Download - Problem Conceptualization
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Problem Conceptualization
Reviewing the Literature
Writing the Introduction
CommRes 199Prepared by Elena E. Pernia
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Writing the Introduction
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What are the purposes of the Introduction?
1. To define or identify: the general topic, issue, or area of concern. !In so doing, the introduction provides an
appropriate context for the literature review.
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What are the purposes of the Introduction?
2. To point out: trends in what has been published about
the topic; conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence,
and conclusions; gaps in research, such as a new problem
or perspective of immediate interest.
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What are the purposes of the Introduction?
!3. To establish the writer's reason (point of
view) for reviewing the literature. !4. To explain the criteria to be used in
analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review (sequence).
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What are the purposes of the Introduction?
!And, when necessary !5. To state why certain aspects about the
topic, geographic area, literature, etc. are or are not included (scope).
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Review of Related Literature
Some Definitions
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What is a review of literature?
a required part of a research proposal and often a chapter in thesis.
But more seriously now:
a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research.
an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers.
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What are the objectives of the literature review?
! to analyze critically a segment of a
published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.
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What are the objectives of the literature review?
! to convey to your reader what knowledge
and ideas have been established on the topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
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What are the objectives of the literature review?
The researcher writing the literature review gets to:
enlarge her/his knowledge about the topic, gain and demonstrate skills in:
information seeking
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Information seeking
!the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books
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What are the objectives of the literature review?
The researcher writing the literature review gets to: !
gain and demonstrate skills in: critical appraisal
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Critical appraisal
!! the ability to apply principles of analysis to
identify unbiased and valid studies
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What are the objectives of the literature review?
The researcher writing the literature review gets to:
enlarge her/his knowledge about the topic, gain and demonstrate skills in:
information seeking critical appraisal
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Searching the literature
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How do you search for
related literature?
1. Begin by asking yourself the following questions: !
What is the specific research problem or question that your literature review should help to define?
! What type of literature review are you conducting?
theoretical review methodological review 1. review of policy !
Apart from communication, are there other fields or disciplines that will help clarify the research problem? (e.g., fields of advertising, media industry, etc.; disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, etc.)
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How do you search for
related literature?
2. When selecting materials to include in the review, ask yourself questions like these about every book or article:
! Has the author formulated a problem/issue? Is it clearly
defined? Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance) clearly established? Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective?
! What are the author's research orientation and theoretical
framework? What is the relationship between the theoretical and
research perspectives? Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the
problem/issue? Does the author include literature taking positions she or he
does not agree with?
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How do you search for
related literature?
2. When selecting materials to include in the review, ask yourself questions like these about every book or article:
! In a research study, how good are the basic components of the
study design (e.g., population, intervention, outcome)? How accurate and valid are the measurements? Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question? Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?
! In material written for a popular readership, does the author use
appeals to emotion, one-sided examples, or rhetorically-charged language and tone? Is there an objective basis to the reasoning, or is the author merely "proving" what he or she already believes?
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How do you search for
related literature?
2. When selecting materials to include in the review, ask yourself questions like these about every book or article:
! How does the author structure the argument? Can you
"deconstruct" the flow of the argument to see whether or where it breaks down logically (e.g., in establishing cause-effect relationships)?
! In what ways does this book or article contribute to your
understanding of the problem under study? In what way(s) is it useful? What are the strengths and limitations? How does this book or article relate to the specific problem
or question you are developing?
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Writing the review
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How do you write the literature review?
1. Remember that the literature review is a piece of discursive prose. It is not a list describing or summarizing material after another. Hence, do not begin each paragraph with the name of a researcher.
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When writing the paragraphs that comprise the literature review
Provide the reader with: strong "umbrella" sentences at the start of
paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief "so what" summary sentences at
intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.
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How do you write the literature review?
1. Remember that the literature review is a piece of discursive prose. It is not a list describing or summarizing material after another. Hence, do not begin each paragraph with the name of a researcher.
!2. Summarize and critically evaluate each material
according to the guiding concept of your thesis or research question.
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When summarizing individual
studies or articles
Summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits.
! The amount of detail to include depends upon
the articles importance. Remember that the amount of space (length)
given an article denotes significance.
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How do you write the literature review?
3. Identify themes or concepts in the materials you are citing and then group these summaries into sections that present these themes or identify trends.
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When grouping the individual studies and articles
Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as: specific purpose or objective, chronology, qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, etc.
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How do you write the literature review?
3. Identify themes or concepts in the materials you are citing and then group these summaries into sections that present these themes or identify trends.
!4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus
of each section.
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When pointing out the focus
Provide the reader with: strong umbrella sentences at the start of
paragraphs, and signposts throughout
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How do you write the literature review?
3. Identify themes or concepts in the materials you are citing and then group these summaries into sections that present these themes or identify trends.
!4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus of each
section. !
5. Use an overall introduction and conclusion.
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How do you do the call the
conclusion of the literature
review?
!End the literature review with a section
entitled Synthesis which serves as the conclusion.
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How do you write the Synthesis?
!1. Summarize the major contributions of
significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the Introduction.
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How do you write the Synthesis?
!2. Evaluate the current "state of the art" for
the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out: major methodological flaws or gaps in
research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.
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How do you write the Synthesis?
!3. Conclude by providing some insight into
the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and the field of communication/media, etc.
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A few words about an annotated bibliography
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If you must do an annotated bibliography
1. Summarize each material briefly. 2. Following the important themes and concepts of
your research problem, do some critical assessment of each material.
3. Group summarized items into sections to show comparisons and relationships of the materials.
4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus of each section.
5. Develop an overall introduction and conclusion.
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Sources
Leedy, Paul (1998). Practical Research, Chapter 3
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/
ReviewofLiterature.html