reviewing the literature

Reviewing the LiteratureGroup 1 :1. Hong Samnang2. Voeun Channy3. Chanty Kiry4. Chheang Chanty5. Khem Rany

Cambodia International Cooperation InstituteFaculty of Arts, Humanities, and Languages

Lecturer Leang SokDina

Room C202, Year 3, Semester 1, 2014

Academic Writing

I. Place of literature review in research1. Bring clarity and focus to your research problem2. Improve your methodology3. Broaden your knowledge base in your research area 4. Contextualize your findings

II. Procedure for reviewing the literature1. Search for existing literature2. Review the literature selected3. Develop theoretical framework4. Develop conceptual framework

III. Writing up the literature reviewed

Contents

The literature review is integral part of the entire research process. It makes a value contribution.

PRESENTER HONG SAMNANG

The literature review begin before a research problem is finalized and continues until the report in finished.

Place of Literature Review in Research

Research Process

Literature ReviewBring clarity and focus to your

research problem

Improve your methodology

Broaden your knowledge base in your research area

Contextualise your findings


gives the idea you wish to investigate helps you to understand the subject area helps you to understand the relationship between your research problem and the body of knowledge in the area.


1. Bring clarity and focus to your research problem


A literature review acquaints you the methodologies to answers research questions. You will be better positioned to select a methodology. It helps you to increase your confidence in the methodology.


2. Improve your methodology



3. Broaden your knowledge base in your research area-Ensure you to read widely-You can get more method for your work from other researchers that is the key for you to open the warehouse of knowledge related to your study.

-It enables you to be more professional with the researching work. It helps you to fulfill the expectation that you are an expert when you undertake a research project for a higher degree.

PRESENTER VOEUN CHANNY

4. Contextualize your findings- It is to put your research in the context which make your research more understandable compare to what are already exist.

-Improve your researched result by comparing with what other have found.

-Bring a better record to existing body of knowledge.

-Choose the better result from others work if you have the worse one.

PRESENTER VOEUN CHANNY


Find out the specific problem that you want to deal with by narrowing down your broad area of interest. The review should be focused around your research problem. I need to remind you that there is a danger when you don’t have specific research problem, you might choose the wrong method to do your major literature review.

PRESENTER CHANTY KIRY

Procedure for Reviewing the Literature


There are 4 steps involved in a conducting literature review: 1. Search for existing literature in your area of

study2. Review the literature selected3. Develop a theoretical framework4. Develop a conceptual framework



1. Search for existing literatureIt require you to have at least some idea of

your research problem to set boundary for your search and to search effectively. There are two sources that you can use to prepare a bibliography, books and journals.


Procedure for Reviewing the LiteratureBooks-Material published in book is usually important and of good quality, but the material maybe out of date due to it takes a lot of time in completion of work and publication.

-Use a computer catalogue to find and select books that have title appropriate to your topic then print them out or note them down, it will save your time. Be aware that sometimes a title does not provide enough information, you have to check its contents.


Procedure for Reviewing the LiteratureBooks (con.)-When you have selected 10-15 books that you think are appropriate for your topic, examine the bibliography of each. Carefully check the bibliography to identify the books common to several of them. Prepare final list of books that you consider essential readings.

-Bring up these books and examine their contents to double-check that they really are relevant to your topic. Delete the book that is not relevant to your topic. Make an annotated bibliography.


Procedure for Reviewing the LiteratureJournals

-Journal provides most up-to-date information. Select as many journals as you possibly can. As with books, you need to prepare a list of journals you want to examine for identifying literature relevant to your study.


Procedure for Reviewing the LiteratureJournals (con.)

There is a number of way that you can prepare a list of journal:

1. Locate the hard copies of journals that are appropriate to your study

2. Look at citation or abstract indices to identify and/or read the abstracts of such articles.

3. Search electronic databases4. Use the internet


Procedure for Reviewing the LiteratureJournals (con.)-Identify the journals that you want to look at in more detail, then make preparations to go through them.

-Select identifiable journals, examine its contents, and record its references.



2. Review the literature selected Get main points from books and articles that are identified as useful. Build up a framework of themes, put the information where it logically belongs under each one of the themes so far developed.

-Note whether the knowledge relevant to your theoretical framework has been confirmed beyond doubt.



2. Review the literature selected (con.)-Note the theories put forward, the criticism of these and their basis, the methodologies adopted (study design, sample size and its characteristics, measurement criticisms, etc.) and the criticisms of them.

-Examine to what extent the findings can be generalized to other situations.


2. Review the literature selected (con.)-Notice where there are significant differences of opinion among researchers and give your opinion about the validity of these differences.

-Ascertain the areas in which little of nothing is known – the gaps that exist in the body of knowledge.



3. Develop a theoretical framework •Theoretical Framework as a Guide in a Research Study The theoretical framework plays an important role in guiding the entire process of the research study.•It introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem under study exists.


PRESENTER CHHEANG CHANTY


3. Develop a theoretical framework (con.)•It helps the researcher see clearly the variables of the study; •It can provide him with a general framework for data analysis;•It is essential in preparing a research proposal using descriptive and experimental methods



3. Develop a theoretical framework (con.)•Review the literature that pertinent to your research topic.•You should sort out the information, as mentioned earlier, within this framework.•Use these aspects as a basis for developing your theoretical framework.



4. Develop a conceptual framework•Conceptual framework represent ways of thinking about a problem.•It stems from the theoretical and concentrates, usually, on one section of that theoretical framework which becomes the basis of your study.



4. Develop a conceptual framework (con.)•Keeps research on track •Provides clear links from the literature to the research goals and questions•Helps the researcher to see clearly the variables of the study •Clarifies concepts and propose relationships among concepts


Writing up the literature reviewedAll that remains to be done is to write about the literature you have reviewed.•The two broad functions of a literature review: - to provide a theoretical background to your study - to enable you to contextualize your findings in relation to the existing body of knowledge in addition to refining your methodology.The content of your literature review reflects these two purposes.

PRESENTER KHEM RANY

In order to fulfil the first purpose, you identify and describe various theories relevant to your field; and specify gaps in existing knowledge in the area.In order to comply, you integrate your results with specific and relevant findings from the existing literature by comparing the two for confirmation and contradiction.

PRESENTER KHEM RANY

Writing up the literature reviewed

Some people write up the entire literature review in one section, entitled :Review of the literature orThe literature review, without subheadings.

The author strongly suggests that you write your literature review under subheadings.

PRESENTER KHEM RANY

Writing up the literature reviewed

Thanks for paying attention!

reviewing the literature

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