1. Project Lecture A4

2. Using the literature legitimately and well
Literature search, management + literature review
Referencing
Notes towards writing up
Important because:
setting your project in context
finding out what work has been done in the same area
researching resources and techniques needed to do project
reading round for software evaluation

3. Why is a literature review important?
It justifies your project – shows it is worth doing
It sets your project within context by looking at research in the project area
It helps to refine your project idea
It identifies research methods and strategies which you could use
It helps you avoid repeating the work of others
Basis for further reading, as your project develops
Distinguishes your work as an academic project

4. Doing a literature review
Literature search
“A systematic gathering of published information relating to a subject”
University of Derby, 1995
Start broad, then focus
Includes information management
Literature review
Read the literature
Critically evaluate what you have found
More than one iteration – continue through life of project

5. Literature search
Start with broad focus: identify topics of interest to provide a starting point
At this stage: use subjective understanding, student text books, interest publications
Narrow the focus:
focus on key authors, specific journals (identify from reading lists), identify key themes
Redefine/refine search
Continuous cycle – identify different thinking in the area, understand which material to include/exclude,
Definition – identify boundaries of literature search. Id topics in which you are interested, provide starting point
Strategies for doing this: subjective understanding and popular texts; focus – key authors, specific journals – ID from reading lists; use mind map which enables relationships between topics to be identified.
Obtain information – perform critical evaluation and write literature review
Not sequential – many tasks performed in parallel
More questions and issues, tidying up misunderstandings, refining search. Increase of focus, continuous process throughout project
When to stop – understand why certain material is being included, other excluded

6. Searching for literature 1
Choose keywords relating to the branch of computer science you are in
Try different keyword phrases
Assess quality of what you are pointed to (library has a link to Internet Detective)
Library has bibliographic databases on web
Is your terminology in search the same as the author/editor used? Use alternative terms, e.g. health, medical, healthcare

7. Analysis Synthesis Operations Retirement
Stages
Activities
Processes
Documentation Quality Project mgt Communications
Software engineering
Waterfall Spiral Prototyping
Models
SSADM
Support elements
Methods
Techniques
SSM
JSP DFD OOD Prototyping
Standards
Tools
ISO 9000
ISO 9126
MS Project Quality mgt system Documentation system
Evolutionary Throw away Incremental Experimental Rapid
TQM
Dawson (2005)

8. Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge representation
Philosophical issues
Application areas
AI techniques
Search techniques
Machine learning
Expert systems
Semantic networks
Rule-based systems
Frames
Predicate logic
Mundane tasks
Expert tasks
Prediction
Planning
Vision
Robotics
Medical diagnosis
Pattern recognition
Image processing
Dawson (2005)

9. Sources of literature Recommend using a mixture of sources:
Generally a time dimension:
Material at cutting edge of domain – on-line (but be aware of quality issues)
2-3 years – consolidate, researchers start writing papers – peer-reviewed journals
This is blurring now – web journals and OU model /open source model – peer reviewing happening on-line with author and reviewers in discussion
Over 5 years – gets into text books, although this too is shortening – see web domain. Authors make name then publish.
O’Reilly – up to date info
Books – reading lists from lectures
Papers – library. Interlibrary loan – need supervisor sig
On-line – web journals, use search engine (but large nos results)
IT white papers – often published by commercial cos
NB quality of info

10. Features of literature search
Systematic
Published – i.e. recognised, refereed
Is something worth reading?
Title, contents list, index – are keywords relevant?
Author recognised in field?
Book up to date, latest edition?
References include citations of other key works, can use them?
Written at appropriate level? (technical, introductory, review, discussion)

11. Searching for literature 2
Read recognised leaders and original theorists in your field
Use lists of references in things you read
Citation indexes are a measure of quality
KEEP NOTES
bibliographic information (citation) – saves you time
notes on contents – precis as you read
Keep full notes of references – saves time for producing ref list if you follow the Harvard APA notation – leaflets in library.
citation indexes which count no of citations in journals
Author, year of publ, title, publisher, where published
If journal, name, vol no, page nos
If web site, URL, when accessed

12. Quality of what you read
Good indications:
In a refereed journal
Widely-read source
Author is well known and respected
Referred to by other sources
Bad indications:
Self-published or unpublished work
In an obscure publication
You wouldn't know the author from Adam
Does not refer to other published work
Hands up if you think stuff on web is reliable?
Refereed journal – has been peer reviewed: initial read establishes as appropriate for journal, 2 referees (experts in the field), comment (approve, approve with amendments, reject), revision
Some guarantee of quality - but Bell labs and physics papers
Widely read source – more indication that it is a good journal (can be bad ones)
Referred to by other sources – frequently cited – refer to citation indexes which count no of citations in journals
In review section in report, demonstrate critical reading of appropriate literature about:
problem, solution to problem
Guard against saying what read/”quotes” – need to reflect, digest, give own opinions.
Must:
acknowledge by citing ( reduce possibility of plagiarism)
show evidence of critical analysis
i.e. you add value by how you interpret
Remember –
Good indications don’t always imply quality – does info apply to your context
Your own opinion counts

13. Active reading Look at the title of the passage/article
Look at contents list (if present)/ paragraph headings – structure
Look at index- does your item have lots of entries?
Is there an abstract?
Flick through and note main points that catch your eye
Then settle down to read through
(Cottrell (2001))

14. Managing your information
Be strategic – decide what you know already and what direction you want to go
Be focused – don’t acquire a mass of material you can’t digest
Use mind mapping to
identify topics of interest and how they link together
sort what you have found
Effective reading
What do you know already? What do you want to find out?
Make good use of what you know –common temptation to read for reading’s sake. Review what you have read –check for patterns of ideas
Depending how you like to work, think about mind-mapping –sketching ideas out diagrammatically
Quotes should support arguments rather than doing work for you- don’t make them main part of idea
Electrnic list of references – easier to build reference list and keep track of what you have read

15. and…
Housekeeping:
Keep references electronically (EndNote)
Set up an index system
Note quotes and use to support arguments rather than give new ideas
Know when to stop

16. Critical evaluation of literature 1
Goes beyond description by development judgement, responding to what has been written
Relates different writings to each other
Does not take what is written at face value
Sees research as area where different views and positions may be made
(Blaxter (2001))

17. Critical evaluation of literature 2
What type of article is it? up to date?
How does the article fit within its context? support your project?
Are the arguments made logical? supported or contradicted by others? applicable only in certain cases?
Does the article support the status quo or contradict other viewpoints?
Fact or opinion?
Do you agree? counterarguments?
Is research design, methodology, results, conclusions etc valid?
Use of references?

18. How to write up a project
2. Literature review
Reader needs:
context by which to read your report
background to be able to tell whether your approach was valid or best
What has been written:
about your problem?
about solutions which have been proposed, how successful they were?
Be relevant and explain how and why it is
use examples to illustrate important points
be “critical” in the positive sense of the word
if authors say different things, make a judgement
Remember audience is academic – no palaeontology
Some people divide this into a literature review, where they look at acad background, and technical review, where they evaluate tools, methods and packages.
Don’t give chapter and verse on Waterfall/ Spiral model etc – it’s boring – only discuss if it’s relevant to your project and you have something interesting to say about how you are going to apply it.
How to write up a project

19. What a literature review is not…
Not a report listing all the reading you have done whether it is relevant or not – be selective
Not a paragraph about each article, reporting on content, without critiquing or linking to your main discussion

20. Suggested review approaches
Explain about area of study: general review of area, concentrating on academic literature
Try and tell a story, supported by your references
Present arguments and counter-arguments
Alternative theories and methods and explanation why they are relevant

21. Other possible strategies
Show how topic has evolved, but beware paleontology
Focus more precisely and discuss some recent developments in the field
Criteria / reasons for choice of methods
Short overview of relevant technologies

22. Writing the literature review - summary
Identifies relevant literature in your field
Refers to past and present articles, commenting on omissions and biases
References support your arguments where appropriate
Shows where your project topic fits into the field

23. What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is passing off an idea as your own
For every idea, decide:
Is it your own? (reading will help ensure this)
Is it common knowledge (multiple sources)?
Does it have one source (or a small number)? – then it needs a reference
You must acknowledge other people’s ideas
Three failures in due to plagiarism; three in , four in , two in
Project mark reduced to 0 if plagiarism is detected
Plagiarism of ideas
Biggest problem is not citing the material properly
Unintentional – road accident analogy
Poor scholarship – no/sloppy citing, evidently different work, not malicious
Is idea your own? Explore the literature sufficiently to assure this.
Common knowledge – eg in text books – doesn’t need
One source – must cite
Marks reduced to 0 on project if plag – plag panel

24. Plagiarism gets in the way of your creativity: your specific voice.
Why do people plagiarise?
lack of time
lack of confidence
lack of understanding
Plagiarism of ideas
Much is unintentional (but still guilty)
intent is not an issue
Poor scholarship – no/sloppy citing, evidently different work, not malicious

25. How to avoid plagiarism
Identify words:
Quotation marks or similar (legal but poor scholarship)
Jim Briggs states that …
As Checkland describes, …
Name names!
Paraphrasing in your own words shows you understand
Identify source:
Conventional way is to include a bibliographic citation next to idea in your report [Briggs98]
How to do it? See /projects/docs/projcite.htm
Italics, indent
Name names – frequent error
Paraphrase – takes less time to read, adds value

26. Anti-plagiarism resources
PUMS info
/projects/docs/projcite.htm
A good example!
Turnitin software
- Cecil Greek in Florida
- University of Western Ontario
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute

27. Starting to write
More lectures on writing up next semester

28. A suggested technique
Start with something concrete – your requirements analysis, design, implementation
Move on to literature review (from your notes and conceptual models)
Finish with introduction and conclusion, where you are writing at a more abstract level