BRS3 Summary I IBS I Year 1

BRS




Gerbers AAD, Dion
Hanzehogeschool

,Check list (concept mapping) = end of summary

Reviewing the literature critically



Process of critically reviewing the literature ->



This is a critical evaluation on the sources

A critical literature review includes 4 aspects
1. An overview of big amount of literature available in your chosen topic
2. Includes relevant items such as academic journal, books and other sources
3. Provides a discussion and critical evaluation, the level of detail reflecting is high
4. Develops a clear argument to place your research in context and justify the research

(critical) literature review is a detailed overview of the significant literature available about
your chosen topic, proving a discussion and critical evaluation, and using clear argument to
contextualize and justify your research. Within literature review, being critical simply means
you provide clearly justified, reasoned judgement about what you have read. It should
contain literature that both supports and opposes your ideas, which is also referred to as
‘demonstrating familiarity with the topic.

A critical literature review is A critical literature review is not
Identify and includes only the relevant Include all research available
sources
Identifies the recognised experts Summarises and describes topic
Places research in context and justifies the Fails to mention recognized experts
research

Highlights areas where new or further Fails to justify or mention research
research is needed questions
Includes both supporting and opposing Does not highlight
(contrast) ideas
Distinguishes facts and opinions Misses out on recent research
Includes recent relevant research Fails to include references
References all sources




1

, Why is it important to review the literature critically?
 It provides the base on which you will build your research project
 It helps you to decide on the topic you want to research for your project
 Can give you insights into the secondary data that are likely to be available
 Can give you insights into possible ways of collecting your own data
 Can give you insights into possible ways of analyzing your data

The main sources in the university library are

Textbook Used for courses Useful
Peer-reviewed academic Provide detailed reports written The most useful
journals articles by experts in the field
Non-refereed academic Provide detailed reports Usefulness varies
journal articles
Professional and trade journal Articles for trade organizations Can provide useful insights
rarely based on research and
related to their needs
Newspaper articles News is filtered based o audience Good source for topical
events
Conference proceedings Selected papers for a conference Difficult to find and possible
usually peer reviewed bias (opinion)
Reports Often high-quality Possible bias and expensive

The process of searching for and getting literature consist of 5 stages:
1. Decide on your topic
2. Point out the search terms and phrases you will use
3. Choose your online databases
4. Undertake research
5. Download relevant publications

The usefulness of any item depends on your research question and your aim and objectives
Sources should be evaluated at 3 aspects
Relevance
 Is the item recent?
 Is the topic similar to your own?
 Is the context similar?
 Is it supported? And are there same citations in your work?
 Is the author used in your research before?
 Does the author contradict or support your argument?

Value
 Does the author use emotional words, illogical (lack of clearness) arguments or only
support the question?
 Does the author explain theory clearly and sufficient in detail?
 Is the method described clearly and sufficiently in detail?
 Are there gaps in current research highlighted?
 Is there an extensive reference list?
Sufficiency
 Do you recognise the author and ideas from other sources you read?
2