Getting started: reviewing the literature
Why do you need to review the existing literature?
To make sure you have a long list of references
Because without it, you could never reach the required word-count
To find out what is already known about your area of interest
To help in your general studying
To find out what is already known about your area of interest
”The most obvious reason”, “is that you want to know what is already known about your area of interest”, including relevant concepts and theories. The process of writing a literature review should enhance your learning and help you to write a “proper” dissertation, but these are by-products. You could reasonably start reading the existing literature to find out what the current areas of debate are, particularly in the academic journals close to your field of interest. This could help you to develop research questions of your own. Answer (a) may be an outcome, but this is not a numbers game: quality counts a lot more than quantity.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 90
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 90
To find out what is already known about your area of interest ”The most obvious reason”, “is that you want to know what is already known about your area of interest”, including relevant concepts and theories. The process of writing a literature review should enhance your learning and help you to write a “proper” dissertation, but these are by-products. You could reasonably start reading the existing literature to find out what the current areas of debate are, particularly in the academic journals close to your field of interest. This could help you to develop research questions of your own. Answer (a) may be an outcome, but this is not a numbers game: quality counts a lot more than quantity.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 90
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 90
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A systematic literature review is:A. One which starts in your own library, then goes to on-line databases and, finally, to the internet
B. A replicable, scientific and transparent process
C. One which gives equal attention to the principal contributors to the area
D. A responsible, professional process of time-management for research
Which of the following statements about plagiarism is most accurate?
A. It is so easy to “copy and paste” from the internet that everyone does it nowadays. If a proper reference is given, where is the harm in that?
B. How can we say for sure where our own ideas come from exactly? If we tried to give a reference for everything we could never hope to succeed.
C. Any suggestion that we have written what another actually wrote is morally wrong. Anyway, the whole point of a literature review is to show what we have read and what we thought about it.
D. Plagiarism is such an awful crime that those found guilty should be obliged to wear a scarlet “P” on their clothing.
What is self-plagiarism?
A. When a person lifts material that they have previously written and pass it off as their own work
B. Taking about yourself too much
C. Using somebody else’s work and passing it off as your own
D. An epistemological stance
To read critically means:
A. Taking an opposing point of view to the ideas and opinions expressed
B. Skimming through the material because most of it is just padding
C. Evaluating what you read in terms of your own research questions
D. Being negative about something before you read it
According to the Harvard referencing convention, which is the correct reference?
A. Bryman, A. (2012, 4e) Social Research Methods, Oxford; Oxford University Press
B. Bryman (2012, fourth edition), Oxford University Press
C. Bryman, Alan, Social Research Methods (2012: OUP)
D. Bryman, A. Social Research Methods (2012)
What is the first stage of a systematic review?
A. Assess the relevance of each study to the research question(s)
B. Define the purpose and scope of the review
C. Appraise the quality of studies from the previous step
D. Survey all of the literature contained within a single library
What is a narrative literature review?
A. An historically-based review, starting with the earliest contributions to the field
B. A review based exclusively on stories about companies, in book and case-study form
C. A paraphrase style of reviewing which does not require referencing
D. An initial impression of the topic which you will understand more fully as you conduct your research
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