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Literature Review
LISC 6900
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What is a literature review?
In the terms of a literature review,
"the literature" means the works
you consult in order to understand
and investigate your research
problem.
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What is a literature review? Cont.
The literature review is a critical look at the
existing research that is significant to your
project.
It is a systematicmethod for identifying,
evaluating and interpreting the work produced
by researchers, scholars and practitioners.
You should evaluate what has already been
done, show the relationships between different
work, and show how it relates to yourproject
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What is not a literature review ?
It is not supposed to be just a summary of
other people's work. A literature review ismore than a summary--it is a critique of
the status of knowledge of a carefully
defined topic.
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Purpose of Literature Reviews
Define and limit the problem.
Place the study in a historical and
relationship perspective. Avoid unintentional and unnecessary
replication.
Select promising methods and measures.
Relate the findings to previous knowledge
and suggest further research
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Why is a literature review
important? Demonstrates we are knowledgeable with
relevant research
Makes sure we are not repeating work thatother people have reported in the openliterature
Tells us what is still unknown, or what we
could do differently in our research Allows us a way to make sure we are not
missing any significant issues
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Why is a literature review
important? Cont. Orients reader to the importance
and scope of the problem
Periodically updated to check for
new research activity
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What sort of questions should
the review answer? What do we already know in the area
concerned?
What are the existing theories?
Are there any inconsistencies or othershortcomings?
What views need to be (further) tested?
What evidence is lacking, inconclusive,contradictory or too limited?
Why study (further) the research problem?
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What literature should you
review? 1.
Journal articles: these are good, especially
for up-to-date information. They arefrequently used in literature reviews
because they offer a relatively concise, up-
to-date format for research.
Depending on the publication, these
materials may be refereed or non-refereed
materials.
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What are refereed journals?
Refereed materials are publications
reviewed by "expert readers" or referees
before publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as
Peer Reviewed.
Refereed materials assure readers that
the information conveyed is reliable and
timely.
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What about non-refereed
journals? Non-refereed materials such as Trade
Journals orMagazines use less rigorous
standards of screening prior to publication. Non-refereed materials may not by
checked as intensely as refereed
materials, but many can still be considered
scholarly.
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What literature should you
review? 2.Books: remember that books tend to be
less up-to-date, as it takes longer for abook to be published than for a journal
article.
They are still likely to be useful for
including in your literature review as theyoffer a good starting point from which tofind more detailed and up-to-date sourcesof information.
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What literature should you
review? 3.Conference proceedings: these can be
useful in providing the latest research, or
research that has not been published.
They are also helpful in providing
information about people in different
research areas, and so can be helpful in
tracking down other work by the same
researchers.
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What literature should you
review? 4.Government/corporate reports: many
government departments and corporations
commission or carry out research.T
heirpublished findings can provide a useful
source of information, depending on your
field of study.
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What literature should you
review? 5.Newspapers: since newspapers are
generally intended for a general (notspecialised) audience, the information they
provide will be of very limited use for yourliterature review.
Newspapers are more helpful as providersof information about recent trends,discoveries or changes, e.g. announcingchanges in government policy.
Newspapers do not give unbiased
opinions.
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What literature should you
review? 6.Theses and dissertations: these can be
useful sources of information. Howeverthere are disadvantages:
they can be difficult to obtain since theyare not published, but are generally onlyavailable from the library or interlibraryloan
the student who carried out the researchmay not be an experienced researcherand therefore you might have to treat theirfindings with more caution than publishedresearch.
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What literature should you
review? 7.Internet: the fastest-growing source of
information is on the Internet.
bear in mind that anyone can postinformation on the Internet so the qualitymay not be reliable
the information you find may be intended
for a general audience and so not besuitable for inclusion in your literaturereview (information for a general audienceis usually less detailed)
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Reading - getting the gist
Check the introduction, conclusion,abstract or executive summary for themain points
Check contents pages of books andreports pick out relevantchapters/sections
Use the index of books or reports
First or last sentences of paragraphs oftensummarise
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Evaluating what you read
Think about
Relevance to your topic
Intended audience Currency of the information
Coverage of the topic that the informationprovides
Accuracy of the information Authority of the author or information source
Level of objectivity of the author
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Record your sources
Download references from online indexes
Note keys points: problems, procedures,findings, and implications. Note any promising
techniques or major problems and limits to thestudies.
Keep systematic notes of the full records typethe reference in correct APA style in a database
or on separate cards, pages, etc. This will form the basis of your bibliography for
your dissertation
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Organizing Your Literature Review
The literature review has:
an introduction to the topic, the organization ofthe review, an explanation of how studies wereobtained, and the purpose of the review
a critical review that is organized logicallyaround key topics in the research problem.Studies are compared and contrasted as well asevaluated.
a summary stating the status of knowledge onthe topic, gaps in current knowledge, and anexplanation ho w the review relates to yourstudy, its significance, and the researchquestions or hypotheses.
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A good literature review
Goes beyond simply listing relevant literature
Is a critical essay
Refers to the bibliography at the end of your
dissertation
Assesses the range of literature available
Is a critical summary of the literature
Examines the background against which yourown research is set
Forms a significant section of your dissertation
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A good literature review
Offers opinions and personal response tothe different writings
Relates different writings to each other,compares and contrasts
Does not take the literature at face value
Shows an awareness of the theories and
values that underpin the research Uses particular language: authors assert,
argue, state, conclude, contend