Social Research Methods

1. Alan Bryman Social Research Methods Chapter 5: Reviewing the literature Slides authored by Tom Owens

2. Once you have identified your research questions (see Chapter 4), the next step in any research project is to search the existing literature and write a literature review. This chapter will advise students on how to go about searching the literature and engaging critically with the ideas of other writers. It will also help you to understand some of the expectations of the literature review and give you some ideas about how to assess the quality of existing research. The theme of this chapter page 98

3. What is already known about this area? What concepts and theories are relevant? What research methods and strategies have been used in this area? Are there any controversies? Are there any inconsistencies in findings? Are there unanswered questions? Searching the Literature should answer these questions: page 98

4. a list of relevant theories; a search for relevant information; a survey of writing on the subject; a way of learning about the subject; a help in finding dissertation topics and research methods; an important component of a dissertation or report. Adapted from Bruce (1994) A literature review can be... page 99

5. you need to know what is already known about your research area; you can learn from the mistakes of others; you can learn about different theoretical and methodological approaches to your research area; it may help you to develop an analytic framework; it may lead you to consider including variables in your research of which you might not have thought; it may suggest further research questions; it is required! So, you write a literature review because..... Tips and skills Page 112

6. Student experiences are valuable page 112 See more of these on pages 114 and 117

7. Take lots of notes (including references); Ask yourself questions about what you read (its value to your topic, methods used, conclusions); Find research questions (perhaps because what you read indicates contention); Identify sources to which you will want to return later on; Be selective (read for relevance); Don’t stop reading!! Getting the most from your reading pages 98-100

8. Read books and articles you know, or are recommended by your supervisor; Keep notes based on your reading; Note the keywords used; Note other literature which might be interesting later; Generate your own keywords. How to search the literature: 1

9. Search your institution’s library; Search online (using an appropriate database); Examine titles and abstracts for relevance; Retrieve selected items, read, take notes; Check regularly for new material. How to search the literature: 2

10. By giving you a ‘starter’ reading-list; By mentioning key contributors and/or seminal articles in your field; By giving you a ‘credibility’ index of writers and journals; By, perhaps, discussing their own research and publications with you. How your supervisor can help your reading

11. Start with module reading-lists; Consult the references and bibliographies of recommended textbooks; Use the library of your institution, - to find out what is available - to find out your institution’s subscriptions to on-line databases; Use electronic databases, like SSCI (Social Sciences Citation Index) (wok.mimas.ac.uk) and Scopus (scopus.com). Please note these sites require log-in codes for full access. Searching for books and articles pages 113-115

12. One way of searching the literature Figure 5.1 page 119

13. Search engines find sites but do not evaluate them Dictionaries and encyclopaedias are fine for basic definitions, but little else Many Internet sites serve a commercial purpose, so don’t be taken in by propaganda Rely on academic sites (usually.ac or .edu), government sites (.gov), not-for-profit institutions (.org), in that order. Download and save all material found on the Internet. Sites are dynamic and you may not find the data a second time. Your institution may also require proof when defending your thesis. A word (or two) of warning about the Internet page 115

14. Through...... putting material together which is not usually related (synthesized coherence); building up separate items into a consensus (progressive coherence); showing lots of related contributions but no overall agreement (non-coherence); revealing a gap in the literature; developing a new perspective; showing the existing literature to be simply wrong. (Golden-Biddle and Locke, 1997:43). Putting your reading to work Thinking deeply 5.1 Pages 100, 101

15. Systematic review: a) Very extensive search of the specific research field; b) Grouping of sources into categories: * very relevant, based on good research, * very relevant, weak research, * low relevance, or too general; c) Giving a step-by-step report on the search method used, decisions taken and derived conclusions. (Tranfield et al, 2003:209) Two main approaches to a literature review: 1

16. 2.Narrative Review: a) Limited search for the most interesting contributions; b) Concentration on connections between sources located and research questions; c) Revision of research questions in the light of readings. Two main approaches to a literature review: 2

17. Systematic: Positivist; “Quantity” focus; Theory informs the search; Synthesis is the research goal. Narrative: Intrepretivist; “Quality” focus; Theory emerges from the search; Identifying the discourse is the research goal. Systematic or narrative review?

18. Pooling the results from various studies in order to estimate the overall effect of a particular variable by correcting the various methodological errors of individual studies. Techniques 1:Meta-analysis (Quantitative Research) Key concept 5.2 page 106

19. Relating various qualitative studies to each other to produce a synthesis. The usual criteria for selection are credibility and interest-level. Through repeated readings of the selection, a number of characteristics of the observed phenomenon emerges. Techniques 2:Meta-ethnography(Qualitative Research) Key concept 5.3 page 107

20. A source is, usually, referenced in two parts: - the citation, in your text at the point of use; - full publication details, in a reference list, or bibliography, at the end of your dissertation or report. There are two main referencing conventions: - the author-date system, of which the Harvard system is most used; - the footnote system. Referencing your work: 1 page 120

21. Follow your institution’s guidelines for referencing protocols and terminology; If no clear guidelines are offered, use the Harvard system; Always include a list of references at the end, in any event. Referencing your work: 2 page 120

22. By questioning or amending your references; By highlighting unsupported assertions; By suggesting a more coherent structure; By highlighting gaps in your logic. How your supervisor can help your writing

23. Plagiarism means pretending that we, ourselves, wrote what others actually wrote; Plagiarism might be accidental: - not using quotation marks for direct quotes might be careless rather than deceitful; - or, forgetting to cite a source in the text; Plagiarism might not be seen for what it is: - recycling our own material from previously submitted work; - not referencing ourselves as the author of our own older work. Plagiarism: Crime and Punishment 1 Pages 124-125

24. Plagiarism is always a crime, since it destroys the foundations of the research edifice; Institutions vary in terms of the seriousness with which they view the offence: - punishment can range from resubmission to expulsion, - but reputation is always lost. Plagiarism: Crime and Punishment 2

25. Is your reading list up-to-date? Are there any new areas of interest? What have you read recently? How much time do you allocate to reading? What have you learned from your reading? Questions to ask when doing a literature review: 1 page 127

26. Has this changed your understanding of your subject area? Has your reading influenced your research design? Has it given you ideas about your hypotheses and research tools? Have you been taking notes from your reading? Adapted from Bruce, 1994 Questions to ask when doing a literature review: 2

27. Writing a literature review is a means of reviewing the main ideas and research relating to your chosen area of interest; A competent literature review confirms you as someone who is competent in the subject area; A great deal of the work of writing a literature review is based upon reading the work of other researchers in your subject area; key skills can be acquired to help you get the most from your reading; Systematic review is a method that is gaining in popularity in business research as a way of enhancing the reliability of literature searching and review; Narrative review is a more traditional approach which has advantages of flexibility that can make it more appropriate for inductive research and qualitative research designs. Key Points page127