1 / 16

Chapter 6 Working with Literature

Chapter 6 Working with Literature. Zina O’Leary. I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow. Woodrow Wilson. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project . London: Sage. The Importance of Reading for Research .

ostinmannual
Download Presentation

Chapter 6 Working with Literature

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 6Working with Literature Zina O’Leary

  2. I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow. Woodrow Wilson Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  3. The Importance of Reading for Research • Reading is an essential part of the research process. The quest to add to a body of knowledge demands engagement with topical, methodological and theoretical literature. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  4. The Importance of ‘Reading’ • Reading can: • generate ideas • help form significant questions • theoretically inform your study • help develop your rationale • develop appropriate design • inform your literature review. • Every stage of the research process demands literary engagement. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  5. Literature Types • Finding relevant literature can be made easier if you are able to readily access and draw on a wide variety of resources, such as: • reference materials • books • journals • gray literature • official publications • archives. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  6. Sourcing Readings • When sourcing your readings you should call on: • librarians • supervisors • other researchers. • Their expertise, in conjunction with the development of your own search skills, should aid you in navigating your way through reading. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  7. Honing Your Search Skills • The ever increasing availability of literature requires students to develop proficient search skills. • Working with key words is the most common way to navigate the internet and relevant databases. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  8. Intersecting Areas of Literature Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  9. Managing Literature • Managing the literature requires skills that allow you to: • quickly assess relevance • systematically organize references • keep diligent and relevant notes. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  10. Annotating Sources • Annotating your sources provides you with a record of relevant literature. It should include: • the citation • articulation of the author and audience • a short summary • critical commentary • notes on relevance that remind you of the significance, accuracy and quality of the sources cited. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  11. Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours. John Locke Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  12. The Formal Literature Review • Most find writing a literature review a difficult task that takes patience, practice, drafts, and redrafts. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  13. The Formal Literature Review • The formal literature review is a very specific piece of writing designed to: • inform your readers of your topic • establish your credibility as a researcher • argue the need for, and relevance of, your work. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  14. Reasons for Reviewing the Literature Purposes of the ‘Literature Review’ RInforming yourself of what is happening in the field RInforming your audience of what is happening in the field RGaining a level of topical and methodological knowledge and expertise REstablishing your credibility as a knowledgeable and capable researcher RFinding potential gaps in the literature that may point to potential research questions RArguing the relevance and the significance of your research question(s) RCriticallyevaluating common/ typical methods RProviding the context for your own methodological approach • Facilitating the development of your own methodological approaches RArguing the relevance and appropriateness of your approach Reviewing the Literature vs. ‘The Literature Review’ Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  15. Writing your Literature Review • A good literature review is an argument that is more purposeful than a simple review of relevant literature. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

  16. Writing your Literature Review • Writing a good review requires you to: • read a few good reviews • write critical annotations • develop a structure • write purposefully • use the literature to back up your arguments • review and write throughout the research process • get feedback • and be prepared to redraft. Zina O’Leary (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London: Sage

More Related