Research Methodology

Chapter 6
Research Process - Part II
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 List of Contents

 Step 2: Literature Review

• Definition
• Features
• Steps of Literature Review
• Define your topic
• Develop a strategy for finding the information
• Locate the information
• Use the information
• Synthesize
• Evaluate the paper, speech, or whatever you are using to
communicate your research
 Step – 2: Reviewing of Literature
 A review of relevant literature is an integral part of the research
process.
 It enables the researcher to formulate his problem in terms of the
specific aspects of the general area of his interest that has not been so
far researched.
 Such a review, not only provides him exposure to a larger body of
knowledge but also equips him with enhanced knowledge to efficiently
follow the research process.
 Through a proper review of the literature, the researcher may develop
the coherence between the results of his study and those of the
others.
 Step – 2: Reviewing of Literature…
 A review of previous documents to similar or related phenomena is
essential even for the beginning researchers.
 To ignore the existing literature may lead to wasted effort on the part of
the researchers.
 Why spend time merely repeating what other investigators have already
done?
 If the researcher is aware of earlier studies of his topic, or related topics,
he will be in a much better position to assess the significance of his work
and to convince others that it is important.
 A confident and expert researcher is more crucial in his questioning of the
others’ methodology, the choice of the data, and the quality of the
inferences drawn from the study results.
 Step – 2: Reviewing of Literature…
In sum, we enumerate the following arguments in favor of reviewing the
literature:
 It avoids duplication of the work that has been done in the recent past.
 It helps the researcher to find out what others have learned and
reported on the problem.
 It helps the researcher to become familiar with the types of
methodology followed by others.
 It helps the researcher to understand what concepts and theories are
relevant to his area of investigation.
 It helps the researcher to understand if there are any significant
controversies, contradictions, and inconsistencies in findings.
 Introduction to Research Process: Literature Review Steps

 When seeking information for a literature review or for any purpose, it

helps to understand information-seeking as a process that you can
follow. Each of the six (6) steps has its own section in this web page with
more detail.
 Do (and re-do) the following six steps:
1. Define your topic:
The first step is defining your task –
 Choosing a topic and noting the questions you have about the topic.
 This will provide a focus that guides your strategy in step II and will provide
potential words to use in searches in step III.
 Introduction to Research Process: Literature Review Steps…
2. Develop a strategy:
 Strategy involves figuring out where the information might be and
identifying the best tools for finding those types of sources.
 The strategy section identifies specific types of research databases to
use for specific purposes.
3. Locate the information:
 In this step, you implement the strategy developed in II in order to
actually locate specific articles, books, technical reports, etc.
4. Use and Evaluate the information:
 Having located relevant and useful material, in step IV you read and
analyze the items to determine whether they have value for your
project and credibility as sources.
 Introduction to Research Process: Literature Review Steps…
5. Synthesize:
 In step V, you will make sense of what you've learned and demonstrate
your knowledge.
 You will thoroughly understand, organize and integrate the information -
become knowledgeable-- so that you are able to use your own words to
support and explain your research project and its relationship to existing
research by others.
6. Evaluate your work:
 At every step along the way, you should evaluate your work.
 However, this final step is a last check to make sure your work is complete
and of high quality.
 Continue below to begin working through the process.
Literature Review: Steps
Define your topic.
I. Define your topic

A. Many students have difficulty selecting a topic. You want to find a

topic you find interesting and will enjoy learning more about.
B. Students often select a topic that is too broad. You may have a broad
topic in mind initially and will need to narrow it.
1. To help narrow a broad topic:
a. Brainstorm.
1). Try this technique for brainstorming to narrow your focus.
Literature Review: Steps
I. Define your topic…
a) Step 1. Write down your broad topic.
b) Step 2. Write down a "specific kind" or "specific aspect" of the topic
you identified in step 1.
c) Step 3. Write down an aspect --such as an attribute or behavior-- of
the "specific kind" you identified in step 2.
d) Step 4. Continue to add levels of specificity as needed to get to a
focus that is manageable.
 However, you may want to begin researching the literature before
narrowing further to give yourself the opportunity to explore what
others are doing and how that might impact the direction that you
take for your own research.
Literature Review: Steps
I. Define your topic…
Example 1.
Step 1. information security
Step 2. protocols
Step 3. handshake protocol
Brainstorming has brought us to focus on the handshake protocol.

Example 2.
The diagram below is an example using the broad topic of "software" to
show two potential ways to begin to narrow the topic.
Literature Review: Steps
Literature Review: Steps
I. Define your topic…

 C. Once you have completed the brainstorming process and your topic is
more focused, you can do preliminary research to help you identify a
specific research question.
1) Examine overview sources such as subject-specific encyclopedias and
textbooks that are likely to break down your specific topic into sub-topics
and to highlight core issues that could serve as possible research
questions.
2) Search the broad topic in a research database that includes scholarly
journals and professional magazines (to find technical and scholarly articles)
and scan recent article titles for ideas.
Literature Review: Steps
I. Define your topic…

D. Once you have identified a research question or questions, ask yourself

what you need to know to answer the questions. For example,
1. What new knowledge do I need to gain?
2. What has already been answered by prior research of other scholars?
E. Use the answers to the questions in C. to identify what words to use to
describe the topic when you are doing searches.
1. Identify key words
a. For example, if you are investigating "security audits in banking", key
terms to combine in your searches would be security, audits, banking.
2. Create a list of alternative ways of referring to a key word or phrase
Literature Review: Steps
I. Define your topic…

a. For example, "information assurance" may be referred to in

various ways such as:
"information assurance," "information security," and "computer
security."
b. Use these alternatives when doing searches.
3. As you are searching, pay attention to how others are writing
about the topic and add new words or phrases to your searches if
appropriate.

When you have defined your topic, continue below to the next
step in the research process -- "Develop a strategy"
Literature Review: Steps
 2. Develop a strategy.
II. Develop a strategy for finding the information
A. Start by considering what types of source might contain the
information you need.
 Do you need a dictionary for definitions?
 a directory for an address? the history of a concept or technique that
might be in a book or specialized encyclopedia? today's tech news in an
online tech magazine or newspaper?
 current research in a journal article? background information that might
be in a specialized encyclopedia? data or statistics from a specific
organization or website?
 Note that you will typically have online access to these source types.
Literature Review: Steps
II. Develop a strategy for finding the information…
B. This section provides a description of some of the common types of
information needed for research.
1. For technical and business analysis, look for articles in technical and
trade magazines.
 These articles are written by information technology professionals to
help other IT professionals do their jobs better.
 Content might include news on new developments in hardware or
software, techniques, tools, and practical advice.
 Technical journals are also likely to have product ads relevant to
information technology workers and to have job ads.
 Examples of technical magazines include Network Computing and IEEE
Spectrum.
Literature Review: Steps
II. Develop a strategy for finding the information…

2. To read original research studies, look for articles in scholarly

journals and conference proceedings.
 They will provide articles written by information technology
professionals who are reporting original research; that is, research that
has been done by the authors and is being reported for the first time.
 The audience for original research articles is other information
technology scholars and professionals.
 Examples of scholarly journals include Journal of Applied Security
Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, IEEE
Transactions on Computers, and ACM Transactions on Information and
System Security.
Literature Review: Steps
II. Develop a strategy for finding the information…

3. For original research being reported to funding agencies, look

for technical reports on agency websites. Technical reports are researcher
reports to funding agencies about progress on or completion of research
funded by the agency.
4. For in-depth, comprehensive information on a topic, look for book-
length volumes. All chapters in the book might be written by the same
author(s) or might be a collection of separate papers written by different
authors.
5. To learn about an unfamiliar topic, use textbooks, specialized
encyclopedias and handbooks to get overviews of topics,
history/background, and key issues explained.
Literature Review: Steps
II. Develop a strategy for finding the information…

6. For instructions for hardware, software, networking, etc., look

for manuals that provide step-by-step instructions.
7. For technical details about inventions (devices, instruments, machines),
look for patent documents.
C. NOTE - In order to search for and find original research studies, it will
help if you understand how information is produced,
packaged and communicated within your profession. This is explained in the
tab "Research Communication: Graphic."

When you have developed a strategy, continue below to the next step in
the research process - "Locate the information"
Literature Review: Steps
III. Locate the information

A. Use search tools designed to find the sources you want. Types of sources were
described in section II. above.
Always feel free to Ask a librarian for assistance when you have questions about
where and how locate the information you need.
B. Evaluate the search results (no matter where you find the information)
1. Evaluate the items you find using at least these 5 criteria:
a. accuracy -- is the information reliable and error free?
1) Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?
2) Is there adequate documentation: bibliography, footnotes, credits?
3) Are the conclusions justified by the information presented?
Literature Review: Steps
III. Locate the information…

b. authority -- is the source of the information reputable?

1) How did you find the source of information: an index to edited/peer-
reviewed material, in a bibliography from a published article, etc.?
2) What type of source is it: sensationalistic, popular, scholarly?
c. objectivity -- does the information show bias?
1) What is the purpose of the information: to inform, persuade, explain, sway
opinion, advertise?
2) Does the source show political or cultural biases?
d. currency -- is the information current? does it cover the time period you
need?
e. coverage -- does it provide the evidence or information you need?
Literature Review: Steps
III. Locate the information…
2. Is the search producing the material you need? -- the right content? the
right quality? right time period? right geographical location? etc. If not, are
you using
a. the right sources?
b. the right tools to get to the sources?
c. are you using the right words to describe the topic?
3. Have you discovered additional terms that should be searched? If so,
search those terms.
4. Have you discovered additional questions you need to answer? If so,
return to section A above to begin to answer new questions.

When you have located the information sources you need, continue below
to the next step in the research process - "Use and evaluate the
information"
Literature Review: Steps

IV. Use the information

A. Read, hear or view the source

1. Evaluate: Does the material answer your question(s)? -- right content? If
not, return to B.
2. Evaluate: Is the material appropriate? -- right quality? If not, return to B.
B. Extract the information from the source : copy/download information,
take notes, record citation, keep track of items using a citation manager.
1. Note taking (these steps will help you when you begin to write your thesis
and/or document your project.):
Literature Review: Steps

IV. Use the information…

 a. Write the keywords you use in your searches to avoid duplicating
previous searches if you return to search a research database again.
 Keeping track of keywords used will also save you time if your search is
interrupted or you need return and do the search again for some other
reason.
 It will help you remember which search terms worked successfully in
which databases
Literature Review: Steps
IV. Use the information…
b. Write the citations or record the information needed to cite each
article/document you plan to read and use, or make sure that any saved a
copy of the article includes all the information needed to cite it.
 Some article pdf files may not include all of the information needed to
cite, and it's a waste of your valuable time to have to go back to search
and find the items again in order to be able to cite them.
 Using citation management software such as EndNote will help keep
track of citations and help create bibliographies for your research papers.
c. Write a summary of each article you read and/or why you want to use it.

When you have you have used and evaluated the material you found,
continue below to the next step in the research process Sysnthesize -
Literature Review: Steps
V. Synthesize

A. Organize and integrate information from multiple sources

B. Present the information (create report, speech, etc. that communicates)
C. Cite material using the style required by your professor or by the venue
(conference, publication, etc.).
 For help with citation styles, see Guide to Citing Sources.
 A link to the citing guide is also available in the "Get Help" section on the
left side of the Library home page

When you have finished synthesizing, continue below to the next step in
the research process - "Evaluate your work".
Literature Review: Steps

VI. Evaluate the paper, speech, or whatever you are using to

communicate your research.
A. Is it effective?
B. Does it meet the requirements?
C. Ask another student or colleague to provide constructive
criticism of your paper/project.