Research Process

Writing Literature Review

Literature Review

 “… a systematic…method for identifying,

evaluating and interpreting the …work produced
by researchers, scholars and practitioners.”
FINK, A., 1998. Conducting literature research reviews: from paper to the internet.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

 Essential preliminary task in order to make aware

yourself with the available body of knowledge in
your area of interest.
 It is an integral part of entire research process
and makes valuable contribution to every
operational step.
Why Literature Review?

 To demonstrate to readers and examiners

that we are familiar with the field
 To provide an overview of current
knowledge in a particular area of
application - Ensures that you are not
“reinventing the wheel”
 To review other studies critically
 Helps you learn about the people in the
field
Why Literature Review?
(Conti…)
 To provide a context for our current study and
to locate it within a specific field
 Reviewing literature can be time-consuming,
and frustrating, but is also rewarding.
 Its functions are:
 Bring clarity and focus to your research problem,
 Improve your methodology,
 Broaden your knowledge,
 Contextualize your findings.
Bring Clarity and Focus to
Your Research Problem
 The process of reviewing the literature
helps you to understand the subject
area better and thus helps you to
conceptualize your research problem
clearly and precisely.
 It also helps you to understand the
relationship between your research
problem and the body of knowledge
(complete set of concepts, terms and
activities constituting a professional
domain) in the area.
Improve Your Methodology

 A literature review tells you if others

have used procedures and methods
similar to the ones that you are
proposing, which procedures and
methods have worked well for them,
and what problems they have faced
with them.
 Thus you will be better positioned to
select a methodology that is capable
of providing valid answer to your
research questions.
Broaden Your Knowledge
Base in Your Research Area
 It ensures you to read widely around
the subject area in which you intend
to conduct your research study.
 As you are expected to be an expert in
your area of study, it helps fulfill this
expectation.
 It also helps you to understand how
the findings of your study fit into the
existing body of knowledge.
Contextualize Your Findings

 The review of your literature will help to

contextualize or frame your research
findings towards your research questions.
 Place your findings in context of what is
already known in your field of research.
 Highlight how your findings are different
from those of others.
 To do so, it requires a thorough literature
review.
Selecting Studies for
Literature Review
 You do not need to report on every published study in
the area of your research topic.
 Pay attention to the scope and time factor of your
research.
 Choose those studies which are most relevant, up-to-
date and important:
 Key-words Searching
 Backward Searching
 Forward Searching

 Short-list the candidate studies by Filtering out through

Title, Abstract, Introduction and Conclusion parts
Literature Search

 Literaturesearch is the process of

querying the scholarly literature
databases in order to gather
research manuscripts related to the
phenomenon under investigation.
 The major contributions are likely
to be in the leading journals – It
makes sense, therefore, to start
with them.
Keyword Search

 Querying of scholarly databases by the

use of a specific word or phrase (i.e.
“keyword”) when attempting to find
relevant literature.
 Keyword search should be just the
initial, not the main step for a
literature search.
 Keyword search does not yield all that
is available from the literature.
Backward Search

 Using an effective keyword search will

produce some initial insight.
 Backward literature search
 Backward references search

 Reviewing the references of the articles yielded from the keyword

search

 A second level backward references search can also be done by pulling

the ‘references of the references’.

 Backward authors search

 Reviewing what the authors have published prior to the article.
Forward Search

 Can be divided into two specific sub-

steps:
 Forward references search

 Reviewing additional articles that have cited the article

 Forward authors search

 Reviewing what the authors have published following the

article
Assessment

 Assess the quality of the information source:

 Refereed journal article

 Conference proceedings

 Unpublished work

 Assess the standing of the author

 Academic/Scientist?

 ……

 Is the work in their major field of research?

How do you search material?

Today is your first day at lab, your

supervisor has asked you to look for
and read some literature on your
problem…how would you start?
 Mos
t of
time the

16
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oo ola
G h
Sc

17
Developing Theoretical
Framework
 As you have limited time it is
important to set parameters by
reviewing the literature in relation to
some main themes pertinent to your
research topic.

 Theoretical framework outlines ideal

state of affairs in terms of a set of
parameters.
Developing Theoretical
Framework (Conti…)
 As you start reading the literature, you
will realize that it deals with a number of
aspects that have a direct and indirect
bearing on your research topic.
 Use these aspects as a basis for
developing your theoretical framework.
 Until you go through the literature you
cannot develop a theoretical framework
and until you have developed a
theoretical framework, you cannot
effectively review the literature.
Sources of Literature

 Books
 Journals
 Conference Papers
 Magazines
 Theses
 You must be familiar with reputed journals and
conference in your area.
 The major contributions are likely to be in the
leading journals – It makes sense, therefore, to
start with them
Reviewing the literature
CAUTION

Do NOT collect 100

papers before you start
reading
Reviewing the literature

 Three phases to reading a paper:

 First:
 See if there's anything of interest– Scan the title,
then the abstract, then -- if you haven't
completely lost interest already -- glance at the
introduction and conclusions.
 Second:
 Find the part that has the good stuff– Most fifteen
page papers could profitably be rewritten as one-
page papers; you need to look for the page that
has the exciting stuff.
Reviewing the literature
(Conti…)
 Third:
 Go back and read the whole paper through if it
seems worthwhile.
 Read with a question in mind
 How can I use this?
 Does this really do what the author claims?
 What if...?
 What were motivations of author for…?
Reviewing the literature
(Conti…)
 Levels of mastery
 Know the literature
 Comprehend the literature
 Analyze the literature
 Synthesize the literature
 Evaluate the literature
Know the literature

 Knowledge level is commonly

demonstrated by activities such as
listing, defining, describing.

 Atthe very least, the researcher

must demonstrate that he or she
has read the article and extracted
meaningful information from it.
Comprehend the literature

 Comprehension is demonstrated by
activities such as summarizing,
differentiating, interpreting, and
contrasting.
 Understanding significance of what is
presented.
 Researcher demonstrates that not only
can he or she repeat what was included in
the article but also knows the meaning
and significance of the information being
reported.
Analyze the literature

 Analysis is demonstrated by activities

such as relating, and classifying and
explaining (why the information
presented is important).
 Example1
 Identify the major concepts relevant to
the study
 Identify the major concepts relevant to
the study
Synthesizing the literature

 Synthesis entails activities such as

combining, integrating, rearranging
and generalizing.

 The essence of synthesis is to assemble

the literature being reviewed for a
given concept into a whole that
exceeds the sum of its parts.
Evaluating the literature

 In a review of the literature, you do not

merely summarize the research findings that
others have reported.
 You must also evaluate and comment on each
study's worth and validity. You may find that
some published research is not valid. Don’t
just ignore but critically discuss it. Highlight
their strengths and weaknesses using a
theoretical framework.
 Doing this can strengthen the rationale for
conducting your research.
Writing the literature
Review
Writing the Literature Review

 Write as you read…….

 Write a brief summary of each paper you read
 List your findings, critics etc.
 This will help you in writing the literature review

 Find Models – Look for other literature reviews in

your area of interest
 You can simply put the word "review" or “survey”
in your search engine along with your other topic
terms to find articles of this type on the Internet
or in an electronic database
Writing the Literature Review
(Conti…)
 Bringing other writers into your writing – Keep
your own voice
 Ideas are of other people – start and end each
paragraph with your own words

 For each study

 General Idea of the study
 Application/Results
 Strengths and weaknesses
 If relevant, relationship with your own study
Writing the Literature Review
(Conti…)
 Rephrasing in our own words &
adding an acknowledgement
 Beware of plagiarism

 It means that you are falsely

claiming that the work is your own
Plagiarism – Limits

 Copying a paragraph from a source without any

acknowledgement
 Copying a paragraph & making small changes - e.g.
replacing a few verbs, replacing an adjective with a
synonym (e.g. Replacing drastic with radical)
 Copying and pasting a paragraph by using sentences
of the original but omitting one or two and putting
one or two in a different order, no quotation marks
 Composing a paragraph by taking short phrases from
a number of sources & putting them together using
words of your own to make a coherent whole
Avoiding Plagiarism
 Quotation Marks – If you need to use what someone
else has written or write their exact words, then put
them in quotation marks
 Paraphrase
 Never use someone else's words and sentence
structure – substituting synonyms would not do
either
 Write everything in your own words as you
understand it
 Go through the required reading material and then
put it all away when you start writing
 Summarize – Main idea of study in your own words -
condensed
Is it Plagiarism??

Yes! You need to credit

the source of images and
other media as well as
text.

http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/XRG/Summary/Old.summaries/0
3abstracts/polastre.1.html
Organization of Literature
Review
 Develop an organization
 Atleast three basic elements in a review:
 Introduction – Central theme or organizational
pattern
 Body - Discussion of sources that is organized
either chronologically, thematically or
methodologically
 Conclusions/Recommendations – What you have
drawn from reviewing literature. Identify the
main research gaps and issues that need to be
resolved.
Organizing the Sources

 You must decide how to order the short-listed

material. (Hint: In making your selection,
keep your research question in mind).
 It should be your most important guide in
determining what other studies are relevant.
 Many people simple create a list of one-
paragraph summaries in chronological order.
 This is not always the most effective way to
organize your review.
Organizing the Sources
(Conti…)
 You should consider other ways of grouping, such
as...
 By topic or theme
 Problem -> solution or research method
 Cause -> effect
 Constraints
 Variable(s)
 Chronological
Organizing the Sources
(Conti…)
 Arranging events in their order of occurrence
in time
 By Publication
 Order your sources by publication
chronology – i.e. the order in which they
are published
Organizing the Sources
(Conti…)
 By Trend
 Sub-sections according to eras/trends
 For example – If you are doing research on
handwriting, you may distinguish the
following periods:
 Proto-writing 4000-3000 BC

 Bronze Age writing 3000 – 1500 BC

 Iron Age writing 1000 BC – 500 AD

 Medieval writing – 500 – 1500 AD

 Modern writing
Organizing the Sources
(Conti…)
 Thematic
 Organized around a topic or issue, rather
than the progression of time
 Progression of time may still be an
important factor in a thematic review
 Example: Handwriting recognition
 Online or Offline
 Arabic or English
Organizing the Sources
(Conti…)
 Methodological

 Focuses on the proposed methodology

 Example – Handwriting recognition

 Segmentation based approaches – first
segment into characters and then recognize

 Segmentation free approaches – recognize

the complete words
Evaluating the literature

 In a review of the literature, you do not

merely summarize the research findings that
others have reported.
 You must also evaluate and comment on each
study's worth and validity. You may find that
some published research is not valid. Don’t
just ignore but critically discuss it. Highlight
their strengths and weaknesses using a
theoretical framework.
 Doing this can strengthen the rationale for
conducting your research.
 Verbs for reporting other scientists’
findings
acknowledges criticises explores observes shows
admits deals with expresses points out /to signals
agrees decides finds predicts states
alleges defines focuses presumes studies
argues demonstrates highlights proves suggests
assumes denies hypothesises proposes tries to
identify
believes depicts identifies provides sums up
evidence for
challenges determines implies questions underlines
claims diagnoses indicates recognises views
classifies discovers infers reports wonders
comments doubts interprets reveals
concentrates emphasises makes the says
on point
concludes establishes maintains seeks to
explain
considers explains notes seeks to
identify
46
Comparing Different Studies

 Discussion – Critical Analysis

 Strong and week points of each
study
 Quantitative Comparison
Study Methodology/ Features Data set Performance
 Summarize
.. in tables/charts
.. .. ..
.. .. .. ..
.. .. .. ..
.. .. .. ..
Problem Statement
A problem statement is the description of an
issue or problem currently existing that needs
to be addressed.
 It provides the context for the research study
and generates the question(s) that the research
aims to answer.
 The of statement of problem is the focal point
of any research.
 A good research statement is not very length,
just several sentences.
Problem Statement (Conti…)
 The problem statement need to be able to answer
the questions:
 What is the problem?
 Why has this problem attracted the scholar’s attenuation?
 The problem statement often have three elements:
 The problem itself, stated clearly and with enough
contextual detail why it is important.
 The method of solving the problem, often stated as
claim.
 The purpose and scope of the research being purposed.
Problem Statement (Conti…)
 Summary of an extensive literature review or
existing body of knowledge is converted to
problem statement.
A good problem statement begins with
introducing the broad area in which the
research is centered.
 Gradually leading to more specific issue(s)
under investigation.
From Research Problem to
Research Questions
 The research question begins with a research
problem, an issue someone would like to
know more about or a situation that needs to
be changed or addressed.
 A research problem leads to a hypothesis (H)
and/or research question (RQ).
 Characteristics of a good research question:
 The question is feasible.
 The question is clear.
 The question is significant.
 The question is ethical.
Hypothesis Vs Research
Questions
 A hypothesis is not a question, but rather it is
a statement about the relationship between
two or more variables.
 Hypothesis translates the research question
into a prediction of expected outcomes.
 Hypothesis is usually only found in
experimental quantitative research studies.
 A hypothesis is defined as an educated guess,
while a research question is simply the
researcher wondering about the world.
Hypothesis Vs Research
Questions (Conti…)
 To be complete a hypothesis must
include three components: Variables,
Population, Relationship.
 Examples:
 What is the effect of moisture on
transmitted signal?

 It is predicted that increased moisture

level will degrade the received signal
strength.
Hypothesis Vs Research
Questions (Conti…)
 Compared to hypothesis, research
question is more focused and generally
constitutes a part of the hypothesis.
 Before writing a hypothesis, the
researcher must determine what
others have discovered about this
subject. On the other hand, a research
question requires less preparation, but
focus and structure is critical.
From Research Questions to
Research Objectives
 What kind of work do I need to do in
order to answer my research question?
 What steps do I need to take?
 Research Objectives is a subset of
Research Goal/Aim that serve as
checkpoints to assess whether you are
addressing the research questions or
not.
From Research Questions to
Research Objectives (Conti…)
 Research Objectives
 Objectives are statements (action), not
questions

 Objectives are numbered in a list

 Objectives are the successive steps you

need to take in order to answer your
research questions
How to Write Research
Objectives
 The research objectives are structured using
action-words like:
 Assess or Reassess
 Develop
 Provide (an understanding of …)
 Examine
 Analyze
 Interpret
 Establish
 Construct
 Evaluate or Reevaluate
How to Write Research
Objectives
 Your action-words should be oriented
towards an outcome.
 There should be a logical sequence to
your objectives.
 For instance, you are considering a
system:
 To identify a problem
 To develop a solution
 To design and implement the solution
 To assess its impact
Objectives and Methodology

 Objectives are statements of what you intend to

do to find the answer to your research question

 Methodology just applies a particular approach or

set of approaches to achieve your objectives

 Your objectives will therefore form the basis of

your methodology