Literature Searching: Finding the evidence SES2203 February 2015
Jul 17, 2015
Literature Searching: Finding the evidenceSES2203 February 2015
What will we be doing today?
• Refresher – resources available to you
• What is a literature review?
• Searching effectively for journal articles
• Evaluating and critiquing what you find
Why research?
• Exercise 1: Group activity
Why research?
• Solve problems
• Underpin practice (does it work? Is it worth it?)
• Overview of existing knowledge, theory
• Identify gaps in knowledge
• Gather ideas about possible methodology, what your
findings might be, etc.
Finding the evidence
• For your
• Critique
• Research proposal and presentation
And next year’s dissertation....
A literature review:
- Sets the scene
- Helps develop the rationale for your proposed
research
- Outlines key themes, gaps in knowledge, limitations
of existing studies
Exercise 2: Explore
“Home advantage in sport”
• Using the search engine assigned to you (Summon, Google
or Google Scholar):
1) Carry out a search on this topic
2) Select a journal article (the best you can find)
3) Access the full text (PDF) of the article
• Be prepared to explain how you found it and why you chose
it.
10 minutes
How did it go?
What makes a good article?
The CARP test
C A R P
• Currency - How old is the information? When was it last updated?
• Authority - Who is the author / site creator? What is their background? Is the article published in a scholarly/peer reviewed journal?
• Relevance - Is this what I need? Will it answer my question? Is it at the appropriate level?
• Purpose - What is the purpose of the information e.g. financial gain, propaganda, academic, etc.
Starting your search
Think about:
• Areas of interest
• Keywords
• Scope of subject - limits?
Keywords
12
• Really worth a 5 minute brainstorm before you search
– it will save you time later!
• Searching one word for your concepts will not bring
you all the results! And sometimes none.
Not everyone uses the same terminology for one idea
Fundamental movement
skills
• Movement skills
• Skill acquisition
• Skill development
• Skill proficiency
• Motor skills / ability
Children
Adolescents
• Child*
• Adolescen*
• Youth
• Teenage*
Physical Education
• PE
• School sport
Physical activity levels
• Exercise
• Sports participation
• Enjoyment / fun etc
Does targeting
fundamental
movement skills
in PE improve
physical activity
levels in children
& adolescents?
Specific
skills
• Gender?
• Age groups?
Over to you...
• Using the worksheet
• Briefly summarise your topic in the first box
If you don’t have one, try “Effects of fatigue in team sports”
• Narrow it down to some key words
• Swap with your neighbour – add some they haven’t thought of
Where to search?
Sources to search
• Summon
• Databases (e.g. Sport Discus)
• Google Scholar
• Individual journals specific to your topic
Limiting your search
• Date
• Peer reviewed?
• Type of article / study
Need further help?
• Librarians in the Study Hub (1st floor) core hours Monday –Friday
• 1:1 appointments bookable via the SES library subject guide
Jo Wilson [email protected]
Ask a Librarian http://askalibrarian.mdx.ac.uk/