Project Thesis 2006 Adapted from Flor Siperstein Lecture 2004 Class 1 25.10.2006 CLASS 1 25.10.2006...

Project Thesis 2006 Class 1 25.10.2006Adapted from Flor Siperstein Lecture 2004

CLASS 1

25.10.2006

Project Thesis (Fundamental

Research Tools)


Class 1 General Introduction,

Identification of research objectives and literature review

Wednesday, 25th October


Contents

Identification of research theme

Identification of objectives

Introduction to basic definitions

Philosophy, scientific methodology and ethics

Literature Review

Database searching and management

Impact factor, citation index

ENDNOTE tutorial

ISI tutorial

Identification of novelty of research theme

Identification of contribution of literature theme


What the Graduate Thesis is All About?

What is the research question?

Is it a good question? has it been answered before? is it a useful question to work on?

Is the question adequately answered?

Is the thesis an adequate contribution to knowledge?


Definitions

Objectives

Methodology

Results

Discussion

Conclusions


Definitions

Objectives: what?

Methodology

Results

Discussion

Conclusions


Definitions

Objectives

Methodology: how?

Results

Discussion

Conclusions


Definitions

Objectives

Methodology

Results: output

Discussion

Conclusions


Definitions

Objectives

Methodology

Results

Discussion: analysis

Conclusions


Definitions

Objectives

Methodology

Results

Discussion

Conclusions: inferences


Objectives

Must be specific

Must be clear

Must state what action will be performed and what will be accomplished

I will do A, so I can accomplish B


What Is A Review of the Literature?


What Is A Review of the Literature?

A review of the literature is a classification and evaluation of what accredited scholars and researchers have written on a topic, organized according to a guiding concept such as your research objective, thesis, or the problem/issue you wish to address.

recognize relevant information

synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding concept

what literature exists, AND your informed evaluation of the literature.


Skills

information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently using manual or computerized methods to identify a set of potentially useful articles and books.


Skills

critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify those studies which are unbiased and valid. Your readers want more just than a descriptive list of articles and books.


A literature review must...

organize information and relate it to the thesis or research question you are developing

synthesize results into a summary of what is and isn't known

identify controversy when it appears in the literature

develop questions for further research

The value of your review does not simply depend on how many

sources you find


Questions to Ask Yourself

Do I have a specific question which my literature review helps to define?

What type of literature review am I conducting?

What is the scope of my literature review?

How good are my information seeking skills?

Is there a specific relationship between the literature I've chosen to review and the problem I've formulated?

Have I critically analyzed the literature I use?

Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective?

Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?


Reviewing Literature

What were the authors trying to discover?

Why is this piece of research important?

What was measured?

What information do you have on the sample?

How was the data collected?

What were the results?

What do the authors conclude and to what do they attribute their findings?

Can you accept the findings as true?

How can you apply these findings to your own work?


Tools available

Library

Citation Index

Current Contents

WWW engines


SCOPUS (http://www.scopus.com/scopus/home.url)


Tools available


ISI Web of Knowledge

High impact journals



Bibliographic

information


Conference proceedings




Patent resource


Impact factor



Rankings



Email alerts!!!


Tools available


Current Contents


Scopus


Endnote – Bibliography Database


Current Contents


Procite


Scopus


Endnote


Current Contents


Procite


Endnote – Bibliography Database


Endnote Tutorial


Installing Endnote into WORD


What is next?

synthesize results identify controversy develop questions

The final product will be a unique and appopriate integration of evidence you have located outside yourself and personal insights.


Final Checklist

Selection of Sources Have you indicated the purpose of the review? Are the parameters of the review reasonable? Why did you include some of the literature and exclude others? Which years did you exclude? Have you emphasised recent developments? Have you focussed on primary sources with only selective use of secondary sources? Is the literature you have selected relevant? Is your bibliographic data complete?


Final Checklist

Critical Evaluation of the Literature Have you organised your material according to issues? Is there a logic to the way you organised the material? Does the amount of detail included on an issue relate to its importance? Have you been sufficiently critical of design and methodological issues? Have you indicated when results were conflicting or inconclusive and discussed possible reasons? Have you indicated the relevance of each reference to your research?


Final Checklist

Interpretation

Has your summary of the current literature contributed to the reader's understanding of the problems?

Does the design of your research reflect the methodological implications of the literature review?

The review provides a rationale for your research.


Where to publish your work

- Quality vs. Quantity

- Journals related to your research field

- Look for visibility:

a) Good ranked journal

b) Impact factor

B= 1992 cites to articles published

in 1990-91

C= number of articles published

in 1990-91

D= B/C = 1992 impact factor


Impact Factor


Aggregate Impact Factor


References

http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/lboyer/education/grad_ed.htm

http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/postgrad/litreview/gettingstarted.html

http://isiknowledge.com

http://www.urv.es/biblioteca

http://www.endnote.com

http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/chinneck/thesis.html

http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/writing/thesis/thesis-structure.htm

Muriel J. Bebeau, Moral Reasoning in Scientific Research Cases for Teaching and Assessment, 1995: http://poynter.indiana.edu/


Homework

Identification of research themes

Carry out literature review using ISI/SCOPUS and using trial version of ENDNOTE, create organised database.

Using ISI, choose 5 of the articles found and make a table listing journal, impact factor, aggregate impact factor, no. of citations of paper

Short summary of literature review

Identification of novelty of research to be carried out, contribution that will be made and where results could be published

Project Thesis 2006 Adapted from Flor Siperstein Lecture 2004 Class 1 25.10.2006 CLASS 1 25.10.2006...

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