Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Society for Research

into Higher Education

16th June 2011

Chris Hart

University of Chester, England

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingThe agenda :

Searching for Relevant Stuff

Literature Reviewing : The prelude :

understanding your topic

Chris Hart

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Chris Hart

State of confusion and bewilderment

(and despair ?)

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Chris Hart

State of confusion and bewilderment

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Overcoming confusion and

bewilderment

Chris Hart

Help is close at hand

Ch 1

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Brief recommendations

Chris Hart

Have a plan

Get to know the sources

and resources

Keep on top of the housekeeping

Always cite fully the source

Questions :

Do you use search engines or

subject directories ? Do you

know the difference ?

Do you know how to use

‘operators’ to focus your

searches ?

Chs 2 & 3

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Brief recommendations

Chris Hart

Do you use search engines or

subject directories ? Do you

know the difference ?

HISTORY: On Line

INFORMINE

Eldis

Voice of the Shuttle

The Scout Archives

Open Project Directory

Librarians Internet Index

Your librarian will tell you about

subject directories.

Chs 10 & 11

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Brief recommendations

Chris Hart

Do you know how to use ‘operators’ to focus your searches ?

Use this format to search +title: topic* +topic +topic

When did Marx die and where is he buried ?

Eg +title: Karl Marx* +died +buriedTo find when Karl Marx died and where he is buried.

+title: Karl Marx* +died +buried

Chs 10 & 11

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSearching for Relevant Stuff

Brief recommendations

Chris Hart

Athens : databases and

directories

PDF search tools

Egs. Pdfqueen

Chs 4 & 9

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Chris Hart

Literature Reviewing :

The prelude : understanding your topic

Two Analogies Ponds and Buildings

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingPonds and Buildings

Chris Hart

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example : Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the rocks?

Chs 1 & 2

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

The phenomenon –

What does it look like

(examples) ?

What is its history ?

Where do you find it ?

Why is it done ?

How is it done ?

What are the consequences ?

Initial questions which set the

historical, economic, social and

technological contexts.

Chs 1 & 2

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Rock throwers have more impact :

positive and negative. Seminal

publications / authors / positions

that have had an influence on the

pebble throwers.

How do we identify them ?

Reading and analysis.

Note taking.

Chs 3 & 6

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Key texts : how to isolate them

Bibliographical analysis

Citation analysis

Ch 6

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Key texts : how to

isolate them

Bibliographical analysis

Citation analysis

1. Construct bibliographies

2. Reference management software

3. Organise your bibliographies

according to sub-topic and/or

method

Ch 6

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Key texts : how to

isolate them

Bibliographical analysis

Citation analysis

Ch 6

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Key texts : how to

isolate them

Citation maps

Concept maps

Time Lines

Ch 5

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Key texts : how to

isolate them

Citation maps

Concept maps

Time Lines

Maps : your map of your literature will have

common points of reference (nodes) with other

maps but will be YOUR UNIQUE MAP

Ch 5

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Key texts : how to

isolate them

But what are key texts ?

An item published or unpublished that has had

a measurable impact and positive influence on

establishing or/and developing a topic.

Eg Advertising : the magic system (1980)

Raymond Williams.

The application of a technique or methodology

that has has been used across several

disciplines – to become ‘generic’.

Eg Semiology – Roland Bathes (1967)

Elements of semiology.

A work that is seen to have synthesised

different theories and/or techniques to provide

a new perspective.

Eg. Decoding advertisements (1979) Judith

Williamson.

All subjects (topics) have a

core set of key texts.

This is essential

knowledge.

Important to read the

primary works.

Then the applications and

critiques of them.

Ch 2

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Advertising : the magic system (1980)

Raymond Williams.

Semiology – Roland Bathes (1967)

Elements of semiology.

Decoding advertisements (1979)

Judith Williamson.

Ch 2

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Argumentation Analysis

Ch 4 Ch 1

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Argumentation Analysis

Evidence Claim

Warrant

Backing

Toulmin, S. (1958) The uses of

argument

Ch 4 Chs 7 & 8

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Argumentation Analysis

Evidence

Look at how people

are obsessed with

consumerism

Claim

Advertising is

dysfunctional for

individuals and society

Warrant

Consumerism distracts us

from the real problems of

society

Backing

The irrational society and

individual will result

Ch 4

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What does the pond look like?

Who has been throwing pebbles and

who the rocks?

What reasons do the rock throwers

give for throwing their rocks?

What are the consequences of the

rocks?

Descriptive analytical maps

of the literature (discourse)

about advertising

Linear relationship maps: the

logic of assumptions about

advertising

Maps & Diagrams are the

building blocks for the

review(s)

Ch 6

Chris Hart

Reinforcement of

stereotypes Trivialization of

language

Social relations

based on goods

Crime &

violence

Anxieties &

worries

What are the effects of advertising?

Marginalization

of the poor

Alienation from

the self

Creation of

false problems

Solution to

false wants

Distortion of

priorities

Notes and Quotes

Article A

Notes and Quotes

Article B

Notes and Quotes

Article C

Claims

about the

phenomena

And so on …

Language / discourse

used to make the

claims

Other authors /

evidence cited in

support of the claims

Rhetoric &

Evidence

Ch 6

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Chris Hart

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

A quote from

Raymond Williams

It seems to me that... our society is quite evidently not materialist enough... If it were sensibly materialist, in the part of our living in which we use things, we should find most advertising to be of an insane irrelevance…The short description of the pattern we have is magic: a highly organised and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions, functionally very similar to magical systems in simpler societies, but rather strangely coexisted with highly developed scientific technologies.

It must not be assumed that magicians - in this case, advertising agents -disbelieve their own magic. They may have a limited professional cynicism about it, from knowing how some of the tricks are done. But fundamentally they are involved, with the rest of society, in the confusion to which the magical gestures are a response.(Williams, 1980:185)

Chs 6 & 7

Chris Hart

Capitalism as a form of social organizationBased on the principles of profit, surplus value and production of many useless,

non-utilitarian goods

Problem for capitalism

How to sell goods

Solution and responseInstitutionalized mass advertising to create false demand by

creating false wants by persuading people that personal and social life demands

conspicuous consumption for success

Use of modern social sciencePsychology (psychographics); connotation; subliminal messages; hidden codes

so people are not fully aware of being manipulated into buying useless goods to

remedy falsely created anxieties and fill false needs

Maintenance of capitalist consumer societyA form of society which thereby makes and consumes goods that are

not needed and which does not produce those things in sufficient quantity that

are needed. Hence an irrational society and creation of irrational people.

Chs 6 & 7 Chs 7 & 8

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Questions :

Do we accept the reasons given by

the rock throwers and chuck in some

of our own pebbles, in the same part

of the pond ?

Seminal texts are the foundations for the

building. We can add to what is already in

existence.

Work within the existing paradigm of

assumptions and methods.

Chs 5 & 7

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

Questions :

Or

Critically evaluate their reasons, the

evidence they give and take up a

position in another part of the pond ?

Create a new kind of building –

position – that challenges the

orthodoxy in terms of its

methodological assumptions, political

bias, data collection, evidence,

argument and consequences.

Ch 6 & 7

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Chris Hart

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Back to the quote by

Raymond WilliamsIs this evidence of

magic?

We can therefore critically evaluate Williams’

assertions by examining his analogy,

evidence, language and so on.

The short description of the pattern we have is magic: a highly organised and professional system of magical inducements and satisfactions, functionally very similar to magical systems in simpler societies, but rather strangely coexisted with highly developed scientific technologies.

Ch 6 & 7 Chs 7 & 8

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Example :

Social Science and Advertising

Chris Hart

What this example demonstrates :

A search and review are an iterative

processes.

Through investigation you -

Answer a number of questions and

gain breadth and depth of

understanding

What are the origins of the problem /

topic ? How is has been defined ?

Who defined this as a problem and

why ? What are the key sources ?

What kinds of questions has the

literature addressed and why ?

How, using which theories and

political standpoints, have the

questions been addressed ?

What kinds of evidence have authors

used, how was it collected ? Is it

reliable and valid ? What counter

evidence exists ?

Ch 2 & 3 Chs 7 & 8

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingWhat does the review contribute to

the research ?

Chris Hart

The ability to map the literature

Familiarity with the subject area

Acquisition of a knowledge base

from which previous research

can be critically evaluated

Acquisition of skills in searching

and information management

The ability to shift from one

perspective to another – see

how others have made connections – how you can

undue those connections and

make new connections

of your own

RESEARCH IMAGINATION

Ch 1 & 2

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingCommon mistakes in a review

Chris Hart

The review is a list : a

bibliography

Covers only outdated materials.

Is uncritical and accepts

everything at face value.

Has inaccuracies.

Fails to identify the Key Texts.

Is too descriptive and not

analytical.

Appendix 5

Recommendation : obtain a

collection of Masters and

Doctorate theses.

Look at their literature

reviews.

Critique them.

Look to see how you could

do better.

Literature Searching and

Literature ReviewingSummary of Key Points

Chris Hart

A literature review is the selection of available documents

on your topic, both published and unpublished, that contain information, ideas, data and evidence, that have

been written from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain

aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic

and how it is to be investigated, and the effective

evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed.

Ch 1

Literature Searching and

Literature Reviewing

Thank You for Listening

Chris Hart

References