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

2. Outline Milestone updates from each team Literature reviews Methods
Upcoming
Reminders

3. How are your milestones progressing?

4. IMRD Structure
What is this?

5. IMRD Structure Introduction/Literature Review Methods Results
Discussion/Conclusion

6. Literature Review Section
What is this?

7. 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?

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Example of Literature Table

13. Methodology Section
What is this?

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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 

18. 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

19. 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

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

21. Reminders