Materials and Literature review Unit Four Materials and Literature review

I. Materials 1. How to collect materials? Collecting materials is a process, a process of researching . Collect ample materials Collect the original or first-hand materials

Notice We should also be careful with the following points: 1) It is wrong and impossible to try collecting all the materials that have little to do with what you are writing.    It is most important of all to collect the most important and most typical  materials that you need.

2)Don’t be afraid that you can’t collect enough materials 2)Don’t be afraid that you can’t collect enough materials. You can get materials by many channels:    A. Library    B. Reading room    C. Internet    D. Bookstore    E. Teachers    F. Friends

3) Understand your materials completely and make good use of the materials. Don’t cut the meanings in the materials into broken pieces without any relations. 4) Not only collect the materials that support your arguments, but also collect the materials that don’t support your arguments. Only in this way can your writing be proved to be scientific, and your arguments can hold water.

2. What should we write down when we collect and read materials 2. What should we write down when we collect and read materials? While we are collecting and reading materials, try to form the habit of taking notes, including: the author, title, edition, press, publishing place and time, page, etc. for a book; magazine, volume, page, author, title and publishing place and time for a magazine, or else. 

3. Note-taking 1) Preliminary bibliography Bibliography—a list of sources about a subject Preliminary bibliography helps you to pinpoint sources that might prove valuable. Whenever you find a promising source, jot it down.

The information Book Article Name of author, editor Name of author Date Date Title and subtitle Title Edition Name of publication Place of publication Volume of publication Publisher Page numbers Page numbers

2) Types of notes (1) Quotation note A direct quotation copies exactly what your source said or wrote. Four reasons for using a direct quotation: A. Accuracy –when the precise language of the original is crucial. B. Authority—when the exact words of a writer or a speaker carry more weight than a summary. C. Conciseness—when a quotation states an idea in fewer words than a summary would require.

D. Vividness—when the language of the source is more colorful or more descriptive than a summary would be. Not overuse quotation –less than 30% (2) Paraphrase note Its purpose is to clarity the meaning of a passage. Remember : A paraphrase is a complete rewriting, not just a game of rearranging words.

(3) Summary note A summary is a statement in your own words of the main idea of a passage. Use summary notes to record: A general idea; a large amount of information succinctly Remember:You must separate what is most important from what is less important.

(4) Combination note A combination note contains both quotation and summary. (5) Outline note When only factual information is taken from a source, rough notes in outline form may be sufficient. (6) Personal comment note—your own thoughts

3) Qualities of good notes (1) Legibility Suggestions : Take notes on 4x6-inch cards Take notes in ink Write on only one side of a card. Put only one idea on a card. Use whatever abbreviations you find convenient for notes.

(2) Accuracy Read your research material carefully. Read precisely Distinguish among fact, inference, and opinion Use conventional mechanics of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation

(3) Completeness Identify the source of what appears on each card. Note the page number from which you obtained information by putting them in the top right-hand corner. Identify the subject of each card in the top left-hand corner.

II. Literature review 1. Purpose Once the area or topic of the research paper has been chosen and defined, it needs to be placed in a broader context by reviewing related literature.

On the one hand, it helps you broaden the view and perspective of the topic for your graduation thesis; On the other hand, it helps you narrow down the topic and arrive at a focused research question. It also helps you to learn what has been done and what is going on.

2.Major sources of related literature Four major kinds of sources Background sources; Original sources; Critical sources; WEB sources

Four major kinds of sources 1) Background sources—basic information, usually can be found in dictionaries and encyclopedia; major scholars, founders of the field, definition, masterpieces, classic works, approaches, sutobiography, collection of letters, etc

Four major kinds of sources 2) Original sources—the books in libraries and bookstores. You can search the catalogue by author, title or subject. 3) Critical sources—refer to journal articles, which are quality and scholarly sources for research. 4) Web sources—the sources or information from websites.

3. Major strategies of literature review 1) Choose primary sources rather than secondary sources 2) Choose sources that give a variety of viewpoints on your thesis 3) Choose sources that cover the topic in depth 4) Choose sources written by acknowledged experts 5) Choose the most current sources

4.Evaluating materials You can make evaluations at three stages: Before you read, when you read and after you read.

1) Before you read Take time to preview your sources and be able to know: Authorship and authority Accuracy and verifiablility Currency

2) When you read Read the tables of contents of several books Look through the indexes of several books Read over the table of contents Look at prefaces, forewords, glossaries, indexes, and appendices Pay attention to chapter titles, headings, and subheadings before reading selections so you will know what is coming

2) When you read Discover the organization of what you are about to read. Look at the beginning and endings. 3) After you read You value relevance over convenience.

5. Writing literature review When you review related literature, the major review focuses should be: 1) The prevailing and current theories which underlie the research problem. 2) The main controversies about the issue, and about the problem. 3) The major findings in the area, by whom, and when. 4) The studies which can be considered the better ones, and why.

5) Description of the types of research studies which can provide the basis for the current theories and controversies 6) Criticism of the work in the area 7) The rationale and purpose of the proposed study.

When you write literature review, the two major principles to follow are: A. Review the sources that are most relevant to your thesis B. Describe or write your review as clear and objective as you can

Some tips: A. Define key terms or concepts clearly and be relevant to your topic B. Discuss the least-related references to your question first and the most related references last. C. Conclude your review with a brief summary D. Start writing your review early.