lecture 3 - reporting, reading and evaluating statistics

Question 1

literature

Answer 1

collection of published information/materials on a particular area of research or topic, such as books and journal articles of academic value

Question 2

what is the function of a literature review

Answer 2

identifies, evaluates and synthesises the relevant literature within a particular field of research

Question 3

what should a scientist be able to identify when they review literature

Answer 3

1. what has been established, discredited and accepted in your field
2. areas of controversy or conflict among different schools of thought
3. problems or issues that remain unsolved
4. emerging trends or new approaches
5. how your research extends, builds upon, and departs from previous research

Question 4

sources of literature

Answer 4

journal articles, websites, statistical handbooks, governmental reports, monographs

Question 5

selective approach

Answer 5

a single or limited number of sources are reviewed

Question 6

comprehensive approach

Answer 6

requires the review of numerous books and articles, which can be presented as substantial chapter in a research thesis or published on its own as scholarly review article

Question 7

plagiarism

Answer 7

failing to acknowledge other writer’s words, ideas or theories, either intentionally or unintentionally

Question 8

sources of referencing

Answer 8

books, journal articles, reports, newspapers, websites, online discussion forums

Question 9

in - text citation

Answer 9

a reference made within the body of text of an academic essay

Question 10

function of an in-text citation

Answer 10

alerts the reader to a source that has informed your own writing

Question 11

statistical methods

Answer 11

1. state the full name of the statistical test
2. identify the program that you used to perform the calculations
3. state all options you selected, report enough detail so anyone could start with your data and get precisely the same results you got