...Guidelines for Literature/Review Proposal DUE APRIL 9, 2008 Introduction The introduction to the literature review/proposal orients the reader to the problem under study and has three parts. First, you need to provide a statement of the problem. This statement sets out the general reasons that the research area is important. You might indicate the prevalence of the problem, its relevance or cost, its importance to theory, the relative absence of knowledge, some contradictory research, etc. Prevalence statistics, knowledge gaps, contradictory research, the need for theory testing, presence of puzzling anomalies, etc. help to make your case here. Secondary sources (books, chapters, review articles) or tertiary sources (newspapers, magazine articles) can be helpful in making a general case for research in his area. However, do not rely on tertiary sources to make your case. I expect you will use a majority of primary sources with a limited (small) number of secondary/tertiary sources. The second section of the Introduction sets out the purpose of the proposed study. This can be brief and simply clarifies how your proposed study will address the problem you have identified. The third part of the Introduction is a statement of the research question (or hypotheses). Write your research question according to the guidelines for good research questions discussed in class. Parts one and two set the stage for the research question. Recommended length: 1 - 2 pages Review of Literature The written...
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...How to write a Literature Review: Step 1: Read a lot. Sounds simplistic, but the fact is that you do have to read a lot, and read with care and purpose. There are things that you can do within the process to make your life easier, and the purpose of this short document is to point some of them out. Hopefully, this will help. However, there is no substitute for good, thorough, and hard work. When you start your reading, start broadly. If you have an area you are interested in, such as computers in education, multi-media, distance education, web-based instruction, or some other specific concentration, start your reading in those areas. Course assigned reading will help, but you will have to branch outwards and inwards. Don’t be afraid to follow an area that seems not to be related to your area. You are trying to define your interests. Allow yourself the freedom to do that. Here are some tips on how you might branch out, and/or focus in: A. Look carefully at the references. Should the author raise a salient point that interests you and they happen to cite somebody, look up the citation and read the original source. The original source will have its own references, follow these. Repeat as necessary. B. Read from tangentially related fields. Don’t be afraid to look outside of the literature in IT to other areas. Educational Psychology, Human Resources, Computer Science, and Communications Studies are but a few of the related fields with important information...
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...How to write a literature review What is a literature review? The aim of a literature review is to show your reader (your tutor) that you have read, and have a good grasp of, the main published work concerning a particular topic or question in your field. This work may be in any format, including online sources. It may be a separate assignment, or one of the introductory sections of a report, dissertation or thesis. In the latter cases in particular, the review will be guided by your research objective or by the issue or thesis you are arguing and will provide the framework for your further work. It is very important to note that your review should not be simply a description of what others have published in the form of a set of summaries, but should take the form of a critical discussion, showing insight and an awareness of differing arguments, theories and approaches. It should be a synthesis and analysis of the relevant published work, linked at all times to your own purpose and rationale. According to Caulley (1992) of La Trobe University, the literature review should: • compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue • group authors who draw similar conclusions • criticise aspects of methodology • note areas in which authors are in disagreement • highlight exemplary studies • highlight gaps in research • show how your study relates to previous studies • show how your study relates to the literature in general • conclude by summarising what the literature says The...
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...Literature Review Handout Liberty University Online Writing Center Handout Description A review of literature is a critical analysis of a portion of the published body of knowledge available through the use of summary, classification, and comparison of previous research studies, reviews of literature, and journal articles (“How to Write a Literature Review”, 2012). This handout discusses the reasons for writing a literature review and presents its various requirements. It examines what a literature review is, as well as what it is not; it distinguishes between the literature review and the annotated bibliography. Like many academic writing assignments, there is not one universal standard for writing a literature review. Its format can differ from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment. There is, however, an overall structure that is commonly used across various disciplines, and this format is examined in more detail. The handout concludes with some helpful “tips and tricks” for preparing a literature review. Disclaimer: The content of a literature review may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment. The literature review content recommended in this handout is that which is most commonly included. If in doubt about what you should include in your literature review, please consult your professor. Literature Review Handout Defining a Literature Review ...
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...What is a literature review? A literature review provides an overview of published sources on a topic. Your review needs to be a critical analysis of these published sources (literature). This is done through summary, classification and comparison of the ways different information is presented by the different sources. The number of sources that you will be required to review will depend on what the literature review is for, and how advanced you are in your studies. It could be from five sources at undergraduate level to more than fifty for a doctoral thesis. Your lecturer will advise you on this. Why do we write literature reviews? At university you may be asked to write a literature review either as a separate assignment (undergraduate level), or as an introduction to a research report or thesis (postgraduate level). A literature review: gives an overview and provides comprehensive knowledge of what has been written on a particular topic conveys to your reader what ideas and knowledge have been published on a topic — what has been said, who the key writers are, what the prevailing theories and hypotheses are, and what questions are being asked summarises and synthesises the arguments and ideas of others and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of these ideas and arguments provides a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. A literature review is not: an annotated bibliography a list of available sources a list describing or summarising one piece...
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...Chapter 2 – Review of the Literature Writing Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature 04 NOV A literature review is designed to identify related research, to set the current research project within a conceptual and theoretical context. The second chapter should… start with a brief introductory paragraph concerning the researcher’s exploration of related literature and studies on the research problem; state the main coverage of said chapter; should be organized thematically to confirm to the specific problems; should synthesize evidence from all studies reviewed to get an overall understanding of the state of the knowledge in the problem area; should be limited within the last ten years; should include a clinching statement showing how the related materials had assisted the researchers in the present study at the last part. How to Write the Introduction of a Review of Related Literature Identify the general topic of the sources under discussion. Thus, you will provide the context of your review of related literature; Discuss what was already presented about the topic of your paper: conflicts in a theory, conclusions, gaps in research and scholarship, etc. Explain why the literature used is worth reviewing. How to Write the Body of a Review of Related Literature Group the sources according to their common dominators (approaches, objectives or any specific chronologies); Give the examples of how to sort out these groups. Use quotations, evidences, data...
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...RESEARCH A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. The characteristics of a good research problem. SMART S-Specific M-Measurable A-Attainable/Achievable R-Realistic T-Time Bomb/Time Conscious The characteristics of a good research problem. 1. The topic should be of good interest to you. 2. Useful for the concerned people in a particular field 3. Progress Novelty 4. Invites more complex designs / more variables 5. Time-bounded 6. Does not carry ethical or moral impediments Review Related Literature Literature means writings and a body of literature refers to all the published writings in a particular style on a particular subject. In research, a body of literature is a collection of published information and data relevant to a research question. The research question. Often referred to as the research problem, the research question provides the context for the research study and reveals what the researcher is trying to answer. The paper must answer clearly, "What is the problem?" and "Why do I care?" At the same time, stating the problem precisely limits the scope of the research project by focusing on certain elements. It lets you show why those variables are important. The statement of the...
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...Introduction By general agreement and on the basis of first hand experience, the review of literature in most student research (and some professional academic research too) is clumsy, naive, turgid, confusing and often down right dull. But given the central importance the literature review holds in our academic writing tradition, and its pivotal role in the academic assessment of research why are we still executing them so badly? Specifically, why do students find them so difficult to write? And academics find them so disheartening to read? There is no shortage of guidance in how to undertake a literature review. Comprehensive guides to business research such as Gill and Johnson (1991) or Cooper (1989) contain some guidance. More comprehensive are the general thesis guides such as Dunleavy (2003), Teitelbaum (1998), Baker (2003), or Evans (1996). There are also many specific guides to undertaking a literature review such as Baker (2000), Rowley and Slack (2004) or Hart (1999). Indeed, any competent trawl of the internet will generate innumerable guides and resources from universities around the world. The issue it seems is not the lack of guidance, but how such guidance is translated into the finished product. As a consequence this article focuses upon how to write the literature review, some techniques that can be used to ^ Correspondence: Mark Gabbott, Department of Marketing, Monash University, P.O. Box 197, Caulfield East Melbourne, Vic 3145, Australia, Tel: 00 61 3 9903...
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...Literature Research Literature reviews are completed by students to learn the proper format for setting up their own research projects. The following is information gleaned on what a literature review is, why it is conducted, and how to understand completing one . Additional information on how to write a review is covered as well. A literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits into the larger field of study. A literature review may consist of simple a summary of key sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might: * Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations, * Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates, * Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the...
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...Writing a Research proposal and Tips for Literature Review By: Shantiram Dahal 1. Background Human being is the unique product of the nature. In comparison with the other animals, they have most developed nervous and mental system which is very helpful to produce sounds and symbols (letters and numbers) that make possible the communication and recording of their questions, observations, experiences and ideas. To satisfy the curiosity and solving problems of daily life they involve in investigation. In modern times the complexities of human beings are increasing. To reduce such complexities, they have to conduct different research activities. Research is the essential part of graduate and post graduate program. Without conducting any academic research the objectives of the course will not be fulfilled. But conducting research is not as easy as we thought. It is a systematic investigation to acquire new knowledge, information's, facts, appropriate solution to a problem, deduce theory and generalization. It helps scholars to expand the area of knowledge and further study. There are various micro steps should be followed by the teachers for effective academic research. Before conducting research, the researcher have to submit the research proposal for approvable. When the research proposal is approved by the department then the research should be conducted consultation with the research guide. 2. Research proposal The preparation of research proposal is...
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...collecting data that gives the opportunity to test the hypothesis that you develop. You are encouraged to structure your paper in four parts: introduction, literature review, body, and conclusion. A brief abstract of no more than 100 words should precede your paper. Introduction Identifying a significant and well formulated question is the single most important part of the research process and the most difficult as well. A good research question has to be concise (remember, you are writing a 15-page paper, not a book), feasible and important. Choosing a research question requires balancing importance and feasibility. Feasibility means tractability for theoretical research and data availability for empirical research. Whenever you come up with an idea for a research question, always try to think about a critic sitting in front of you asking “Why should I care about this?” Consider this question to be a first filter for your research question. Identify a well-defined research question. The introduction is where you (1) present the research question, (2) motivate why it is important and briefly outline (3) how you go about answering it and (4) what your key results are. Be sure to be clear how your research question relates to material learned in Econ 196, and why the existing literature may not answer the question adequately. To write a successful introduction, you will need to have read and understood previous academic work by economists (or other social scientists) that relates to...
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...For a literature review, is usually in the of single research reports, statistics, texts about specific topics, specialist websites news media and other front line accounts of events .These reports may be by academics and other field researchers such as journalists .Literature can also include audio, film and videotexts scripts, commentaries and credits. Category selection is the Structural dimensions and related analytic categories are selected, which are to be applied to the collected material. Structural dimensions form the major topics of analysis, which are constituted by single analytic categories. And the material evaluation is analysed according to the structural dimensions. This should allow identification of relevant issues and interpretation of results. For the material analysis mentioned above provides a detailed description of the process in the analytic of literature review, while it includes a feedback circle for the collected material resources only such as a circle that might be needed for the overall process. For the material analysis provides a detailed description of the process and the structural dimensions and related analytic categories which allow classification of the reviewed literature can be derived deductively or inductively. In a deductive...
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...Critical Review and Analysis of the Literature (30%) (This assignment is submitted through the WebCT assignment dropbox. Please check the deadlines listed in the course schedule located on the home page for due dates.) This term paper (3,000 words, double-spaced, 12-point font) is a critical analysis of a topic area within the field of gerontology. The paper is to be based on a review of gerontological literature. Statements made in the paper should be supported by references to published peer-reviewed academic journal articles, book chapters, and books. Your paper must go beyond the material found in your course readings—you are expected to refer to at least 10 to 12 additional academic sources directly related to your topic. All references should follow the American Psychological Association style. Please visitAPA for the citation style to be followed for the reference list. Failure to reference properly will be penalized. The following is a list of suggested topics. The purpose of this list is to give you some direction and make you aware of related possibilities. If you wish to write on a topic not included in this list, you must check with the tutor-marker about your proposed topic by the end of week 5. Writing on another topic requires that you demonstrate to the tutor-marker and course supervisor that you have a clear understanding of what you propose to do and that you have verified that sufficient research is available on the topic to enable you to write a paper meeting...
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...THE LITERATURE REVIEW: A FEW TIPS ON CONDUCTING IT What is a review of the literature? A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Occasionally you will be asked to write one as a separate assignment (sometimes in the form of an annotated bibliography—see the bottom of the next page), but more often it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries. Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature review lets you gain and demonstrate skills in two areas: 1. information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies. 2. A literature review must do these things: a) be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are developing b) synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known c)...
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...when they moved from high school to university. There is more reading, more lab time, and more writing. The ideas, discussions, and questions are at a higher level. There’s a reason that not everyone does this! Entering your studies with a clear purpose and sense of direction, informed by a thorough understanding of new responsibilities and expectations, can help you to adapt better to the new demands of Masters and Ph.D. level research, organization, presentation, and writing. Perfectionism. Many academics would characterize themselves as perfectionists. To a certain extent, this is a healthy trait that promotes self-awareness and hard work. However, perfectionism can also be crippling as it can make you feel as if you can’t write a paper or make a comment unless it is absolutely brilliant. Remember, you are a student, not an expert. You are discovering new terms, concepts, and areas of study. Your first draft or class presentation will never be perfect, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The Counselling Centre offers excellent support for perfectionism. For more information, visit the Centre’s web site at: http://www.trentu.ca/counselling/ Your Key Responsibilities Common Challenges in Graduate Studies Finding Balance. It is easy to be pulled in one direction only to leave other responsibilities neglected. You may have research commitments in the lab, but you also need to complete course work, outline your proposal, and have a life! Or you...
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