Dissertation

TOPIC 03 LITERATURE REVIEW

LECTURER: THANG NGUYEN @ FSB HANOI BASED ON: SAUNDERS ET AL (2012)

RESEARCH METHODS FOR BIZ STUDENTS

OUTLINE Critical review Literature sources Literature search planning Literature search conducting Obtaining & evaluating Recording the literature Systematic review Plagiarism

CRITICAL REVIEW

CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

Constructive analysis Clear argument What known & what not known About your research question

TASKS
A lot of reading Assessment of value of each reading Organise ideas & findings

CRITICAL REVIEW

VALUES
Constitute an important part of project Help generate & refine research ideas Provide context & theoretical framework Vision: lit. boundaries & your contributions

CRITICAL
Only most relevant & significant literature Understand advances & limitations Understand linkages between readings

CRITICAL REVIEW

TRADITIONAL STEPS
1) Define parameters to Q & Obj. 2) Search terms & first search 3) List of references 4) Read & evaluate 5) Record ideas & write the review 6) Go back to step (1)

CRITICAL REVIEW

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT LITERATURE

Finance Marketing Human resource Economics Psychology Sociology Geography

CRITICAL REVIEW

NATURE OF LITERATURE
Empirical Theoretical Opposing ideas

PURPOSES
Deductive approach Identify theories & use data to test Inductive approach Explore data & develop theories Relate your theories to literature

CRITICAL REVIEW

OTHER PURPOSES
Help refine research Q & Obj. Find future research ideas Help avoid repeating others work Help gain insights into research interests Guide your research approach

CRITICAL REVIEW

READING TIPS
Preview Summarise Compare & contrast Read with some skepticism Review questions (Wallace & Ray, 2011) 1) Why reading this? 2) Purposes of the author? 3) How relevant to your research? 4) How convincing? 5) How to use the reading?

CRITICAL REVIEW

CONTENT
Relevant & representative references Most significant theories of experts Relationships bet. research findings Key points & trends incl. omissions & biases Logical relationship to your research

CRITICAL REVIEW

CRITICAL APPROACH
Critique of rhetoric Effective use of argument language Critique of tradition Question conventional wisdom Critique of authority Question dominant view Critique of objectivity Recognise something not value free

CRITICAL REVIEW

CRITICALLY REVIEWING TIPS

Refer to & assess authority research Consider supporting & opposing ideas Make reasoned judgements on values Relate values to your research Support arguments with evidence Distinguish bet. facts & opinions Checklist: Box 3.3 p78

CRITICAL REVIEW

STRUCTURE
Avoid uncritical listing of previous research Use thematic comparison & contrast Thematic structures: Figure 3.2 p79 Checklist: Box 3.4 p80 Example: Box 3.5 p80

LITERATURE SOURCES

OVERVIEW
Primary: published & unpublished Secondary: journals, books, newspapers Tertiary: indexes, databases, Table 3.2 p87 Use of sources: dependent on Q & Obj.

LITERATURE SOURCES

USEFUL TERTIARY SOURCES

British National Bibliography (BNB) EBSCO Emerald IngentaConnect ISI Web of Knowledge JSTOR Sage Premier Web of Science Proceedings

LITERATURE SEARCH PLANNING

EFFECTIVE PLANNING
Clearly defined Q & Obj., outline proposal Parameters of research: Box 3.7 p92 Search terms & phrases: Box 3.11. p97 Online databases & search engines Criteria for relevant research

LITERATURE SEARCH CONDUCTING

SEARCHING APPROACHES
Tertiary sources: online databases, links Books and journals Secondary sources: your library Internet searching

OBTAINING & EVALUATING

OBTAINING
Library catalogue: abstracts => usability Inter-library loan

EVALUATING
Dependent on Q & Obj. Relevance & value Sufficiency: circle referencing

OBTAINING & EVALUATING

RELEVANCE
Close to your Q & Obj. to include? How recent? Superseded? Context sufficiently different to exclude? See references to this? Support or oppose your arguments?

OBTAINING & EVALUATING

VALUE
Biased, subjective, emotional? Methodological omissions? Precision sufficient? Guidance for future research?

RECORDING THE LITERATURE

RECORDING
Make notes: quotation marks & page numbers Bibliographic details: p111 Brief summary of content Supplementary information Software: Reference Manager, EndNote

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
A process Comprehensive pre-planned strategy Locate existing literature Evaluate contribution Analyse & synthesize findings Conclusions on what known & not known

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

5-STEP PROCESS
Formulate review questions Locate & generate list of potential readings Select & evaluate using inclusion & exclusion Analyse & synthesize relevant research Report results

PLAGIARISM

PLAGIARISM
Present work or ideas As if of your own Fail to acknowledge original sources