Literature Review

Why Review the Literature?

Because it helps you to avoid repeating what others have done in the past. Because it enhances your subject vocabulary and insight into the topic which is not thoroughly covered in the lecture notes. Because it helps you to refine further your research questions and objectives and supports your primary research design.

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is a critical account of the published body of knowledge in a specific field It is not: an annotated bibliography a list of who did what a list of facts and figures a presentation of primary research

What is a Literature Review?

It is an examination of the literature that

presents an overview of your area of study

synthesises and discusses the work of others

compares and contrasts methodology, results and conclusions

analyses and reinterprets published results evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the various positions

Purpose of a Literature Review

To summarise, synthesise and evaluate contemporary thinking in a given area. Knowledge doesnt exist in a vacuum and your work only has value in relation to other peoples. Your work and your findings will be significant to the extent that they are the same as, or different from, other peoples work and findings
(Jankowicz, 1991:128-9)

Why do you need to know all this?

Its a good skill to have

It shows good academic rigour

You will need it for your dissertation

More importantly
Your next key task is a Literature Review

The Process of Reviewing the Literature

Identify TOPIC this has been done for you

Identify/define KEY TERMS

Search for appropriate BOOKS and ARTICLES, etc. (focus on empirical research)

Skim the material and identify KEY ISSUES

Begin to ORGANISE THE MATERIAL

The Process of Reviewing the Literature

Draw out important features and evaluate arguments; inconsistencies and areas of conflict SYNTHESISE Think how this informs your research Identify GAPS: issues, aspects, approaches in literature Draw up a CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

My Topic
Government shock advertising of cigarettes: does it deter current or potential smokers?

Planning the Literature Search

Identify any information you already have Find the relevant lecture notes Find the relevant reading already done Brainstorm the topic Try and identify the main themes/topics Draw up a rough plan

Searching the Literature

Based on your topic and research objectives/ questions: Generate key words: shock advertising, anti-smoking, consumer behaviour Synonyms: Banned adverts, Buyer behaviour List a few narrower terms: Marlboro, NHS, ASH, ASA, hooked List broader terms: advertising ethics, consumer behaviour, tobacco industry You MUST keep a record of the sources you have used to track down information

Pause for Thought

Look at your research topic

Write down key words, at least 3-4 for each

Search the key words

Example of Relevant Articles

Dahl, DW, 2003, Does It Pay to Shock? Reactions to Shocking and Nonshocking Advertising Content among University Students, Journal of Advertising Research Sep. 2003, 43, (3), 268-280 Waller, DS, Fam K-S and Erdogan BZ, 2005, Advertising for controversial Products: a crossculture Study, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22, (1), 6-13

Williams, M, 2009, Does Shock advertising still work?, Campaign (UK), 24/4/2009, Issue 16, 11

Literature Review where to look

Need to identify key authors
Do the same authors start to appear regularly? Who has been referred to in previous lectures?

Textbooks vs. journal articles

Textbooks general overview, good starting point Books by key authors more specialised, various areas related to the subject Journal articles up-to-date thinking, very specialised, rated

Literature Review where to look

Other sources could include (keep to a minimum):
Reports industry, professional bodies, research reports Conference literature News articles with caution Internet be careful, for example, Wikipedia.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia has an inherent 'reliability gap' in comparison to paper encyclopedias in that, at any given time, information which hasn't been verified could be included in a Wikipedia articleIt can never be as certain as an unchanging printed article that has been gone over in detail by fact checkers (Wikipedia, 2009) Tell a lie enough times and it becomes accepted as fact. But to really lie, you need a computer and Wikipedia (Purtilo, 2007)

Literature Review where to look

Create a trail
Search for literature by using the bibliography/references of the article or text you are looking at Search using the authors name Search using keywords branding, nonprofits, charity, brands Try not to be too specific initially In some cases you may not be able to find work that is the same as your topic Database searches

Evaluating the Literature

Relevance How recent is the item? The proximity of their research questions and yours? Have you seen references to this item (or its author) in other items that you found useful? Does the item support or contradict your argument? For either it will probably be worth reading.
(Bell, 2005; Fisher, 2007; Jankowicz, 2005; McNeill, 2005; Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2008)

Evaluating the Literature

Value

Bias? Illogical argument? Emotionally toned words?

Methodological omissions within the work (sample selection, data analysis) Guidance for future research?

(Bell, 2005; Fisher, 2007; Jankowicz, 2005; McNeill, 2005; Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2008)

Literature Review Analyse

Look at journal articles for guidance

Grouping authors together

Contrasting

Paraphrasing
Direct quotes

When to Stop?
Does the new information repeat what I already have? Is the information I am finding now irrelevant? Does the information I have cover the core material required? Am I becoming overwhelmed? Have I run out of time? Is the information I have at the right depth/level? Is the information I have as up-to-date as possible? Do I have quality information?

Will the information I have allow me to complete the task?

(Payne & Whittaker, 2006:189)

Literature Review Referencing

Try to ensure you use recent sources

For some areas the original ideas may be quite old

Harvard system get it right! Quotes from the literature vs. paraphrasing Plagiarism Keep a record of all references

By the End of the Review

You should have provided the reader with a detailed, analytical overview of your topic Described your conceptual framework You should have also identified any gaps in the body of knowledge

Next Week
Conceptual Frameworks

Referencing
Plagiarism

Bibliography
Bell, J., (2005) Doing your Research Project a Guide for first-time Researchers in Education and Social Science, Open University Press, Maidenhead Fisher, C., (2007) Researching and writing a Dissertation: a Guidebook for Business Students, Pearson Educational Harlow. Jankowicz, D., (2005) Business Research Projects, (4th ed.), Thomson Learning, London ;

McNeill P. and Chapman, S., (2005) Research Methods, Routledge, London.

Jankowicz, A. (1991) Business Research Projects for Students, Chapman and Hall, London Payne, E. and Whittaker, L. (2006) Developing essential Study Skills, (2nd ed.), FT Prentice Hall, Harlow. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A, (2007), Research Methods for business Students, Pearson Educational, Harlow.