Soc 3306a Lecture 4 The Research Report and the Literature Review

Aims of research reports from ( Babbie’s “The Research Report)The Research Report Exploratory research report: Is an exploration of a topic of interest Should indicate tentativeness of conclusions and shortcomings of the research May offer suggestions for more refined research on the topic

Aims (cont) Descriptive reports: have a descriptive purpose should distinguish between descriptions that apply only to the sample and those that are inferred to the population inferential descriptions should give indication of the probable range of error

Aims (cont.) Explanatory research reports: have an explanatory aim focus on causal relationships among variables should carefully delineate the rules of explanation that lie behind computations and conclusions should also indicate relative certainty of conclusions

Aims (cont.) Action research reports: have the aim of proposing action on the basis of research findings or example, the values and orientations (ie personal politics) can interfere with proposal for action specific actions should be supported by the empirical data and should outline the logic behind the proposal

Main components of a research report (see Babbie’s “The Research Report)The Research Report Introduction: purpose and overview Literature review (more detail discussed below) Study design: the sample and method brief description of population, sampling frame, sampling method, sample size, data collection method, completion rate, methods of data processing and analysis (use codebook info) Analysis and interpretation: includes a results and a discussion section Summary and conclusions Summarize most significant findings, point to directions for future research

Babbie’s Forensic Dictum “Tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them.” Writing style: clear, concise, no spelling errors or typos, with very careful citations where needed

Reviewing the Literature Recommended Sources: Library Databases Journal articles Books Conference proceedings Government / corporate reports Other Sources Internet (be careful with this!) Look for research/papers on academic websites Newspapers and Magazines (not recommended)

Western Library Resources Go to Login to the Western library and use the “Summon” search utility to find full-text articles, data and more! Next, explore the social science databases at Try JSTOR and the SocINDEX (my favourites)

Writing The Literature Review The literature review provides both the background and the rationale for your study should focus on studies that have direct relevance to your study

Writing (cont.) In essence, the literature review should…. Concentrate on the scientific research and theory in your area Summarize and evaluate the literature in that particular area Provide the context for your research Justify the proposed study

10 Questions to consider in writing a literature review: 1. What do we already know in the immediate area concerned? 2. What are the characteristics of the key concepts or the main factors or variables? 3. What are the relationships between these key concepts, factors or variables? 4. What are the existing theories? 5. Where are the inconsistencies/shortcomings in our knowledge and understanding?

Questions (cont.) 6. What research designs or methods seem unsatisfactory? 7. What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? 8. What views need to be (further) tested? 9. Why study the research problem further? 10. What contribution can the present study be expected to make?

Tips: Remember the purpose Read with a purpose Write with a purpose Always put citations into your writing immediately Keep a bibliographic file

Other things to consider…. What are your variables of interest? How are they related to the literature? What hypotheses will you be testing? You should include a brief section at the end of the literature review outlining your main variables and a tentative model

Other: Causal Hypotheses Two or more variables – independent and dependent and can include control/intervening variables Describe a cause-effect relationship Are expressed as prediction or outcome Have a logical link to your research question Example of a good causal model

Other: Level and Unit of Analysis Level of analysis Micro, meso, macro Unit of analysis The unit that is measured Individual, family, society, etc.

Avoid Mismatched Units of Analysis Ecological Fallacy when group characteristics or findings are applied to individuals Reductionism “fallacy of nonequivalence” applying individual level data to large groups

Finally…. Babbie’s article on the Sage website: Read very carefully. Pay attention to his tips on avoiding plagiarism and his guidelines for reporting analyses and results. Leedy and Ormrod Ch. 4: Again, read very carefully, paying special attention to the composition of the sample literature review.

Your Research Project Using the guidelines above, and the variables that you have chosen for your model, begin conducting a formal literature review. Focus on finding recent studies that have been done in your chosen area. Make sure that your literature review provides a good overview of what is known and not known about your problem. Keep track of studies that are useful by writing up a bibliographical entry for each one and a brief annotation. This will help you when you write the actual review!