Week 5: Literature Reviews and Methodologies Craft of Research Week 5: Literature Reviews and Methodologies

Outline Milestone updates from each team Literature reviews Methods Upcoming Reminders

How are your milestones progressing?

IMRD Structure What is this?

IMRD Structure Introduction/Literature Review Methods Results Discussion/Conclusion

Literature Review Section What is this?

BEFORE Writing a Literature Review Consider the following questions: Why is this problem important? How does the study relate to previous work in the area? What are the primary and secondary hypotheses and objectives of the study? How do the hypotheses and research design relate to one another? What are the theoretical and practical implications of the study?

Literature Review Key Objectives Gain and maintain readers’ attention Demonstrate knowledge on topic Claim the relevance of your chosen topic Identify an area that needs to be addressed by research (gap in knowledge) Introduce present research

Basic Organization of Literature Reviews General Background (1 to 2 paragraphs) Addressing Specific Area (3+ paragraphs) Purpose of Current Research (1 to 2 paragraphs) introducing/announcing present research Presenting research questions/hypotheses Clarifying relevant definitions Summarizing methods Announcing principle anticipated outcomes Stating the value of the present research Outlining the structure of the paper ***these basic sections may be integrated together; They are not mutually exclusive Culminates to current research questions/aims/hypotheses

Literature Review Content Establishing a Territory Identifying a Niche Addressing the Niche Claiming centrality Indicating a gap Introducing/announcing present research descriptively or purposefully General background Highlighting a problem Reviewing previous research Raising general questions Presenting research questions/hypotheses Proposing general hypotheses Clarifying definitions Presenting justification Summarizing methods Announcing principal outcomes Stating value of present research Outlining structure of the paper

Tips for Writing Literature Reviews Tense: Past Length: It depends Number of sources: Depends on length (~20 on average) Create a Literature Table in excel to keep track of information See template on CoR website

Example of Literature Table

Methodology Section What is this?

Methodology Key Objectives Describe how data were obtained Explain how concepts and variables were used Inform on the techniques utilized to gain the results

Basic Organization of Methodology Section Contextualizing Study Methods Describing the Study Analyzing the Data Contextualizing Methods Referencing previous works Providing general information Identifying the methodlogical approach Describing the setting Introducing the subjects/participants Rationalizing pre-experiment decisions B. Describing the Study Aquiring/describing data Identifying variables Describing experimental/study procedures Describing tools/instruments/materials/equipment Rationalizing experiment decisions Reporting incrementals C. Analyzing the Data Preparing the data Describing the data analysis Establishing credibility

Methodology Section Content Contextualizing Study Methods Describing the Study Analyzing the Data Acquiring/describing data Preparing the data Referencing previous works Identifying variables Describing the data analysis Providing general information Describing experimental/study procedures Establishing credibility Identifying the methodological approach Describing tools, instruments, materials/equipment Describing the setting Introducing the subjects/participants Rationalizing experiment decisions Rationalizing pre-experiment decisions Reporting incrementals Contextualizing Methods Referencing previous works Providing general information Identifying the methodlogical approach Describing the setting Introducing the subjects/participants Rationalizing pre-experiment decisions B. Describing the Study Acquiring/describing data Identifying variables Describing experimental/study procedures Describing tools/instruments/materials/equipment Rationalizing experiment decisions Reporting incrementals C. Analyzing the Data Preparing the data Describing the data analysis Establishing credibility

Tips for Writing Methodology Sections Tense: Past Length: It depends Number of sources: It depends on your methods This will likely be the easiest section to write 

Activity 1: Methods Structure Research teams: choose an article assigned to you for reading Look through the Methods section and outline the structure by headings and subheadings Identify and discuss the content inside…does it meet your expectations? Why? Identify the sections: Study Methods, Describing the Study, & Analyzing the Data Write your outline on the whiteboard for comparison with the other teams Main Header Sub-header A Sub-header B Sub-header C

Upcoming Milestones 1) Literature Review 2) Methods Consult with your PI/grad student(s) on their expectations i.e., length, content, organization, etc. Use today’s info as a strong guide for your content and organization

Upcoming Week 6 Week 7 Results Discussion/Conclusion Creating a Research Poster

Reminders