Research Methods - Lecture Notes PDF

Research Methods Chapter 3 Literature searching and literature reviews Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 1  The Chapter is presented in 2 lectures Part 1 & Part 2...

Research Methods Chapter 3 Literature searching and literature reviews Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 1  The Chapter is presented in 2 lectures Part 1 & Part 2 This is Part 2 Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 2 3- Literature searching cont. Format of information 1. Books 2. Journals 3. Conference proceedings 4. CDs and DVDs 5. Company reports and documentation 6. Theses: published reports/dissertations 7. Manuals: within technical computing projects 8. software reviews: for selecting relevant software. 9. Internet: is a valuable source of information but it must be treated with caution. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 3 4- Managing information Collecting a large number of articles and books relating to your subject is all very well but, you may soon find yourself so busy with paperwork and books. The best way to begin managing your research is by using the conceptual model you have created of your subject area (using your RTM, relevance tree or spider diagram). See pp 44-46 Another important strategy to follow is to set up an index system of some sort that includes information on every article and book that you read. here are software packages available that manage references for you – for example, Reference Manager (refer to http://www.refman.com/ for more details Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 4  4- Managing information record references in the correct format from the start – this will enable you to use them directly when you complete your project later on. When you are reading articles highlight key phrases, sentences and paragraphs by underlining or using a highlighter pen. Another useful idea is to make brief notes on the front page of articles and within the papers themselves. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 5 5- Critical evaluation After you have gathered some articles and books together, have read them to some extent and have an idea of what each one is about and what the author is trying to say. How do you critically evaluate them? Normally when people hear or read the word ‘criticise’ they think of it in a negative sense; However, to critically evaluate an article means far more than looking for faults Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 6 5- Critical evaluation cont. When you read an article or a book, consider the following points, (try to think how the article could contribute to your own work) What references does it use? Are these appropriate, relevant and up-to-date? Which references can you use? Is the article referenced by other authors? Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 7 5- Critical evaluation cont. 1. What is the major problem or issue being investigated? 2. How clearly are the major concepts defined/explained? 3. Is there a clear research question/hypothesis that can be, and is, tested? 4. What type of research design/methodology is employed? Is it suitable and reliable? 5. Have algorithms and statistical techniques been used appropriately? Can you apply them in your own work? What are the limitations of these techniques? Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 8 5- Critical evaluation cont. 6. Is the choice of measures, sample sizes and data appropriate? 7. Can generalisations be made from these results? What are the limitations of these generalisations? 8. Are the implications of the results discussed? 9. What is your overall assessment of the study – in terms of its adequacy for explaining the research problem and the contribution it is making? Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 9 6- Writing literature reviews You are now critically aware of your subject area and the literature in your chosen field. It is high time to present your understanding of your field and set the foundation for your project using the literature you have obtained as a literature review. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 10 6- Writing literature reviews cont. Purpose of a literature review 1. refine your research question and objectives; 2. highlight research possibilities that have either been explicitly identified by other authors or have possibly been overlooked in the past; 3. avoid repeating the work of others; 4. identify research methods and strategies that may be usefully applied in your own research. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 11 6- Writing literature reviews cont. Presenting literature review : discuss each article (source of information) in turn as a separate paragraph or section – for example: Book A: Covers..., Book B: Discusses..., Paper A: Introduces..., Person A: Thinks..., view the articles as a series of inter-related subtopics. See fig 5.6 fig 5.7 Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 12 6- Writing literature reviews cont. Figures 5.6 and 5.7 help to illustrate how a literature review should be presented. Figure 5.6 shows a particular research field that a student wishes to discuss as part of their literature review. The world’s understanding of this field is covered by numerous books, articles, papers, documents, knowledge in people’s minds, etc. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 13 6- Writing literature reviews cont. Figure 5.6 A research field made up of a number of articles, books, documents, etc. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 14 6- Writing literature reviews cont. Figure 5.7 How the research field shown in Figure 5.6 might be structured and presented in a literature review Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 15 6- Writing literature reviews cont. your literature review forms the foundation of your project. your review should implicitly cover the following four points: 1. Arrange relevant literature in the field. 2. Critically evaluate past and current research in the field. 3. Identify your project within a wider context. 4. Justify the existence of your project by identifying a gap in the field and showing how your project will fill that gap (particularly important at research degree level). Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 16 7- Summary ₋ A literature survey will help to place your project within a wider context and justify its presence within a particular field (or fields) of study. ₋ Your literature survey consists of two main components: 1. the literature search (supported by an ability to manage the information you gather) and 2. the literature review (which requires a critical understanding of material that you obtain). These components are performed repetitively over a period of time and (probably) in parallel with one another. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 17 7- Summary cont. ₋ Although you will eventually need to move on to the main investigation/ development part of your project, your literature survey will continue to be performed throughout the lifetime of your project to some extent, as you refine and consolidate the information you gather ensuring that your project remains up- to-date. Research Methods - Lecture 7: Chapter 3 (Part 2) Dr Wisal Tingari 18