RESEARCH METHODS IN TOURISM Nicos Rodosthenous PhD 07/03/ /3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous1

Reviewing the literature 1. Introduction : the aim of this chapter is to explain the importance, for any research project, of reviewing previous research and being aware of existing writing –the literature-on a topic. It sets out the mechanics of compiling bibliographies and recording bibliographical references for research purposes. The primary aim is not just to add to knowledge but to use research to assist directly in the solution of policy, planning, strategy or management problems. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous2

Reviewing the literature 2. The roles of the literature in research.  The entire basis of the research  Source of ideas on topics for research  Source of information on research already done by others  Source of methodological or theoretical ideas  Source of comparison between your research and that of others  Source of information that is an integral or supportive part of the research-i.e. statistical data on the study area population 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous3

Reviewing the literature 3. The value of bibliographies : helping to consolidate the “state of art” and saving other researchers valuable time and trouble in searching for material Searching : Source of information  Library catalogues: modern libraries have computerised catalogues which are accessed via terminals within the library and from remote locations via the Internet.  Published bibliographies: libraries have a separate section for bibliographies published in hard copy and can be found on the Internet. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous4

Reviewing the literature  Published indexes and electronic databases: such indexes are in CD-ROM format or being made available on the Internet.  The Internet: Internet has rapidly become a significant and global source of information for researchers. i.e. For the World Tourism Organization the address is: tourism.org/publications/ 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous5

Reviewing the literature  General leisure and tourism publications: the researcher should be aware of publications on specific activities or aspects of leisure and tourism. For example in the area of leisure:  Driver et al. (1991) Benefits of Leisure In the area of tourism:  Leiper (1995) Tourism Management  Reference lists: to identify material at the beginning of any research, it will be an on-going exercise through the course of the project which willd to useful material. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous6

Reviewing the literature  Beyond leisure and tourism: many researchers fail to look beyond immediate leisure or tourism material. For example, if the research involves the study of leisure or tourism markets, then general marketing journals may be useful sources.  Obtaining copies of material: if material is not available in a library it can be obtained from inter- library loan service, or with the provision of a photocopy. Copies of complete articles can also be downloaded from the Internet. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous7

Reviewing the literature 4.Compiling and maintaining a bibliography  It involves record keeping using a database program with store key-words.  Hours of time and efforts can be saved and details can be recorded accurately for future reference Reviewing the literature  The review of the literature can play a number of roles in a research project as follows: 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous8

Reviewing the literature  4.1.a) Inclusive bibliography:  Seeks to identify everything that has been published on a particular topic.  Such bibliography will be a significant achievement in itself, and becomes a resource in the future by others.( e.g. books, articles, reports)  b) Inclusive/evaluative review: literature analysis is a common variation and involves a quantitative analysis of temporal trends. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous9

Reviewing the literature c) Exploratory review: seeks to discover existing research which might throw light on a specific research question or issue. d) Instrumental review: it s a management issue and the literature is used as a source of suitable ideas. e) Content analysis and hermeneutics: are techniques which involve detailed analysis of the content of a certain body of literature. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous10

Reviewing the literature f) Reading critically and creatively: involves with how the conclusions arrived and what is not known as it is to determine what is known. A number of questions may be asked as follows: 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous11

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Reviewing the literature 5. Referencing the literature  5.1. The purpose of referencing :1) the report is related to existing body of knowledge 2) enable the reader to check sources.  Recording references: a number of standard or conventional formats exist for recording references to the literature.  The general format recommended for recording references is shown below: 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous13

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Reviewing the literature  In some systems the date is put at the end. When using the Harvard system the date should follow the author name.  Note that the publisher of the book is not the same as the printer of the book.  Internet references are becoming very common and one of the problems is that some sources disappear or their website address (URL) changes over time. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous15

Reviewing the literature  Internet reference should include all the details which apply to hard copy items, the website URL and the date of accessed. 5.2.Referencing systems. There are two common used systems: the author/date system, sometimes referred to as the Harvard system and the footnote or endnote system. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous16

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Reviewing the literature  Specifics and quotations: when referring to specific points, page references should be noted.  When quoting directly from a source, page references should also be given.i.e. Aitchison(2003:135-58)  Advantages and disadvantages  The system has the disadvantage not to incorporate footnotes or endnotes.  The advantages of the author/date system is to 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous18

Reviewing the literature save the effort of keeping track of footnote or endnote numbers. It indicates the date of publication to the reader, the details and alphabetical list of references at the end of the document.  Footnote or endnote system.  Basic features: the footnote style involves the use of numbered references in the text and a list of corresponding numbered references at the foot of the page. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous19

Reviewing the literature Most word-processing packages offer this feature automatically by computer. Publishers generally place the notes all together at the end of the chapter or book.  Multiple references: it should never write a reference in full more than once in a document, but making reference back to previous footnotes. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous20

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Reviewing the literature  Advantages and disadvantages of the footnote/endnote system.  The footnote advantage is less obtrusive than the author/date system and can accommodate authors notes in addition to references to the literature.  Keeping track of footnotes or endnotes and their numbering is much less a disadvantage than it used to be, since this can now be made by computers. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous22

Reviewing the literature  Comparing the two systems: the features, advantages and disadvantages of the two systems, author/date and footnote/endnote are shown on the table below: 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous23

Reviewing the literature  Secondhand references: secondhand references should be avoided and every effort is made to refer to the original source.  Excessive referencing : it becomes tiresome when repeated reference is made to the same source on every other line of the report.  Latin abbreviations: a number of Latin abbreviations are used in referencing:  et al. Is used for more than two authors of the a work, authors name and et al. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous24

Reviewing the literature op. cit. : stands for the Latin opere citato, meaning in the work cited. ibid: if reference is made to the same work in consecutive footnotes, the ibid is sometimes used short of ibidem, meaning the same. 7/3/2013Dr Nicos Rodosthenous25