Why Do a Literature Review?

1
Why Do a Literature Review?

• Acquaint with area
• Show link to the development of the area
• Establish credibility
• Integrate
• Learn techniques, approaches, problems
• Identify gaps

2
Types of Literature review

• Context
• History
• Theory
• Methods
• State of current knowledge

3
Purpose of Literature Review

• What has been done
• Who are the experts
• How how have people went about the study
• Where are the problems
• What the debates and controversies
• Which hypothesis have been tested

4
Identifying Variables
Mass Media influence
Interpersonal influence
Socio - economic
Why teenage girls smoke?
Biological
Climate
What is to be measured how is data collected?
5
Quality of Literature

• Authority
• Accuracy error free, reviewed, facts checked
• Objectivity bias!
• Currency up to date
• Coverage breadth and depth
• Value

6
Sources

• Refereed journals
• Text books
• Working papers
• Web ?????
• Trade Press Newspapers

7
Web

• Positive
• Fast
• Convenient
• Find related areas
• Cheap

• Negative
• Question over authority
• Easy to miss area
• Too voluminous
• Plagiarism

8
Sources

• E journals access using Athens
• www.athens.ac.uk for help contact
• Keith Walker email k.walker_at_napier.ac.uk
• Science Direct
• Sage
• Emerald Full Text
• Wiley Interscience
• ABI/Inform

9
Libraries

• Positive
• Can follow paper trail
• Find other articles by chance
• Studious atmosphere
• Get help

• Negative
• Expensive
• Tiring
• Limited stock

See http//nulis.napier.ac.uk/
10
Referencing Material
Use the Harvard System
See http//nulis.napier.ac.uk/StudySkills/CompB
ib
Should be referred by name
and date in the text and listed alphabetically in
the bibliography at the end of the
dissertation. For example, the statement may
appear  This finding is supported by Smith
(1990) and Jack (1987). This would appear in
the bibliography as  Jack, B. 1987. Quality
Improvement, Wiley, Chichester  i.e. for a book,
name, date, title, publisher, where
published.   Smith, V.T. 1990 - Improving
Quality, International Journal of Quality
Improvement, 6, 2, 10-21. Web pages should be
author, title, wed address and when last
accessed. GROS, www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics
/ (February, 2005)
11
Referencing Cont.

• If there is more than two authors then in text
  refer to them using et. al. which is Latin for
  and others
• e.g. Chen et. al. (2000) discuss theories on
  motivation.
• Chen Y., Box G.H., Amin K. and Fox T., 2000,
  Motivation at Work, Psychology Review, 7,1, 39-57

12
Critical Reading

• What has been done and its worth
• Rationalising the significance of the problem
• Understand the structure of the problem
  hierarchy and classification
• Identify variables
• Understand uncertainties
• Help determine sample sizes
• Identification of methods and techniques
• Placing in historical context

13
Being Critical

• Analysis dismantle, understand, evaluate
• Synthesis build, join ideas together
• Comprehension understand, explain, distinguish,
  interpretation
• Knowledge define, classify, problem solve

14
Typical Review

• Chapter 2
• Section 1 background
• Sections 2.2 2.? Particular aspects
• Section 2.x Methodologies Used
• Final bit Link to aims reaffirmation of
  research questions lead in to next chapter
• Around 20 to 30 pages - at least 20 references