A thorough, sophisticated literature review is the foundation and inspiration for substantial, useful research. The complex nature of education research demands such thorough, sophisticated reviews. Although doctoral education is a key means for improving education research, the literature has given short shrift to the dissertation literature review. This article suggests criteria to evaluate the quality of dissertation literature reviews and reports a study that examined dissertations at three universities. Acquiring the skills and knowledge required to be education scholars, able to analyze and synthesize the research in a field of specialization, should be the focal, integrative activity of predissertation doctoral education. Such scholarship is a prerequisite for increased methodological sophistication and for improving the usefulness of education research.

bygone eras making them needlessly inefficient. We outline a path that moves away

from the existing model of scientific communication to improve the efficiency in meeting

the purpose of public science—knowledge accumulation. We call for six changes:

(a) full embrace of digital communication; (b) open access to all published research;

(c) disentangling publication from evaluation; (d) breaking the “one article, one

journal” model with a grading system for evaluation and diversified dissemination

outlets; (e) publishing peer review; and (f) allowing open, continuous peer review.We

address conceptual and practical barriers to change and provide examples showing

how the suggested practices are being used already. The critical barriers to change

are not technical or financial; they are social. Although scientists guard the status

quo, they also have the power to change it.

This article suggests criteria to evaluate the quality of dissertation literature reviews and reports a study that examined dissertations at three universities. Acquiring the skills and knowledge required to be education scholars, able to analyze and synthesize the research in a field of specialization, should be the focal, integrative activity of predissertation doctoral education.