ISYS3015 Analytical Methods for Information systems professionals Week 3 Lecture 1: Finding the literature

The Research Process Analytical Methods for IS Professionals March 20 th, 2002

The Research Process Slides of Powerpoint and additional notes are at

The Research Process Descriptive research – “finding out” Explanatory research – “why something is the way it is” Evaluative research – “evaluation of strategies”

The Research Process Assoc.Prof Joseph Davis – “interactive process” What is the question – selecting the research topic Conceptual framework – identifying and defining the key concepts and then exploring the relationship between them Data gathering Data analysis

The Research Process Parallels with Descriptive research Descriptive research involves an interactive process – Create a search strategy, try, review, modify, try, review, modify, complete

The Research Process Research topic “The Literature” Drafting a search strategy Electronic databases Evaluating the search strategy and citations Citing the references

The Research Process Selecting the research topic - define the question – know what your research topic is! Study it – Disembowel it! Know it intimately

The Research Process Identify key concepts Define the key concepts Exploring the relationship between the concepts in the question or research topic

The Research Process Think Talk about it to peers and experts Good time management skills – give yourself time for the issues to brew in your mind!

The Research Process Example: The use of mobile computing in the health care industry Key concepts – Mobile computing Health care industry

The Research Process Mobile computing – hand held devices, wireless technology, wireless communication Health care industry – Hospitals, ambulances, GPs, patient to carry the device, nursing homes, patient at home? Research topic may be further refined!

The Research Process “The Literature” What is the literature? “Previous writing and research is known as the literature.” – Ticehurst, p.59 Vaste sea of documents

The Research Process How does one extract from this massive monolith the documents that will assist you to handle your research topic? Index of the literature – electronic database index Convert your research topic into a search strategy

The Research Process Search strategies Key concepts –Synonyms Plural/singular or both? Acronym and/or spelt out – SLA or Service level agreement/s Broader terms/narrower terms

The Research Process Expressing the relationship between the terms in your search strategy Boolean operators AND OR NOT

The Research Process Example of a Search strategy The use of mobile computing in the health care industry Strategy 1=mobile computing and health Strategy2=mobile computing & health care Strategy 2=hand held devices and health care

The Research Process Strategy 3= mobile comput* and medic* (truncation?) Strategy depends on the capacity of the database in which you wish to enter it. Check the HELP screens to see how the database handles the search

The Research Process Electronic database – index to the literature Indexed the “peer-reviewed” journal literature A database may cover a wide subject area – such as Web of Science or ScienceDirect

The Research Process May include the research publications of a professional society – ACM Digital Library is an example where the fulltext of the documents is made available. May focus on a particular subject area – SOCIOFILE or PsycINFO as given in Ticehurst p. 64

The Research Process For a listing of databases check the Library’s page at To see if and how to use the database from your home PC, see

The Research Process Example – Medline Searching and reviewing the relevant records gives ideas of other meanings, broader possibilities

The Research Process Have a look at the records Do they give useful subject terms? Do the references point to previously not thought of possibilities? Do we see a broader perspective? Do we need to narrow the search?

The Research Process Searching and working with a search strategy is a Dynamic process – Implement the search strategy Review the results Any relevant references? Need to change the search strategy?

The Research Process In OVID – Medline, Sociofile, PsycINFO click on Weblink to be taken to the Library catalogue and hopefully the record for the journal title. If the journal title is not displayed, search the Library Catalogue by journal title

The Research Process Web of Science Citation index – From Click on “Holdings” to go to Library catalogue Search “mobile computing and health care”

The Research Process ACM Digital Library Contains bibliographic information, abstracts, information, abstracts, reviews, and full-text information, abstracts, reviews, and the full-text for articles published in ACM periodicals and proceedings since 1985.

The Research Process Extra words – mobile hosts; Mobile transaction processing Wireless LAN Portable devices Pen input Laptop/s Medical devices which mobile computers???

The Research Process Proquest Contains a number of databases such as ABI Inform (Ticehurst, p. 63) Proquest Computing Search all collections Use Search methods - Guided

The Research Process Proquest 5000 Show results with full text availability only Show peer reviewed publications Extra words – PDAs /Personal digital assistants

The Research Process Citing online references A journal article in electronic form should be cited as: Author/s of article. (Year of publication) Title of article. Journal Title [Online], vol numbering and page numbers. Available PROTOCOL: address and path, (date of visit).

The Research Process A journal article in a printed journal: Author/s of article. (Year of publication) Title of article. Journal Title, vol numbering and page numbers.

The Research Process 1. Research topic – analyze 2. Search Strategy 3. The Literature 4. Electronic databases 5. Reflection, reviewing references 6. Citing the references.