most about the mind map (e.g., in terms of ideas, links and connections used, supporting evidence, information used);” and “Provide at least one suggestion to improve this mind map.” The motivation behind this assignment was to encourage students to constructively critique their peers’ work. Therefore, there were no wrong answers to 2 out of the 3 questions, unless students failed to spot their peers’ mistakes regarding missing information on the mind map. The results of this assignment are not shown in this paper.

To address study objectives, a survey was distributed online to students in both courses after the first assignment (Survey 1), Appendix B in Additional File 1 . It was divided into three main sections: student satisfaction with the information regarding mind mapping and associated assignments; effects on students regarding the change in assessment style due to COVID-19 control measures and the transition to online education; and student satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool and the skills gained from the assignment. Responses to the questions in each section were rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Additionally, an extra question on the skills students believed they acquired when working on their assignments was included.

After submitting the last assignment, the same survey was posted for students again with an extra open-ended question: “After finishing all three mind mapping assignments, what do you think are the positive and negative aspects of the assignments?” “Do you have any suggestions about them?” (Survey 2). This was done to compare students’ responses from both surveys and measure changes in their perceptions regarding mind mapping through their openly shared views on the assignments.

Statistical analysis

To address the research questions, students were asked to complete a survey after the first assignment and again after the last. The data collected from students for first survey S1 is available in Additional file 2 while the data collected from the second survey S2 is available in Additional file 3 . Students’ responses to the two surveys were then compared, as were their achievement levels in the first term before the COVID-19 pandemic and the second term after the pandemic began. The data for students’ academic achievement in first and second term can be found in Additional file 4 . Both Survey 1 (S1; N = 53 students) and Survey 2 (S2; N = 45 students) had one independent variable—medical physics students (health physics and MRI). However, the dependent variable for S1 represented students’ answers related to the survey’s objectives, while for S2, they represented students’ answers related to the survey’s objectives and to an open-ended question. To measure the internal consistency of the survey items, Cronbach’s Alpha was used. It creates a measure of reliability for the survey items and how closely related a set of items within a group are. Factor analysis was used to test the validity between the survey questions in subsites. If the value is less than the absolute value of 0.4, it is inconsistent and saturated. This analyses the relationships between the set of survey questions that are grouped per survey aim (subset), to determine whether the participant’s responses on different questions per survey aim (subsets) relate more closely to one another than to other survey questions [ 34 ].

Responses to positively worded questions were collected and coded as follows: strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, disagree = 2, and strongly disagree = 1. However, to maintain consistency, for Questions 1 and 2 in the second section of the survey (Appendix B in Additional File 1 ), the negatively worded questions were taken into consideration, and responses to these were reverse coded. The survey data were analyzed using the SPSS software package. Frequencies (N), percentages (%), means (M), and standard deviations (SD) were used to analyze the response. Responses to the open-ended question from S2 were low (only 19 response) and hence not statistically significant. Therefore, the coding technique was used, and similar answers were added into the same category. Answers were categorized as positive, negative, and in the form of suggestions for mind mapping assignments.

The means of both surveys' first and second objectives were tested for their significance of difference using a paired samples t-test. Finally, a chi-squared test was used to determine any statistically significant differences between student achievement levels in the first term (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and the second term (post-COVID-19 pandemic commencement).

Responses from the questionnaires of S1 and S2—which were provided prior to the final exams after students submitted all assignments and were given feedback on their work and scores based on the rubric—were analyzed. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.829 and 0.775 for S1 and S2, respectively, indicating a relatively high internal consistency for both surveys. Table Table1 1 show the result of factor analysis for both surveys S1 and S2. Results show good internal validity values, except for Question 6 in S1, while showing good internal validity for S2. This could be due to the sample size, as the larger the sample size, the better the statistical power, which reflects on factor analysis values [ 34 ]. As shown in Table Table2, 2 , the highest responses for S1 and S2 were from the health physics course, which made up 81% and 80% of the responses, respectively. The remaining 19% and 20% responses in S1 and S2, respectively, were from the MRI course students. This similarity in results was expected, as more students were registered for the health physics course.

Factor analysis with principle component analysis for Survey 1 and 2

Number of responses in survey 1 and 2

S1: Survey 1, S2: Survey 2, MRI – JAR: Magnetic Resonance and Medical imaging course, course code: JAR, HP: Health Physics Course, course’s codes: GAR and IAR

Table Table3 3 provides detailed information on the mean, standard deviation, and trend for responses to each question regarding student satisfaction with the information provided to them about mind mapping and the associated course assignments in S1 and S2. The overall mean frequency for responses in S1 and S2 was 3.38 and 3.53, with a trend of “neutral” and “agree” responses, respectively. Thus, students indicated overall satisfaction with the information provided about mind mapping and the associated course assignments in S2. Additionally, S2 results showed that 60% of students had not been previously trained on mind mapping (Q1), while 26.7% of students had used mind maps in their studies before. Regarding the usefulness of the supporting information provided (Q2) and recommended instructional videos (Q3), 66.7% and 57.8% of students found this to be useful, respectively, while only approximately 4% and 18% did not, respectively. Most students (73.4%) agreed that the assessment method (rubric) the instructor provided was clear (Q4), while 13.4% did not understand the assessment method.

Student satisfaction with information provided about mind mapping and assignments

S1: Survey 1; S2: Survey 2

Table Table4 4 provides detailed information on the responses to each question regarding the effects of changing the assessment style due to COVID-19 control measures and switching from on-campus classes to online virtual classes and students’ satisfaction levels. S1 and S2 results show a mean score of 3.06 and 2.98, respectively, indicating a generally neutral response.

The effect of changing assessment styles due to COVID-19 spread control measures and the transition to online education on students’ satisfaction

* To maintain consistency with analysis as reverse coding in Likert scale for Q1, Q2 was used with negative wording ("not stressful" here). S1: Survey 1; S2: Survey 2

As shown in Table Table5, 5 , student satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool and the skills they gained from the assignments had a mean frequency of 3.75 and 3.56 in S1 and S2, respectively, with a general trend of “agree” responses; this reflects a consensus among students regarding their satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool. In S1 and S2, approximately 64% and 53.4% of the students agreed that using mind maps was beneficial to their learning in and understanding, while only 15% and 9% believed it was not, respectively (Q1). Furthermore, 69% of students agreed that working on the mind maps helped them recognize and identify themes in the lectures, while 9% did not in both S1 and S2 (Q2). In addition, when students were asked if using mind maps helped them gain a deeper understanding of the subject they were studying, 59% in S1 and 58% in S2 agreed that it was beneficial to them, while 21% in S1 and 18% in S2 did not find it useful (Q3). Regarding working on the mind mapping assignment in groups, 51% and 42% of students agreed they had gained new skills, compared to 26% and 31% who were not satisfied with their group in S1 and S2, respectively (Q4). However, when students were asked if they would continue using mind maps in their studies in S1 and S2, 68% and 60% stated they would, while only 19% and 16% reported they would not, respectively (Q5).

Students’ satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool

Figure 1 summarize students’ responses in S1 and S2, regarding the skills they perceived themselves as gaining by participating in the mind mapping assignments. Student responses in both surveys suggested that the top skill gained was organizing and planning (S1: 30%; S2: 27%), followed by decision-making skills (S1: 18%; S2: 22%). However, in S1, the proportions of students who gained problem-solving (13%) and persuasion and influencing skills (12%) were almost equal, followed by 11% of students gaining critical thinking skills. Conversely, in S2, nearly an equal proportion of students perceived gaining critical-thinking (14%) and problem-solving (13%), followed by 9% of students gaining persuasion and influencing skills. Finally, student responses in both surveys reported that conflict-resolution (S1: 9%; S2: 8%) and feedback (S1: 7%; S2: 7%) skills were gained the least.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 12909_2022_3211_Fig1_HTML.jpg

Bar chart representing students’ perceptions in Survey 1 and 2 regarding each skill gained during their group work on the mind mapping assignment

In the open-ended question added to S2, students reported the following responses regarding the assignments: 1) positive aspects: they learned new skills, better understood the course, learned in groups, and gained independent learning skills while studying; 2) negatives aspects: shorter submission deadlines, difficulty in group-work for some students, and challenges in identifying key concepts; 3) improvements suggested: allowing students to choose their group members and providing a practice session for students before the first assignment is posted on Blackboard. Figure 2 shows the improvements in students’ results across all three mind maps.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 12909_2022_3211_Fig2_HTML.jpg

Improvements in students’ average scores out of 12 in both courses with each assignment

Students’ satisfaction with mind map assignments and comparison of students’ academic achievement in the current (after COVID-19 pandemic started) and previous term (before COVID-19 pandemic)

The paired samples t-test showed no significant difference between students’ mean satisfaction in S1 and S2. This indicated a lack of post-S2 improvement in students’ satisfaction. For the first objective, a paired samples t-test was performed on students’ average satisfaction in S1 (M = 3.38, SD = 0.85) and S2 (M = 3.53, SD = 0.81), with information regarding mind mapping and associated course assignments. However, no significant differences were found in students’ satisfaction. For the second objective, students’ average responses regarding the effect of changing assessment styles and the transition to online education on students’ satisfaction were compared between S1 ( M = 3.06 , SD = 0.92) and S2 (M = 2.98 , SD = 0.95 ) S2, and the results indicated no significant differences in students’ satisfaction for this objective. Similarly, no significant differences were found for the third objective, between students’ responses regarding satisfaction with using mind maps in S1 ( M = 3.74 , SD = 0.95) and S2 ( M = 3.56 , SD = 0.77 ) .

Figure 3 shows a normal distribution for students’ grades in the first and second semesters in both the health physics and MRI courses. The result of a chi-squares test shows that there are no differences in students’ grade distribution between the two term of year 2020, before and after COVID-19 pandemic started. Hence, chi-square = 4.29 < x 0.05 , 4 2 = 9.48 and p-value = 0.36 > 0.05 support hypothesis H 0 , where H 0 means no relationship between students’ academic achievement and term, where grades are independent of the term, while H 1 posits there is a relationship between student academic achievement and term, where grades are dependent on the term.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 12909_2022_3211_Fig3_HTML.jpg

Grade distribution for students in the two courses during the first and second terms in the academic year 2019–2020

This study investigated the use of mind maps as a learning and assessment tool for medical physics students at KAU under the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and a sudden switch in teaching mode from on-campus to online classes. Two surveys, one directly after the first mind map assignment and the other just before the final exam, were distributed to students, to assess student satisfaction with the information provided on mind mapping and the associated course assignments, effects of changing assessment styles due to COVID-19 control measures, switching from on-campus classes to online classes, student satisfaction levels, student satisfaction with using mind maps as a learning tool, and the skills gained from the assignments.

The findings showed no significant differences between surveys for students' mean satisfaction scores. This could be due to the sudden changes and control measures that were implemented by the Ministry of Education during the COVID-19 pandemic, as explained above; hence, the study was conducted over a short period, during the second half of the second term of 2020. Moreover, most students had no prior experience with mind maps, and only 19% of the students who conducted the survey (survey S1) said that they learnt and used mind maps before this course. Furthermore, the study was conducted with a limited number of students. However, by comparing the results of students’ responses to each of the surveys’ objectives, we were able to gain a deeper insight. Hence, although students were not initially certain about the usefulness of the information provided, as they completed more assignments, they became more skilled in using mind maps and could make clearer judgments. This confirms that the mind map is a powerful tool that can be easily adapted when suitable guidance is provided, and results can be seen over a short period of time. This is in line with the findings of previous studies [ 15 , 35 ], which compared memory retrieval and critical-thinking in medical students using mind mapping and standard note-taking techniques. Although there were no differences in the results between the two methods, students did not use mind mapping before participating in the study, which indicates that mind mapping is a robust learning technique.

The mean response was neutral in both surveys regarding the effects of changing assessment styles due to COVID-19 control measures, switching from on-campus to online classes and student satisfaction levels. Students were unable to decide if they agreed or disagreed that the sudden changes were stressful. Moawad [ 36 ] studied student responses to academic stress from online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that the main source of stress stemmed from uncertainty about exams and assignment changes. These issues were addressed at our university almost immediately after switching to online teaching platforms; there was tremendous support and prompt strategies and polices were provided in response to the pandemic to maintain effective education for students. Student support included short online courses on how to use Blackboard, support for students with special needs, and online academic and psychological counseling, with reassuring messages provided to students on university social media platforms [ 37 ].

In both surveys, students were satisfied with the use of mind mapping as a learning tool. This finding confirms that it is an effective learning tool that can improve students’ comprehension and information retrieval skills in medical education [ 5 , 15 ], enhance learning and vocabulary recall [ 38 ], and improve writing in English [ 22 ]. Colors, images, and connections are all used in the learning process, which in turn increase students’ motivation to learn [ 39 – 41 ]. Moreover, students’ responses to the open-ended questions in both surveys regarding skills they perceived themselves as acquiring during group work on the mind mapping assignments showed that organizing, planning, and decision-making skills were acquired most frequently, while critical-thinking skills came in third. All these skills are crucial for students’ academic achievement. Abdulghani et al. [ 16 ] reported that high-achieving medical students perceived prioritization, time management, and mind mapping as factors that contributed to their academic success. Furthermore, the present study shows that the more the students complete mind map assignments, the more improvement there is in their grades for mind maps. This indicates that continuous application of the mind mapping technique can improve students’ learning, which is reflected in their grades and achievements. Students’ perceptions of the advantages of using mind maps, such as enhanced learning and comprehension, were similar to the results of previous studies by Wickramasinghe et al. [ 41 ], Erdem [ 42 ], and Wu and Wu [ 15 ].

However, some students thought that mind mapping was time consuming and felt that they needed more time, while others thought that identifying the main concept was challenging and there were concerns regarding low grades. These concerns were examined by Erdem [ 42 ] in a study focused on university students’ perceptions on the use of mind mapping as a lifelong learning tool, which suggested that as students continue to develop mind maps, they become faster and more skilled, creative, and imaginative. Some students thought that working with mind maps in a group was an opportunity to learn, while others thought it was a disadvantage. While Stokhof et al. [ 40 ] concluded that shared mind map activity enhances students’ learning and critical thinking, Jones et al. [ 39 ] suggested varying students’ mind mapping activities and allowed students to work on mind maps according to their preferences—individually in or out of class or with groups—could maximize student engagement, thereby improving their learning goals.

Despite the circumstances of the second term in which the COVID-19 pandemic began and education and lifestyle changes were enforced as preventive measures, there are no significant differences in students’ grade distributions between the two terms of the year 2020 (before and after the COVID-19 pandemic began). This is in alignment with a study done by Elsaid [ 43 ], whose results showed no significant difference despite this sudden switch. The study also compared students’ grade distribution for the two-learning models in the developing country, taken before the pandemic (face-to-face learning model) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (online learning model). This is also confirmed by studies comparing the performance of online learners with conventional (face-to-face) learners before the pandemic started [ 44 , 45 ]. Moreover, another study by Gonzalez et al. [ 46 ] conducted on Spanish university students showed a significant improvement in students’ performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the teaching model changes. The students believed to be motivated to change their time management habits during studying and learning strategies and improving their independent learning performance to adapt to the uncertainties that came with the pandemic, thus ensuring that their academic advances which back as an improvement in their performances. However, conflicting outcomes were reported in other studies. This is evident in a recent study done by Giusti [ 47 ] on Italian students’ perspectives regarding distance learning and its impact on their psychological health and academic performance. The study showed that the negative impact of online education on students is related to psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression. This is due to lack of social interaction, technical, and economic factors. This in turn reflects negatively on students’ performance. The lack of network availability, suitable network coverage and educational platforms, online educational support from courses’ instructors, virtual interaction with colleagues and instructors, efficient online course content, online support and training on the provided online platforms, and financial support for students are also key factors that are reported to affect students’ performance [ 48 , 49 ]. Adapting a strategic and swift switch to online education could mitigate the dramatic effect that could arise because of sudden and extreme situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, to sustain educational support for students, King Abdulaziz University KAU managed to successfully implement an online model where thousands of classes were conducted weekly with the help and support of the Deanship of e-Learning and Distance Education. As a result, AI-Youbi et al. [ 37 ] proposed the KAU Pandemic Framework that integrates five pillars of strategic adoption of the social media platform (Twitter): social media governance, social media resilience, social media utilization, decision-making capabilities, and institutional strategies, which help provide flexible and sustainable education and learning overtime. Twitter was used throughout the pandemic time to communicate with the KAU community regarding administrative issues, educational sustainability, and community responsibility. Hence, KAU could communicate all regulations and changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and at the same time, attend to students needs by providing helplines for student enquires, the supply of free laptops for students in need, online academic advice, psychological support, and online support for disabled students and students with autism. Furthermore, there were many activities organized for community support, such as raising awareness of COVID-19 and safety measures through workshops and infographics.

The study aimed to measure the effectiveness of mind mapping as a learning and assessment tool for female medical physics student during the pandemic. Hence, students’ satisfaction were also considered by conducting two surveys measuring: the learning material on mind maps and associated course assignments provided, changing the assessment style due to the sudden switch from face-to-face to online learning models, and using mind maps as a learning tool. Students were also asked about their overall experience and skills that they perceived to have gained from the mind map assignments. Although results show no significant difference between students’ mean satisfaction in both surveys, students’ responses showed consistency regarding their satisfaction with using mind maps. The results of the present study indicate that mind-mapping is a powerful learning tool that, if practiced and mastered by students, could enhance their learning outcomes and improve their critical-thinking and soft skills. However, our number of participants was limited. The sample only included two courses that were taught for second- and fourth-year female medical physics students of a Science faculty in KAU. Future studies could include a longitudinal analysis over a longer period. They should also include the effect of some learners’ demographic and academic variations, such as gender, age, degree, and GPA. It is worth expanding the study to include other courses for medical physics within the same institute, and expanding it to compare different subjects within the same faculty, thus improving the scope of the results. Moreover, future collaborative research across institutes could help assess regional differences.

The results also show that the sudden switch in educational settings, from conventional to online due the COVID-19 pandemic, didn’t negatively affect students’ grades. In challenging situations such as these, well-established communication between educational institutions and students is believed to ease students’ stress regarding the effects of changes on their grades and future. For future research, it might be worth involving students in a variety of mind mapping activities—individually in or out of class or with groups—to explore differences in their learning preferences and how this can affect learning experiences.

This study did present certain limitations. First, although students were given the option to choose software programs, some software had limited features, which could cost students money or time when they must learn a new software program. Therefore, to overcome this difficulty, it is recommended that students are provided with one software program that is supported by the educational institution. Second, although students were provided with materials and a short session to explain mind mapping, some students still reporting difficulties in understanding the technique. Thus, it is recommended that students are offered a practice session and a mock mind mapping assignment to ensure that they understand the process fully. To maximize students’ learning experience, it is also suggested that a discussion session be provided, where students can present their work to their peers in class and discuss their ideas and suggestions for improvements. Finally, this study was performed in a limited context; hence, it is recommended that this method be applied to future research using different courses and over a longer period to monitor changes in students’ achievements.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Editage ( www.editage.com ) for English language editing.

Abbreviations

Authors' contributions.

The design of the work, collection, and interpretation of data were performed by the author of this manuscript.

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

Declarations.

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the affiliated Institutional Review Board (Unit of Biomedical Ethics and Research Committee; reference number: 645–20 [Non-intervention; cross-sectional]). The surveys used in this study were online surveys. Students who participated in these surveys were informed verbally that their responses would be anonymous and non-participation would not affect their grades. Hence, participation contained informed consent. The consent statement was as follows: "Dear students, survey participation is voluntary. Your responses will remain anonymous, and non-participation will not affect your course grades, as no identifying information will be collected. However, your participation will help improve the assignments and your opinion would be appreciated and taken into consideration."

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

IMAGES

concept map about literature review
Literature Review Mind-Map: Is it possible to re-define value in order to…
review of related literature concept map
LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature
Using mind-map to review the literature

VIDEO

Brain 21
How to MIND MAP (in your journal!)
How to Revise ? English Mind Maps
ICSE Eng Literature 2024: 60+ Important MCQs Revision from MOV + Poetry + Prose🔥
SAY SOMETHING
Pixies

COMMENTS

Unveiling the Essence: Exploring Research in Literature Review
identify the true statements about a literature review. (check all that apply.) multiple select question. it helps researchers stay informed about the latest thinking related to their topic of interest. it helps clarify and define research questions and the research problem. it recommends research hypotheses that can be investigated. it helps researchers develop new scales to measure variables ...
Mind Mapping the Literature Review
The mind map is an excellent way of breaking down complex ideas into their individual parts, to help you understand the relationships between them. At a basic level, you can use it as a note-taking tool while you are reading each paper. Visually laying out all the parts of a topic can help you see the broad themes, as the associations and ...
5. The Literature Review
A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories.A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that ...
Using Concept Maps
Concept maps or mind maps visually represent relationships of different concepts. In research, they can help you make connections between ideas. You can use them as you are formulating your research question, as you are reading a complex text, and when you are creating a literature review. See the video and examples below.
Research Guides: Literature Reviews: Concept Mapping
A concept map or mind map is a visual representation of knowledge that illustrates relationships between concepts or ideas. It is a tool for organizing and representing information in a hierarchical and interconnected manner. At its core, a concept map consists of nodes, which represent individual concepts or ideas, and links, which depict the ...
Writing a literature review
Writing a literature review requires a range of skills to gather, sort, evaluate and summarise peer-reviewed published data into a relevant and informative unbiased narrative. Digital access to research papers, academic texts, review articles, reference databases and public data sets are all sources of information that are available to enrich ...
How to Write a Literature Review
Examples of literature reviews. Step 1 - Search for relevant literature. Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources. Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure. Step 5 - Write your literature review.
Strategies to Find Sources
Finding sources (scholarly articles, research books, dissertations) for your literature review is part of the research process, a process that is iterative--you go back and forth along the process as new information is gather and analyze until all necessary data is acquire and you are ready to write.
Strategies to Find Sources
Finding sources (scholarly articles, research books, dissertations, etc.) for your literature review is part of the research process. This process is iterative, meaning you repeat and modify searches until you have gathered enough sources for your project. The main steps in this research process are:
Literature review example: Using mind mapping as a technique ...
In this video, I will walk you through the steps of developing a literature review and introduce you to mind mapping, a useful technique for planning your st...
Mind‐Mapping: A Successful Technique for Organizing a Literature Review
Mind-mapping techniques can help you organize the literature review. Mind-Mapping. The steps taken to construct a puzzle are similar to the steps for organizing ideas for a literature review. Puzzle boxes hold individual pieces and show a picture of the completed puzzle. Having a single idea, the audience, the journal, and the slant clearly in ...
Steps in Conducting a Literature Review
A literature review is an integrated analysis-- not just a summary-- of scholarly writings and other relevant evidence related directly to your research question. That is, it represents a synthesis of the evidence that provides background information on your topic and shows a association between the evidence and your research question.
Literature review
What is a literature review? 1-problem formulation 2-literature search 3-data evaluation 4-analysis and interpretation. Public mind map by Valeria Baudo. Create your own collaborative mind maps for free at www.mindmeister.com. Unlock the full potential of your projects.
Mind-Mapping: Successful Technique for Organizing a Literature Review
"Mind-mapping"is a process that can help you move from individual ideas (puzzle pieces) in the literature review to grouping concepts or studies around ma jor themes (the whole puzzle). Mind mapping or framing is a "graphic way to create a blueprint for your project" (Bollen, 1997). Write Down All Ideas To begin mind-mapping,first write
Conducting a Literature Review: Research Question
Develop a concept map using the worksheet or one of the online mind mapping tools in the Activity box. Develop a Research Question. Before you can begin your literature review, you will need to select a topic. It is helpful to think about your research topic as a question. For example, instead of a topic like "diversity in the workplace," you ...
Approaching literature review for academic purposes: The Literature
INTRODUCTION. Writing the literature review (LR) is often viewed as a difficult task that can be a point of writer's block and procrastination in postgraduate life.Disagreements on the definitions or classifications of LRs may confuse students about their purpose and scope, as well as how to perform an LR.Interestingly, at many universities, the LR is still an important element in any ...
what is a literature review?
Explanation: "A literature review is a comprehensive summary and evaluation of previous research or scholarly articles on a specific topic". It involves examining, analyzing, and synthesizing the existing literature to identify trends, key findings, gaps in knowledge, and different perspectives. Literature reviews are commonly used in academic ...
what is a literature review
A literature review is a critical analysis of the existing research on a particular topic. It is typically written as an introduction to a research paper or thesis, and it serves to provide the reader with a background on the topic, as well as an overview of the key findings of the existing research. ... or by using a mind map. - Once you have ...
Literature review
Similar Mind Maps Mind Map Outline. Literature reviewby Sham Nair. 1. Selecting the topic. 1.1. Purpose. 1.1.1. to show gaps in the research. 1.1.2. to justify your own research. 1.1.3. to demonstrate your understanding of your field.
How to mind map for your literature review 10: imindmap 3D ...
http://www.literaturereviewhq.com/imindmapAmazing 3D presentation from imindmap, great for sharing ideas full of visual impact - check out the free version a...
Conducting Literature Reviews
You can edit this mind map or create your own using our free cloud based mind map maker. Mind Map Gallery Conducting Literature Reviews. 186 2 1 Release time：2020-10-08 Conducting Literature Reviews. A review of the literature is a compilation of the research that has been published on a topic by recognized scholars and researchers. Edited at ...
The effect of implementing mind maps for online learning and assessment
Literature Review. The mind mapping technique was developed by Buzan , based on a theory inspired by da Vinci's notes, and by scientists such as Galileo, Feynman, and Einstein. A mind map starts with the main topic represented as an image at the center of the page, then the subtopics branch out and are placed onto curved lines.
(PDF) A Literature Review on How the Mind Map Method ...
A Literature Review on How the Mind Map Method Helps Students Remember School Lessons 879. Open Access This chap ter is lic ensed under the terms of the C reative Com mons Attri bution-NonComm ...