PLANNING AND DESIGNING A RESEARCH STUDY Session II: Literature Review: Why and How (1.5 hours)

This session…. Identify and formulate a research problem using literature review as sources of information Construct research hypotheses on the basis of knowledge of the research area through literature review Access resources and use the proper citations and references Construct reliable research tools for data collection on the basis of how other researchers in the field worked

Literature reviews Conducted to ensure a researcher is familiar with ‘all’ of the what is known about a particular field Often published in order to bring other researchers (and students) up to speed quickly in an unfamiliar field Need to have the scope of the review carefully defined Not too big such that adequate coverage is infeasible, and there is too much literature to review and the review becomes unfocussed (and thereby not useful) Not too narrow such that there are too few papers to include

Why do you need this…? To contextualize your research It gives you ideas about how to classify and present your data To distinguish what has been done from what needs to be done and how it should be done. To synthesize your ideas and gain perspectives to look at your research problem with different lens.

Sources of literature review Articles in Journals Books Internet Research Reports Government Documents Abstracts Reviews Unpublished Thesis Electronic Research Information Centre/Social Sciences Citation Index/Dissertation Abstracts Index Most of this material is now available on the internet. Libraries in established higher education institutions are another rich resource for locating the required materials.

Example of a literature review Hand, C. "A Survey of 3D Interaction Techniques". Computer Graphics Forum, 16(5): 269-281. (Dec 1997) (Abstract) Recent gains in the performance of 3D graphics hardware and rendering systems have not been matched by a corresponding improvement in our knowledge of how to interact with the virtual environments we create; therefore there is a need to examine these further if we are to improve the overall quality of our interactive 3D systems. This paper examines some of the interaction techniques which have been developed for object manipulation, navigation and application control in 3D virtual environments. The use of both mouse-based techniques and 3D input devices is considered, along with the role of feedback and some aspects of tools and widgets.

Example of a literature review Rationale (foundation) Hand, C. "A Survey of 3D Interaction Techniques". Computer Graphics Forum, 16(5): 269-281. (Dec 1997) (Abstract) Recent gains in the performance of 3D graphics hardware and rendering systems have not been matched by a corresponding improvement in our knowledge of how to interact with the virtual environments we create; therefore there is a need to examine these further if we are to improve the overall quality of our interactive 3D systems. This paper examines some of the interaction techniques which have been developed for object manipulation, navigation and application control in 3D virtual environments. The use of both mouse-based techniques and 3D input devices is considered, along with the role of feedback and some aspects of tools and widgets.

Example of a literature review Hand, C. "A Survey of 3D Interaction Techniques". Computer Graphics Forum, 16(5): 269-281. (Dec 1997) (Abstract) Recent gains in the performance of 3D graphics hardware and rendering systems have not been matched by a corresponding improvement in our knowledge of how to interact with the virtual environments we create; therefore there is a need to examine these further if we are to improve the overall quality of our interactive 3D systems. This paper examines some of the interaction techniques which have been developed for object manipulation, navigation and application control in 3D virtual environments. The use of both mouse-based techniques and 3D input devices is considered, along with the role of feedback and some aspects of tools and widgets. Scope of review

Example of a literature review Hand, C. "A Survey of 3D Interaction Techniques". Computer Graphics Forum, 16(5): 269-281. (Dec 1997) (Abstract) Recent gains in the performance of 3D graphics hardware and rendering systems have not been matched by a corresponding improvement in our knowledge of how to interact with the virtual environments we create; therefore there is a need to examine these further if we are to improve the overall quality of our interactive 3D systems. This paper examines some of the interaction techniques which have been developed for object manipulation, navigation and application control in 3D virtual environments. The use of both mouse-based techniques and 3D input devices is considered, along with the role of feedback and some aspects of tools and widgets. Indication of taxonomy

Managing the literature Requires reading literature from a variety of sources Forming some form of taxonomy or structure for your review keeping track of your reading references Identifying where in your taxonomy the various contributions from the literature fall Critically reviewing the literature Identifying different approaches, contradictions between contributions, analysis of strengths and weaknesses Not simply pasting quotes from different papers Drawing your own conclusions, particularly concerning completeness of coverage Highlight implications for your work (if appropriate)

Annotate your references. You can write brief notes on the Index Cards. This will provide you with a methodical and organized review of materials that you have read. It is a record of the accuracy, relevance, and quality of the sources you have consulted. Your critical comment, that is your informed and considered evaluation, can also be added. These annotations can be varying in length and content depending on the pertinence of the material reviewed. It will minimize the time when you have to incorporate them in your writing.

Computer programs for --- Today, a number of computer programs like Endnote, Procite, or Reference Manager are available to keep track of your references. These programs can automatically format references in any number of styles once the basic details have been entered.

Presenting the Literature Review Ensure that review is adequate and sufficient Organize all literature Prepare a blue print of the structure of your research Basic outline can be filled in the bits and pieces as your reading advances Be careful to be recent and up to date in citing Avoid the temptation to include every single source that you have accessed Suggestions Read a few well-written literature reviews Be valiant and get feedback from your peers and supervisor. Be prepared to redraft and revise

Sample of Literature Review for Action Research “the process of studying a real school or classroom situation to understand and improve the quality of actions or instruction”… . It is a systematic and orderly way for teachers to observe their practice or to explore a problem and a possible course of action…. Action research is also a type of inquiry that is pre-planned, organized, and can be shared with others. (Johnson, 2005: 21) ------------------- ------------------------------READ FROM PDF

EndNote -----------an example EndNote is a commercial reference management software package, used to manage bibliographies and references when writing essays and articles. It is produced by Thomson Reuters. How to use EndNote ????????------------If you all are interested then we can arrange

Activity-----Assessment A) Collectively or in groups select 1-2 topics Consult 5 to 7 sources from library to write their literature review Write a short report B) Collectively or in groups select 1-2 topics Make an EndNote library and consult 15 to 20 sources from e-library to write their literature review Format that report according to selected journal format