Literature review Week 4

Question 1

A literature review is necessary in both qualitative and quantitative research because

Answer 1

it forms the theoretical backdrop of the study

Question 2

A literature review is a

Answer 2

systematic and critical review of scholarly literature on the research problem of interest

Question 3

Being ‘systematic’ means:

Answer 3

(i) reviewing a wide thematic scope that relates to the research problem of interest, and not just reviewing a limited perspective, to demonstrate that you have an informed opinion, and (ii) writing clearly, so that the logic of your argument is easy to follow

Question 4

Being critical is about:

Answer 4

(i) paying attention to detail and (ii) analysing or evaluating the (theoretical and methodological) strengths and weaknesses of previous research, and not just describing previous research

Question 5

Scholarly research can either be:

Answer 5

(i) theoretical (or conceptual), or (ii) research-based

Question 6

What are different sources of scholarly research ?

Answer 6

books, journal articles, abstracts, conference proceedings, professional and government reports, unpublished masters and doctoral dissertations, computer-accessed material (like Google scholar), audiovisual material and personal communication (between researchers)

Question 7

What is scholarly research?

Answer 7

Scholarly research has been through a rigorous process of peer-review, and therefore has had to justify itself (theoretically and methodologically)

Question 8

There are many functions that a literature review serves, and that the more of these functions it fulfils…..

Answer 8

the better the literature review

Question 9

The many possible functions of literature reviews include:

Answer 9

describe, summarise, evaluate, clarify, and/or integrate previous literature; demonstrate familiarity with the field to establish credibility; justify, develop, and refine research questions, methods, and objectives;

Question 10

The many possible functions of literature reviews include:

Answer 10

determine what is known and not known about a topic; identify any gaps in the literature; identify opposing views or contradictory research findings; identify other people working in similar fields; help develop a strong knowledge base; discover and identify all conceptual traditions and frameworks to examine the research problem;

Question 11

The many possible functions of literature reviews include:

Answer 11

evaluate the theoretical and methodological strengths and weaknesses of previous research; uncover information that can guide professional practice; promote the development or revision of practice protocols; contextualise the relevance and significance of the study in relation to previous research;

Question 12

The many possible functions of literature reviews include:

Answer 12

avoid unintended duplication; avoid ‘re-inventing the wheel’; allow researchers to learn from others; increase personal knowledge in the area; foster innovative approaches; and set the scene for new research

Question 13

A good literature review is:

Answer 13

relevant to the topic; comprehensive:(up to date, has good coverage, raises questions and shows where the gaps in knowledge are); cohesive (hangs together logically); logical and referenced; enjoyable to read; and structured

Question 14

There are several steps involved in conducting a literature review:

Answer 14

(i) determine the topic or problem of interest, (ii) identify the concepts of interest and the search terms (or keywords), (iii) conduct a library, database, and/or computer search; skim abstracts, discarding irrelevant articles; retrieve relevant articles/sources; review the reference section of each article for new articles not identified through the computer search; and skim and group relevant articles/sources, (iv) read information in depth, (v) summarise and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the information, and (vi) synthesize these critical summaries

Question 15

What are databases relevant to specific areas within human services?

Answer 15

CINAHL, MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, HEALTH IN SOCIETY, and ERIC

Question 16

You need to check the credibility of internet sources not retrieved from the databases. True or False.

Answer 16

True

Question 17

A primary source is written by

Answer 17

the person(s) who conducted the research or developed the theory;

Question 18

a secondary source is written by

Answer 18

someone other than the original author or researcher

Question 19

A research framework:

Answer 19

incorporated into the lit review – provides foundation for research by describing the theoretical approach the study will take – Guides all aspects of the research process -Research design/ sampling/ data collection/ Data Analysis

Question 20

Research proposal –

Answer 20

contains research problem that’s being addressed and why, the subjects for the study, the measures in the study, how the data will be collected, how the data will be analysed, the time tine for the project, the budget of the project.

Question 21

sampling

Answer 21

the people to be studied

Question 22

data collection

Answer 22

the information to be collected, how the data will be collected and the appropriate measures to be used

Question 23

data analysis

Answer 23

and how information will be analyse

Question 24

Theoretical framework

Answer 24

puts the concepts together into a theory, which the study will be testing

Question 25

research design

Answer 25

the way a study will be conducted

Question 26

Conceptual framework

Answer 26

identifies all the main concepts that may be relevant to a research topic

Question 27

explicit/separate

Answer 27

can be described on their own

Question 28

explicit/incorporated

Answer 28

may be embedded in the literature review

Question 29

implicit

Answer 29

may be implied