'Understanding the Structure of the Subject': Conceptualizing Structural Cartography for Literature Reviews

Abstract

Understanding the structure of a literature may be enhanced and demonstrated when a literature review is accompanied by an associated bibliographic atlas. This paper conceptualizes the framework for such an atlas founded on the primary structural form by which a literature develops, namely, citations. The constitution of the atlas is inferred from the educational research literature itself, and addresses explorations of coverage, sources, and the media in which sources are published. Some features of the atlas include its focus on longitudinal, evolutionary, and historical understanding of a literature, and its provision of maps that support the identification of concepts and themes as well as an essential reading list. An implication of the paper is that structural cartography should be considered for methodological inclusion in literature reviews.

Keywords: literature review, educational research, citation network