amann-literature-synthesis

1# Literature Synthesis Methodology (amann-literature-synthesis)
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3## When to trigger
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5- The proposal was invited and it is time to read the field thoroughly and transparently
6- Reading feels unsystematic; you fear missing streams a referee could name
7- You have many papers but no way to code, compare, or reconcile them
8- You must decide whether this review is narrative, systematic, or bibliometric in method
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10## At Annals you synthesize — you do not run primary research
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12The folder name says "data analysis," but an Annals review reports **no data of its own**. Your "analysis" is the **systematic appraisal and integration of a literature**. The credibility of the whole review rests on the reader's belief that you read **everything that matters** and coded it consistently. Build coverage as a transparent process, not from memory.
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14## Choose the integration method first
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16| Method | What it does | Best when |
17|--------|--------------|-----------|
18| **Narrative / integrative review** | reads, interprets, and reorganizes the literature into a new framework | the contribution is conceptual integration (Annals' core mode) |
19| **Systematic review** | a pre-specified, reproducible search-and-screen protocol; transparent inclusion | the field is large and you must prove comprehensive, unbiased coverage |
20| **Bibliometric / meta-analytic** | co-citation, co-word, or quantitative effect-size synthesis | the contribution is structural (intellectual map) or a cumulative magnitude estimate |
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