Problem Conceptualization

Problem Conceptualization

Reviewing the Literature

Writing the Introduction

CommRes 199Prepared by Elena E. Pernia

Writing the Introduction

What are the purposes of the Introduction?

1. To define or identify: the general topic, issue, or area of concern. !In so doing, the introduction provides an

appropriate context for the literature review.


2. To point out: trends in what has been published about

the topic; conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence,

and conclusions; gaps in research, such as a new problem

or perspective of immediate interest.


!3. To establish the writer's reason (point of

view) for reviewing the literature. !4. To explain the criteria to be used in

analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review (sequence).


!And, when necessary !5. To state why certain aspects about the

topic, geographic area, literature, etc. are or are not included (scope).

Review of Related Literature

Some Definitions

What is a review of literature?

a required part of a research proposal and often a chapter in thesis.

But more seriously now:

a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research.

an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers.

What are the objectives of the literature review?

! to analyze critically a segment of a

published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.


! to convey to your reader what knowledge

and ideas have been established on the topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.


The researcher writing the literature review gets to:

enlarge her/his knowledge about the topic, gain and demonstrate skills in:

information seeking

Information seeking

!the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books


The researcher writing the literature review gets to: !

gain and demonstrate skills in: critical appraisal

Critical appraisal

!! the ability to apply principles of analysis to

identify unbiased and valid studies


The researcher writing the literature review gets to:

enlarge her/his knowledge about the topic, gain and demonstrate skills in:

information seeking critical appraisal

Searching the literature

How do you search for

related literature?

1. Begin by asking yourself the following questions: !

What is the specific research problem or question that your literature review should help to define?

! What type of literature review are you conducting?

theoretical review methodological review 1. review of policy !

Apart from communication, are there other fields or disciplines that will help clarify the research problem? (e.g., fields of advertising, media industry, etc.; disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, etc.)


related literature?

2. When selecting materials to include in the review, ask yourself questions like these about every book or article:

! Has the author formulated a problem/issue? Is it clearly

defined? Is its significance (scope, severity, relevance) clearly established? Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspective?

! What are the author's research orientation and theoretical

framework? What is the relationship between the theoretical and

research perspectives? Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the

problem/issue? Does the author include literature taking positions she or he

does not agree with?


related literature?


! In a research study, how good are the basic components of the

study design (e.g., population, intervention, outcome)? How accurate and valid are the measurements? Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question? Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?

! In material written for a popular readership, does the author use

appeals to emotion, one-sided examples, or rhetorically-charged language and tone? Is there an objective basis to the reasoning, or is the author merely "proving" what he or she already believes?


related literature?


! How does the author structure the argument? Can you

"deconstruct" the flow of the argument to see whether or where it breaks down logically (e.g., in establishing cause-effect relationships)?

! In what ways does this book or article contribute to your

understanding of the problem under study? In what way(s) is it useful? What are the strengths and limitations? How does this book or article relate to the specific problem

or question you are developing?

Writing the review

How do you write the literature review?

1. Remember that the literature review is a piece of discursive prose. It is not a list describing or summarizing material after another. Hence, do not begin each paragraph with the name of a researcher.

When writing the paragraphs that comprise the literature review

Provide the reader with: strong "umbrella" sentences at the start of

paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief "so what" summary sentences at

intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.


1. Remember that the literature review is a piece of discursive prose. It is not a list describing or summarizing material after another. Hence, do not begin each paragraph with the name of a researcher.

!2. Summarize and critically evaluate each material

according to the guiding concept of your thesis or research question.

When summarizing individual

studies or articles

Summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits.

! The amount of detail to include depends upon

the articles importance. Remember that the amount of space (length)

given an article denotes significance.


3. Identify themes or concepts in the materials you are citing and then group these summaries into sections that present these themes or identify trends.

When grouping the individual studies and articles

Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as: specific purpose or objective, chronology, qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, etc.



!4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus

of each section.

When pointing out the focus

Provide the reader with: strong umbrella sentences at the start of

paragraphs, and signposts throughout



!4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus of each

section. !

5. Use an overall introduction and conclusion.

How do you do the call the

conclusion of the literature

review?

!End the literature review with a section

entitled Synthesis which serves as the conclusion.

How do you write the Synthesis?

!1. Summarize the major contributions of

significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the Introduction.


!2. Evaluate the current "state of the art" for

the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out: major methodological flaws or gaps in

research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.


!3. Conclude by providing some insight into

the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and the field of communication/media, etc.

A few words about an annotated bibliography

If you must do an annotated bibliography

1. Summarize each material briefly. 2. Following the important themes and concepts of

your research problem, do some critical assessment of each material.

3. Group summarized items into sections to show comparisons and relationships of the materials.

4. Write a paragraph to introduce the focus of each section.

5. Develop an overall introduction and conclusion.

Sources

Leedy, Paul (1998). Practical Research, Chapter 3

http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/

ReviewofLiterature.html

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Problem Conceptualization