INF 201

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INF 201

• Reviewing
• the
• Literature

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A literature review

• The selection of available documents (published
  and unpublished) on the topic, which contain
  information, ideas, data and evidence written
  from a particular standpoint to fulfil certain
  aims or express certain views on the nature of
  the topic and how it is to be investigated, and
  the effective evaluation of these documents in
  relation to the research being proposed.
• Hart, 1998, p.130
• (Hart, 1998, p.130)

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Finished review should be

• The relevant literature analysed systematically
  and coherently
• Main arguments, theoretical and methodological
  variables identified
• Evaluation related to justification of topic and
  methodology/methods to be used

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WHAT ITS NOT!

• A simple list of items found
• A list of items found and read!
• A list of items found, (and read!),with brief
  notes or abstracts
• A factual description of the contents of items
  found

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Why do it?

• To justify your choice of topic and approach to
  it
• To show familiarity with earlier work
• To show understanding of how your work fits in
  with/relates to earlier work in the same area
• To justify your choice of methodology and
  methods

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Why do it?

• Putting the topic in context
• Whats been done - what needs to be done?
• What have been the main methodologies used?
• What are the main variables?
• Gaining a new point of view?

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Why do it?

• To demonstrate understanding of relationships
  (theory, method, design)
• to demonstrate what is new about your own work

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Skills used/developed

• Literature searching
• Record keeping
• Evaluation of research
• Developing and defending a logical argument
• Clear, coherent, consistent expression

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Questions the review can/may answer

• What are the key sources?
• How is knowledge /information on the topic
  organized?
• What are origins of the topic?
• What are the main problems so far addressed?
• .

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Questions the review can/may answer

• What are the important theories, concepts and
  ideas?
• How/what has all this contributed to our
  knowledge/understanding of the topic?
• How can you use previous work to help narrow your
  own interests down to a do-able/researchable
  topic?

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Writing the review

• All relevant documentation identified and
  analysed
• All relevant main concepts. theories, approaches
  to topic identified, understood, evaluated

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Writing the review

• Provide a methodological justification for your
  research
• Identify sections to deal with each sub-topic, in
  logical, clear order
• Information (facts, statistics, quotations,
  extracts, case studies, examples, explanation,
  discussion)
• Interest (visual aids, bullet points, anecdotes,
  rhetorical questions)

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Writing the review

• Breadth and depth
• Rigour and consistency
• Clarity and brevity
• Effective analysis and synthesis

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    Summary

• Understanding of topic
• Key works referred to and discussed
• Conclusions about earlier research and
  range of approaches
• Develops research problem
• Shows gap in knowledge worth filling

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Dos

• Identify and review the key works
• Keep accurate and organised records of what you
  read
• Continue to update your literature search
• Use as much up-to-date work as possible
• Use quotations and examples to support analysis
  and argument

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Dos

• Make your own views clear
• Say why you think the topic is interesting/importa
  nt/relevant
• Get the bibliographical details right

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Donts

• Claim to have read anything you have not read
• Believe everything you read
• Deliberately misrepresent others
• Use others work without proper acknowledgement
• Cite a work if it is not relevant (even if is by
  one of your teachers!)

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Donts

• Use jargon, concepts, terms simply to impress or
  without explanation
• Forget to include all items mentioned in the
  review in your bibliography or list of references

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Further reading

• HART, Chris Doing a Literature Review Releasing
  the Social Science Research Imagination. ix,
  230pp. London Sage, 1998
• Main Library 4 copies. 300.1 (H)
• St Georges 4 copies. 300.72 (H) (Short Loan
  Collection)
• St Georges 2 copies 300.72 (H) One Week Loan