Literature Review Week 3 Lecture 1

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Critical Literature Review Learn as much as possible about the problem from reports of previous research in the area, Help you develop and refine your research ideas, Demonstrate you understanding of the current state- of-the art, its strengths and limitations and how your research fits into that picture (critical review)

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Purposes Generate and refine your research idea Build on the work that has been done before your project – don’t want to end up reinventing the wheel Highlight research possibilities overlooked previously Obtain tips for research strategies, methods etc.

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Content of Lit. Reviews Demonstration of your understanding of the area Show how your proposed work builds on previosu research of high quality Assess the strengths and weaknesses of previous research as well as omissions, gaps, biases in prior research Justification in support of your arguments (reasoning) Clear and complete referencing so that the readers get a clear picture of related work (giving credit to other’s work)

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Using the Library A college or university library will typically house or have access to millions of books and journal articles The reference librarian can help you to learn the ins and outs of a library search and the tools available to help you In this electronic age, the library is more accessible and useful than ever

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Library Resources Libraries contain many kinds of documents and resources –Primary sources such as research journals –Secondary sources such as book chapters –Abstract and keyword search services –Literature citation indexes Increasingly, electronic access to these resources are possible

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Primary Sources Primary sources publish the details of specific research projects Journal articles –Thousands of journals covering every topic imaginable –Abstract services makes it easy to find relevant journal articles Dissertations –Available through interlibrary loan or University Microfilms

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Secondary Sources Secondary sources provide reviews of broad areas of research Review articles in journals or books –Provide integrative reviews of a research area –Some journals specialize in these kinds of integrative reviews Books and edited books –Provide extensive reviews without the typical space constraints of journal reviews

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Finding the Relevant Research Searching randomly for the information you want is a hopeless task Abstract and keyword search services allow you to track down information by author, title, and most importantly, topic Citation indexes allow you to find sources by identifying papers that reference a particularly relevant paper

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Abstracting Services Abstracting services provide information on a wide range of sources (journal articles, books and chapters in books, magazine articles, etc.) in a standard format that includes an abstract of each source Widely used abstract services – Psychological Abstracts – Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC)

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Subject and Keyword Services Virtually identical to abstract services except they do not include the abstract –Topic searches are conducted by title, keyword, or subject searches Common keyword or subject services –Library catalogs (often online) – Books in Print (for all published books) – Index Medicus (for medical journals) – Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature (for magazine and other popular literature)

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Citation Indexes Lists which articles, books, or chapters reference a specific paper Valuable for finding studies that build on previous research, because these studies will usually reference the previous work Useful Citation Indexes – Social Science Citation Index – Science Citation Index

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Search Strategies Many ways to find the information that you are after –Search by topic –Search by author using authors who you know specialize in the area –Check out the references in relevant articles –Use citation indexes to find articles that cite classic articles in a field

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Search by Topic The most common search strategy Abstract and keyword indexes are structured for topic searches –Most are now computerized –Easy to do sophisticated searches in computerized databases using Boolean operators (OR & AND) Identify all the work of authors you find who have done a lot of work in the field

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Searching Backwards Relevant research will likely reference other relevant research Identify some recent relevant studies and then look through their reference sections Not a substitute for a thorough topic search, but is a good supplementary strategy

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Searching Forward In most areas, there will be one or more articles that are SO critical that they will be referenced by every related study Citation indexes can be used to find the studies that reference these classic studies Again, not a substitute for a thorough topic search, but a good supplementary strategy

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney Graziano & Raulin (1997) Summary The library is a tremendous source of information The reference librarian can be invaluable Available resources include primary (e.g., journals) and secondary (e.g., book chapters) sources of research information Abstract journals and citation indexes (often computerized) simplify the search process

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney

School of Information Technologies Faculty of Science, College of Sciences and Technology The University of Sydney