Extending the use of references to the literature: Lessons from a content analysis of mixed method case exemplars

The role of references to the literature in a scholarly publication is conceived principally in terms of its foundational role in establishing the need for a study and framing its contribution. This methodological inquiry used content analysis to examine how authors of mixed methods exemplars deployed references to the literature in the discussion section of their manuscripts. These authors also deployed references to literature in the discussion section to support statements about the implications and significance of the research or to explain unexpected findings. Immersion in a broad range of relevant literature may be particularly important in mixed methods research where a strong emergent strand often introduces heightens awareness that a phenomenon is more complex than initially conceived.