Soc 3306a Lecture 4

1. Soc 3306aLecture 4 The Research Report and the Literature Review

2. Aims of research reports from (Babbie’s “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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Aims (cont.) • Action research reports: • have the aim of proposing action on the basis of research findingsor 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

6. Main components of a research report(see Babbie’s “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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. Western Library Resources • Go to http://www.lib.uwo.ca/ • 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 http://alpha.lib.uwo.ca/search/xSociology%20Databases • Try JSTOR and the SocINDEX (my favourites)

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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?

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

15. 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

16. 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

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

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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!