MASS Program - Library Literacy: Literature Review

A Critial Examination of Existing Research on a topic

• You select documents on the topic that contain information, ideas, data, & evidence & read them
• You write it from specific standpoints (perspective) - express views on the nature of the topic & how you will investigate the topic or question(s)
• You effectively evaluate  (appraise critically, not just summarize) the documents you selected in relation to the research you propose.

(Hart 1998, p.13)

 "What is a Literature Review" - 3 min video from the University of Western Florida

Research is Conducted by:

Associations | Businesses | Charities | Governments | Individuals (people)  | Institutions (universities, think tanks, etc.) | Pressure groups | Trade Unions  

►    Information is Generated from:

Research  |  Critical evaluations  | Interperative work

►   Information from, on, or about Research is Communicated  via:

Anthologies | Blogs | Books (monographs) | Book chapters | Conference Papers |  Emails | Journals |  Journal articles | Lectures | Letters | Meetings | Newsletters  | Newspapers | Reports | Seminars |  Textbooks  | Theses | Tweets

► Information from, on, or about Research is Organized  in:

Article Databases | Bibliographies | Data Repositories |  Dictionaries | Encyclopedias | Library Catalogs

(Hart, 1998, p. 4)

• Demonstrate your skills in library (research literature) searching
• Show your command of the subject area ("I know my stuff!")
• Show you understand the research problem
• Justify your
  • research topic
  • research design
  • research methodology

(Hart 1998, p. 13)

Questions your Literature Review can answer about your topic

• Key concepts and theories & ideas?
• Main questions & problems answered up to now?
• Major issues & debates?
• Origins of the topic?
• In what ways has the topic been defined or limited?
• Key sources (authors, books, articles, data, etc.?)

(Hart 1998, p. 14)

Scholarship as an activity = thinking systematically

• Systematic questioning
• Searching
• Looking  deep and long =  Scrutinizing -   詳細地檢查

Integration (making intellectual connections) between  ideas, theories, & experience = key to good scholarship

• Applying a method from one area to another
• Place a situation or phenomenon into larger theoretical framework
  • Drawing elements from different theories into a synthesis
  • Make new insight
• Re-examine existing knowledge based on new or more recent development

(Hart 1998, p 8-9)

Social Science has many sub-disciplines and methods - but has some core skills,  attitudes & abilities . As an apprentice sopcial scientist you will learn to...

• Integrate theory & method:
  • Understand the relationship between   theory, method, & research design and practical skills & particular methods
  • Understand the knowledge base of your discipline
  • Understand your disciplines methodological foundations

(Hart, 1998, p. 5)