Lecture 2
Lecture 2
Lecture 2
A research title, or research project, is a product of real world observations, dilemmas, wide reading,
selective viewing (television programs, films, documentaries, videos, etc.) meaningful interactions with significant
others, and deep reflection.
The title of the research is the research problem or inquiry in capsule form. Great care must be taken in
the formulation of the research title. It must clearly reflect the topic of investigation. And it must be original, clear,
concise or specific.
When you finally decide on a research topic, make sure that your research topic and research questions
match. Too broad topics will lead you nowhere. In order to narrow down broad topics to specific ones, the purpose
or intent of the study must be clear.
If the research questions are not clearly formulated, or have no direction, you will find yourself with too
much data, and yet, not knowing what to do with them.
Suffice it to say that the research questions express clearly the specific direction or focus of your research
problem or inquiry. Needless to say, the research questions comprise the core of the study.
Research Questions
Layder (2013) says that social research is literally a search for the best explanation of the problem around
which evidence or data is focused.
It is good to emphasize at this point that social research problems are not the same thing as “topics” or
“areas of interests”. They are not equivalent of so-called social problems like poverty, unemployment, social
inequality and so on.
Research problem address issues about social organizations, social processes and social behaviour.
The most common reason for writing a literature review is the second goal:
Creating links to a developing body of knowledge. This is referred to as background or context review. It
introduces the rest of a research report and establishes the significance and relevance of a research
question.
What is a synthesis?
A synthesis is a discussion that draws on one or more sources. Your ability to infer relationships among
sources such as essays, articles, fiction and also non-written sources such as lectures, interviews and
observations will be helpful in synthesizing information taken from your review of literature. Inferring relationships
like comparing between the teaching styles of your favourite and least favourite instructor is something that is
familiar to you. When synthesizing information you have gathered, it is vital that you select the ideas and so,
information from each source will make you achieve your purpose.
Types of Synthesis
You may choose from these two types of synthesis.
1. Explanatory Synthesis. It helps the readers to understand a topic. Its primary aim is to present the
facts in a reasonably objective manner. Explanations given may entail descriptions, sequence of
events or state of affairs.
2. Argument Synthesis. Its purpose is for you to present your own point of view with the support of
relevant facts drawn from services and presented in a logical manner. What is presented may be
debatable.
Categories of Sources
Fraenkel (2015) enumerates the categories of sources from where your culled data and information in the
literature review may have been taken.
1. Documents. These include written or printed materials that have been produced in some form or another
such as annual reports, books, artworks, cartoons, circulars, records, diaries, notebooks, etc. They may
be published or unpublished; intended for private or public consumption;; they may be original works or
copies.
2. Numerical Records. They may be considered as a separate type of source in and of themselves or as a
subcategory of documents. Several records include any type of numerical data in printed form: test
scores, attendance figures, census reports, school budgets and the like.
3. Oral statements. These may include stories, myths, tales, legends, chants, songs, and other forms of oral
expressions. These materials have a record for future generations.
4. Relics. These are the formal types of historical sources. A relic is any object where physical or visual
characteristics can provide some information about the past. Examples: furniture artwork, clothing
buildings or equipment.
The review of related literature and studies must contain substantial information to help in understanding the
subject or topic being written about and be guided to determine the gaps to be filled in by the study undertaken.
This section in the research report also serves as the foundational knowledge or the springboard for the study.
This lesson now leads you to write the whole review in a coherent manner. Coherence directs to a well
organized and unified piece of writing. The discussion of the three main sections of the literature which are the
introduction, body and conclusion can guide you in writing your own coherent review of literature.
Multiple Authors
This formula (Avila and Santos 9 ) proved
Organization as an author
(National Institute of Chemistry, 40-42 )
Conducting an effective literature review that will yield a solid theoretical foundation should also
provide a fun foundation to the selection of methodology for the study. It should also provide justification
for why a given approach is optional for their study.
The use of literatures should provide the grounds or legitimization of the research questions
proposed in the study as well as validate the approach proposed by the study.
The issue testing for applicability of research literature to the proposed study has two critical
facets. The first deals with the inclusions or exclusions of articles from the literature review and the
second deals with the ethical and unethical use of references.
One reason why ethics iss an important consideration in systematic literature reviews is that it
may not always be possible for the reviewer to identify the procedures, for example, around consent that
were used to ensure ethical practice for the study being reviewed.
When you are doing a literature review, consider the following key ethics questions:
1. How will you ensure you treat the work of existing researchers accurately and fairly?
2. Does the research you are reviewing raise ethical questions that you need to address?
Certain guides must be observed to ensure the observance of ethics. Here are five Principles for
Research Ethics .
1. Discuss intellectual property frankly
2. Be conscious of multiple roles
3. Follow informed consent rules.
4. Respect confidentiality and privacy
5. Tap into ethics resources
Another term related to ethics is research misconduct which is defined as fabrication,
falsification or plagiarism, including misrepresentation of credentials in proposing, performance or
reviewing research or in reporting research results.
Input
↓
Processing
1. Knowing the literature
2. Comprehend the literature
3. Apply
4. Analyze
5. Synthesize
6. Evaluate
↓
Output