Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
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Transcript of Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
13/08/12
Challenge the future Delft University of Technology
Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach Dr. R. (Raymond) G. Hoogendoorn
2 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Outline
• Problem description;
• Description, research questions and objectives;
• Text plan;
• Design a search plan;
• Execution of the search plan;
3 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Problem description
• First you have to establish what the problem actually is;
• So… identification of the problem along with the magnitude of the problem;
• In this phase you also already have to think about your target audience!!
• And already think about some secondary conditions (language, format etc.);
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Problem description2
• A problem description is important as it guides us in the literature search;
• By studying the state-of-the-art, we can therefore note that:
• There is a noticeable gap in the results; • When the results of several inquiries disagree; • When a fact exists in the form of unexplained information;
• That knowledge indicates that there is something we don’t know;
• We become aware of a problem when we ask ‘why’ a fact is so;
• Science does not only consist of knowledge, but also of systemized knowledge;
• Unsolvable problems:
• Unstructured problems: problem which intend is unclear and the domain to which they refer is too amorphous; it is impossible to determine what the relevant observations would be…
• Inadequately defined terms and operational definitions;
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Problem description3
• The topic of a literature survey consists of the general construct you are going to research;
• General form of a problem description:
I investigate [TOPIC]
because I want to know [GENERAL QUESTION]
in order to [OBJECTIVE]
6 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Operational definitions
• In the problem description you should provide operational definitions;
• The main functions of a good definition are: • To clarify the phenomenon under investigation; • To allow us to communicate with each other in an unambiguous manner;
• This can be dealt with through the operational definition of the terms;
• An operational definition is one that indicates that a certain phenomenon exists and does so by specifying precisely how the phenomenon is measured.
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Research questions
• You continue with formulating a research question (including sub questions) / hypotheses;
• Criteria of research questions / hypotheses:
• Must be testable; • Should be in general harmony with other research questions / hypotheses; • Should be parsimonious: Occam’s razor; • Should have logical simplicity: logical unity and comprehensiveness; • Should be coherent with the problem; • Should be expressed in a quantified form; • Should have a large number of consequences and should be general in scope;
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Types of research questions
• Types of research questions:
• Descriptive: determination without connection to consequences;
• Explanatory (what is the cause of…..);
• Evaluating: investigates whether something meets certain requirements;
• Advising;
• Prescriptive (which procedure has to be followed in order to…);
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Pitfalls in formulating sub questions
• The sub questions should together answer the main research question;
• The sub questions should form a logical constellation with the main research questions;
• The sub questions may not introduce new problems or terms!
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Research objectives
• The research objective often represents the relevance of the research to be conducted;
• Always mention the scientific and practical relevance explicitly!
• Example:
I investigate the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska et al.)
because I want to know: whether this model is applicable to aggressive driving [RESEARCH QUESTION]
in order to acquire insight into the boundary conditions of this model. [OBJECTIVE]
11 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Pitfalls research objectives
• Possible pitfalls:
• Mixed up topic and material;
• No research objective is provided;
• The research objective is too broad: the objective is too far away from the research question….
• The research objective is too narrow: the objective and research questions are almost identical;
• The research objective is not relevant for the intended audience;
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So… summary of requirements
• A literature survey should contain a research objective and at least one main research question / hypothesis;
• The objective represents the scientific and / or practical relevance of the survey;
• The research question is specific; it provides a direction for the research to be conducted;
• The main research question is divided into sub questions (see previous requirements);
• The research questions contain terms which are known in the scientific field;
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Text Plan
From these research questions is it easy to derive a general text plan! Example: Question:
What is the relationship between the incidence of car-accidents and an aggressive driving style? General text plan: Discuss the scientific literature with regard to the relationship between the incidents of car-accidents and an aggressive driving style.
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Design a search plan
• First you have to figure out what the requirements are of the result of the literature survey;
• Within which scientific disciplines must be searched?
• What kind of publications do you need?
• What is the maximum age of the publications taken into account?
• Do you only consider domestic publications or also international publications?
• Next you determine the keywords you are going to use with your search;
• For this you use the research questions (and sub questions) as a basis!
15 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Design a search plan2
• Use a thesaurus to generate synonyms!
• Report the used keywords in your report (under research method);
• What kind of sources do you need?
• Can you name some examples of possible sources?
16 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Design a search plan3
• Main types of literature:
• Books;
• Articles;
• Repons (research reports);
• Conference proceedings;
• Official and legal publications;
• Reviews;
• But also: Discuss with fellow students / colleagues!
17 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Execution of the search plan
• Search management is important;
• Use an electronic database to store the results of your search;
• E.g. EndNote, BibDesk (LaTeX);
• Next you evaluate and analyze, and further process your text plan!
• In other words: you are going to determine which publications are useful!
• Use the general text plan to structure the found publications;
• Add general summaries of the relevant pubs to the text plan;
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Execution of the search plan2
• Use search engines, such as:
• Scopus;
• Google Scholar;
• etc,.
• The number of citations are important!!!
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Reporting
• The elaborate text plan is the basis for your literature survey;
• You start with writing a raw concept of the report;
• You take those parts of the summaries from the text plan you need to answer the research questions;
• It is more than just a copy – paste of the text! Interpret!
• Wait a couple of days an look at it again critically;
• Next transform the raw concept to structured text; take care that the train of thought is clear!
• Have the structured text proofread by a fellow student / colleague!
• Finally transform this structured text to a text with the required lay out. Insert the necessary tables and figures;
20 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Questions?
Contact information: Dr. R. (Raymond) G. Hoogendoorn Delft University of Technology Civil Engineering and Geosciences Transport and Planning [email protected]
21 Literature Surveys: A Methodological Approach
Thank you for your
attention!!
Contact information: Dr. R. (Raymond) G. Hoogendoorn Delft University of Technology Civil Engineering and Geosciences Transport and Planning [email protected]