Research Methodology The Literature Review
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Research Methodology
The Literature Review
What is a Literature Review
Classification and evaluation of what accredited scholars and researchers have written on a topic
Organized according to a guiding concept such as a research objective, thesis, or the problem/issue to be addressed
Objective of a Lit Review
Not to rack up points by listing as many articles as possible
Demonstrate an intellectual ability to recognize relevant information, and to synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding concept
Your reader not only wants to know what literature exists, but also your informed evaluation of the literature.
Objective of a Lit Review
To meet both of these needs, you must employ two sets of skills: Information seeking: the ability to scan
the literature efficiently to identify a set of potentially useful articles and books
Critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify those studies which are unbiased and valid. Your readers want more just than a descriptive list of articles and books
Lit Review - Deliverables
NOT just a summary, but an organized synthesis of your search results. It must Organize information and relate it to
the research question you are developing Synthesize results into a summary of
what is and isn't known Identify controversy when it appears
in the literature Develop questions for further research
Literature Review - BiasNo author is free from outside
influence, such as A particular theoretical framework or model
(e.g. a feminist examination of gender inequity in medical research)
The author's rhetorical purpose (e.g. a researcher's reasons for advocating the effectiveness of a certain drug)
An experience-based practical perspective (e.g. the belief that one approach to software development is more effective than another)
Questions to ask about your Literature Review Do I have a specific thesis, problem, or
research question which my literature review helps to define?
What type of literature review am I conducting?
Am I looking at issues of theory, methodology, policy, quantitative research, qualitative research?
What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using; e.g., journals,
books, government documents, popular media?
What discipline am I working in; e.g. IT, psychology, science, medicine?
Questions to ask about your Literature Review
How good are my information seeking skills?
Has my search been wide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material?
Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material?
Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper?
Is there a specific relationship between the literature I've chosen to review and the problem I've formulated?
Questions to ask about your Literature Review
Have I critically analyzed the literature I use?
Do I just list and summarize authors and articles, or do I assess them?
Do I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the cited material?
Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?
Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?
Questions to ask about your review material
Has the author formulated a problem/issue? Is the problem/issue ambiguous or clearly
articulated? Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance)
discussed?
What are the strengths and limitations of the way the author has formulated the problem or issue?
Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective?
What is the author's research orientation
Questions to ask about your review material
What is the author's theoretical framework (e.g. psychoanalytic, developmental, feminist)?
What is the relationship between the theoretical and research perspectives?
Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue?
Does the author include literature taking positions s/he does not agree with?
Questions to ask about your review material
In a research study, how good are the three basic components of the study design (i.e. population, intervention, outcome)?
How accurate and valid are the measurements?
Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question?
Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?
In popular literature, does the author use appeals to emotion, one-sided examples?
Is the author objective, or is s/he merely 'proving' what s/he already believes?
Questions to ask about your review material
How does the author structure his or her argument?
Can you 'deconstruct' the flow of the argument to analyze if/where it breaks down?
Is this a book or article that contributes to our understanding of the problem under study, and in what ways is it useful for practice?
What are the strengths and limitations?
How does this book or article fit into the thesis or question I am developing?
The Literature Review
The Literature Review
STEP ONE: Articulating the Context Define the research problem Gather background information Identify key concepts
STEP TWO: Preparing for the Search Create Concept Lists Determine Where to Perform the Search
The Literature Review STEP THREE: Performing the Search
Learning the conventions of each database Searching the databases Decision: Were the Results Appropriate?
NO: consider possible solutions YES: continue to step four
The Literature ReviewSTEP FOUR: Obtaining Materials Cited in the Search Results
Are the materials available locally? Learn options for retrieval
STEP FIVE: Evaluating the Results Determine your criteria for evaluating the relevance of retrieved materials
The Literature Review
DECISION Satisfied with Materials Obtained? NO: You may wish to revise your search. YES: Hooray!
CITE YOUR REFERENCES "with Style" Use the appropriate style manual to construct your bibliography
Lit Review - Step 1 Articulating the Context Define the research problem
Often a new researcher defines a topic too broadly and has difficulty finding relevant prior research. Less frequently, the topic is too narrow
Gather background information This step is important if the researcher has done
little systematic reading in the area for research Dictionaries, Specialized encyclopedias,
Bibliographies (books, journal articles etc)
Lit Review - Step 1 Articulating the Context
Identify key concepts It is important to analyze the research
statement for its component concepts This helps when decisions are made
about where to search for information
Lit Review - Step 2 Preparing for the Search
Create Concept Lists Database searching is most efficient if concepts
are represented concisely and linked within the search
The first terms that come to mind are often the most useful as they are likely to appear in the records retrieved in the database searched
However, it is important to have synonyms, narrower terms, and broader terms to use in case alternate terms are used, or to narrow or expand the search
Lit Review - Step 2 Preparing for the Search
Determine Where to Perform the Search The options are diverse Where will the most relevant research
reports be indexed? Library for books, journals, dissertations,
videos, audio, CD-ROMs etc Internet for information on anything!
Lit Review - Step 3 Performing the Search
Learning the conventions of each databaseDatabase records and fieldsKeyword searchingBoolean matching
Searching the databases Know how to access various databasesConnect to the databases and look for
relevant information
Lit Review - Step 3 Performing the Search
Decision: Were the Results Appropriate?No
Do you need to return to step 1 and redefine the problem to be researched?
Did you create concept lists which included all the synonyms needed? Did you use boolean operators? Did you search in the most relevant databases? Do you think maybe you missed one? Go back to step 2
Would it be useful to return to Step Three to consider how well you understood the particulars of searching databases in general?
Yes Go to step 4
Step 4 - Obtaining Materials cited in Search Results Are the materials available locally?
Although some of the databases contain full text articles, you will probably need to get your hands on the materials via a library
Learn options for retrievalLibrary's catalog lists all the books, journal
subscriptions, videos, and other materials in the library
Not in library - consult with a librarian about your options
Inter library loan, subscriptions etc
Lit Review - Step 5Evaluating the Results
Determine your criteria for evaluating the relevance of retrieved materials
Decision - Satisfied with Materials Obtained?
No Same choices as at the end of Step 3 Go back to Step 1, Step 2 or Step Three
depending on problemLibrarians deal with people every day who are
frustrated with their information search. Never hesitate to ask for help! Refer you to a subject specialist in the library's
reference team.
Yes Finished
Cite your ReferencesUse the appropriate style manual to
construct your bibliography Your bibliography and references
should adhere to a specified format See APA Look at previous theses and copy
style!
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