Download - Dissertations 2 research + lit reviews (handout)

Dissertations & Major Project Writing

Week 2 of 5:

Research skills,‘surveying the literature’& the ‘literature review’

Robert Walsha, LDU City campus, Calcutta House, CM2-22

An LDU short course presentation

Dissertations & Major Project Writing week 2

This week’s topics:

• Research skills, methods & methodology:– critical analytical research: effective

information gathering;– critical reflection;– keeping a research journal.

• ‘Surveying the literature’: understanding & undertaking effective literature reviews

critical analytical research

• It’s all about asking questions!• Note-taking strategies for success;

– Skim-reading, chapter/index searching, etc– Using the margins;– Note-taking for context;– Photocopying as a tool / highlighting;– Spider/flow diagrams or mind-maps for

keeping focus of key issues & their relationships with one another; also for establishing clear structural approaches;


– Spider/flow diagrams or mind-maps …

Example of a mind-map

– ‘Cornell’ system, to facilitate questioning, critical pro-active note-taking

Climate ClassificationGB234 / 03/04/02

I. System of Climate Classification

Koppen A. Invented by Vladimir Koppen, botanist. Saw biologicalactivities as function of climate characteristics

What did he do?Why important?

B. Created climograph; displays mo'ly temp. and precip. On 1graph

Defineclimograph. Howdo you calculate

C. Main concern was make it simple: rel'ship betweenpotential evap and amt of mois rec'd at any geo. location

Give example

II. Arctic Climates: ET + EF. E avg. mo'ly temp<50

List and define Eclimates

ET: avg. temp. warm'st mo. 50F + < 32F

CharacteristicsET? EF?

*tundra or continental sub arctic

EF: avg. temp. in warm'st mo. <32F

*ice cap or arctic

Define Humid DryBoundary

III. Humid Dry Boundary

How HBDcalculated?

A. Marks maj. diff. between humid + dry climate regime.

Example? B. Must know how boundary calculated

Summary: Koppen was a botanist who invented a system of climate classification.He believed that characteristics of climate determined biological activities (such as????) o classify climates he developed the climograph, which displays variables ofmo'ly temp. and precip. We are looking at the relationship between potentialevaporation and amt. of moisture rcvd at a particular geographical location. E-typeclimates are locations where avg. mo. Temps are less than 50F. precip. is rcvd. Butcomes as snow. ET climates are tundra or continental sub-arctic. Warmest mo.temps of 50-32F. EF climates are ice cap or arctic. Warmest mo. = below 32F.


(Source unknown)


• Note-taking strategies for success (cont.);– Attention to detail with quotation marks

(avoiding risk of unintended plagiarism);– Once beyond initial researching stages: keep

separate notes for separate parts of your dissertation / project (e.g., one set of notes per chapter / section);

– Or try recording your notes (MP3 recorders, etc).


• Critical analytical research/note-taking: the importance of asking questions ‘as you go’:– Look for central ‘themes’ ~ ‘It will be

argued…’;– Skim reading to identify potentially relevant

passages;– Be selective about information you record:– Seek to discern: (i) analysis (ii) description.


• Constantly question:– ‘is this relevant?’ ‘is it information I (might)

need?’– ‘have I fully understood what the author is

saying?’– ‘Is it “argument”?’ ‘If so, is the source a

“messenger” or “originator”?’ If messenger, where are the ideas coming from?


• Constantly question:– ‘What are the issues here?’

• The ‘who’ ‘what’ ‘where’ ‘how’ ‘why’ ‘when’ questions;

• Be inquisitorial, not adversarial, in asking questions about the author(s) interpretations:– ‘Is the author correct, or is there a flaw in

their argument’?


– Preconceptions?– Does date of publication influence the

author’s evaluation? – What about place of publication?– Any bias or personal attachment?– Do they have a stake in the subject they are

writing about?– Is the information accurate, or are there

errors?


– Have subtleties been missed? Has any fundamental perspective been missed?

– ‘Is there a reason why the information may have been presented in the way it has?’

– Does the nature of the source affect the way it is written and the judgements that are made?

– ‘Why was the work written?’ What was the intended audience?

– How does it ‘fit’ with argument located elsewhere? Are there similarities? Differences? … and how compatible?


• And ask questions about the author’s evidence:– ‘Do the sources/research approaches used by

the writer affect the way he/she writes?’;– ‘Is the evidence well-presented, and are the

conclusions drawn the appropriate ones?’– Has the writer relied on primary or secondary

material?;– Is there anything ‘new’ about the evidence

utilised?;


• Finally:– ‘What is really being said here?’– ‘Are there any points the author might be

seen to have inadvertently missed (or deliberately avoided)?’

critical reflection

• Reflection ‘as you go’: assessing significance, relationships between things you have learnt; identifying argument, noting your view of strength & compatibility of arguments, etc.

• Also: ‘post-study reflection’ can be helpful in this process.

Keeping a research journal

• Is there a requirement for keeping a research journal or log?

• If yes, maintain this on a daily basis …

• … make as in-depth/ critical as possible …

• … evidence especially useful for discussion in any ‘research methods’ section.

Keeping a research journal

• Even if no requirement: a research log can:– Improve your introducing of the topic, your

ability to convey exactly what you are interested in/looking for;

– improve the focus & coherency of your information gathering, aiding critical reflection as your research develops … and so benefit the focus/coherency of your end project

literature reviews

• The purpose of a ‘literature review’;

• What the literature review should show:– understanding of the debate related to topic;– where the different explanations/

interpretations/ theories/ suggestions/ ideas originate …

– … plus their relative contribution;

literature reviews

– any difficulties and problems within the literature or in wider assumptions that will require investigation;

– any misconceptions/ misunderstandings

• Variations of literature review (over)

literature reviews

Lit. Review options (placing)

AIssue-structured(arts-humanities

model)

BExperiment/survey/

results-led(i.e., scientific-model)

1. … as part of Introduction

X ? (too large for intro?)

2. … as separate section following Intro?

3. … ‘as-you-go’ (i.e. dealing with topic-by-topic in main chapters)

X: need for a distinct Lit Review section at start; main chapters focus on own research results

literature reviews

Lit. Review options

AIssue-structured

(arts-humanities model)

BExperiment/survey/

results-led(i.e., scientific-model)

Function Introductory Introductory +

If part of Introduction section, may be anything from a paragraph upwards;

If a separate section, would need to be larger

Lit. reviews tend to be more detailed, as subsequent chapters centre on own experiment or survey results

literature reviews

• What types of source should I mention in my literature review?

• Being selective about sources & information included;

literature reviews

• The importance is identifying the nature & purpose of the source …– Academic? Non-academic? If, ‘non’, what?– ‘messenger’ or ‘originator’ of information?– Intent? To inform? To persuade?

literature reviews• Important: determine the nature of ‘what it is

saying’ (or not, as the case may be): e.g.,– new idea/argument/research/approach?– a reinterpretation?/an adaptation?– A synthesis?

• … and ‘what it represents’: e.g.,– In terms of academic understandings? Popular

understandings? Misunderstandings?– Old? New? Unusual? Orthodox? Representative?

Unrepresentative? views

• … and ‘how it relates’ to the knowledge.Deciding what to include .. And what not (see slides / separate handout)

literature reviews

• How general or exact-topic-specific?

Precise topicof investi-

gation

Wider relatedTopic (for

useful context)

Trajectories of Lit

Reviews

literature reviews

Trajectories of Lit

Surveys

Example 1: Lots of literature on your topic? Start on context / bigger picture / essential related research; move swiftly to your precise topic …

Main Topic

Wider topic/context

1

literature reviews

Trajectories of Lit

Surveys

Example 2: Not much written on your topic? Start on context / bigger picture / related studies, concentrating on parallels, but crucially commenting on (relative) lack of research/published material on your precise topic

Main Topic

Wider topic/ context

2

literature reviews

• Keeping the literature review within bounds;

• Should I review books I’ve not read?

• How should I structure my review?

• Do I ‘criticise’ or merely ‘present’ the literature?

• Final tip: see how the academics do it themselves!

Download - Dissertations 2 research + lit reviews (handout)

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