This document provides guidance on conducting a literature review. It discusses the importance of building upon past research and standing on the shoulders of giants. The key steps outlined include developing search strategies, organizing sources, taking notes, identifying themes, and structuring the review. Effective reviews require searching various sources, evaluating relevance, synthesizing information, and presenting findings in a logical flow. The goal is to critically analyze prior work and identify gaps to further research.
2. Process of searching, understanding, &
documenting related set of contents on a
given topic
• Includes academic papers, books, industry
articles, news papers, Wikis, blogs, etc.
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Source: www.criticalproof.com
3. 3
Cedalion standing on the shoulders of Orion from Blind Orion Searching for the Rising
Sun by Nicolas Poussin, 1658, Oil on canvas
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_shoulders_of_giants
4. “Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of
giants”
• Metaphor meaning “One who develops future
intellectual pursuits by understanding the research
& works created by notable thinkers of the past”
“If I have seen further it is only by standing
on the shoulders of giants.” ― Isaac
Newton
“Those who don't know history are doomed
to repeat it.” ― Edmund Burke
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5. To find a solution to a problem
Knowledge accumulates
• We learn from & build on what others have done
• Today’s studies build on those of yesterday!
To make sure work you are trying to do
hasn’t already been done
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6. Distinguish what has been done from what needs to be
done
Discover important variables relevant to topic
Synthesize & gain a new perspective
Identify relationships between ideas & practice
Establish context of topic or problem
Rationalize significance of problem
Enhance & acquiring subject vocabulary
Identify methodologies & techniques that have been used
Place research in a historical context to show familiarity
with state-of-the-art developments
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7. Problem identification
Analysis of problem in relation to existing
literature
• Depth of the problem
• How my solution can be unique?
During project work
• Design parameters
• Experiment/simulation setup
While writing thesis
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8. Peer reviewed journals
Academic books
Articles in encyclopedias, hand books
Periodicals
News papers, news letters, magazines
Patents
Documents, project reports
Experts & consultants
On-line sources of information
• Wiki, Blogs, Forum, Twitter
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9. Google Scholar
Other research indexes & online databases
University libraries
Government document collections
• National Archives
Government departments & institutions
• NERD, NSF, ITI
Resources centers run by foreign missions
• British Council, Russian Cultural Center, American
Center, Practical Action
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10. Suppose your are interested in “online
payments using virtual currencies”
1. Go to Google Scholar & search for “virtual
currency”
• Note title, date, source, no of citations
• Are results are all over the place?
• Let’s be more specific in selecting search terms
2. Search for “virtual currency payments”
• Better not miss fundamental papers
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11. 3. Search for more recent papers
• Papers within last 2-3 years
• Select ones to read should be based on title,
citations, then later by abstract
• Look for recurrent terms/words
• See the word “BitCoin”?
4. Search for “BitCoin”
• Lot more related results
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12. 5. Expand search
• Looks at citations of a paper – these are related
work
• Look for related work from same authors, others,
& supporting & opposing arguments
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13. Google Scholar has a “Save” link
Use a tool
• Zotero
Browser-based research tool
Help you collect, organize, search, cite, & share your
research sources
• Mendeley & Qiqqa
Web & desktop based
Partly free
• EndNote
Commercial
Most university libraries have access
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14. After a while
• You don’t remember where your ideas came from
You better not miss key/all citations
• All your sources are mixed up
Styles are complicated
• Hundreds of styles of references
• Conferences & journals have their own styles &
reviewers are strict on style
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16. As you read widely, but selectively in your topic
area, consider what themes or issues connect your
sources together
Do they present one or different solutions?
Is there an aspect that is missing?
How well do they present material & portray it
according to an appropriate theory?
Do they reveal a trend in the field?
Is there a raging debate?
Pick one of these themes to focus the organization
of your review
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17. Document ideas in a suitable form
• Use cases
• Parameter space
• Alternative designs
• Gaps
Examples
• Just list them down
• Note cards
• Mind maps
• Rich pictures
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18. You got a focus, & narrowed it down to a
problem statement
What is the most effective way of
presenting information?
What are the most important topics,
subtopics, etc.?
What order should you present them?
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19. Introduction or background
• Basics
• Central theme
Body containing discussion of sources
• Organized either chronologically, thematically,
or methodologically
Conclusion and/or recommendations
• Where we need to go from here
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20. Accepted facts in the area
Popular opinion
Main variables
Relationship between concepts & variables
Shortcomings in existing findings
• Limitations in methods used in existing findings
Relevance of your research
Suggestions for further research
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21. One of the first researchers to investigate this problem is
Chen . . .
Smith and Jones counter Chen’s argument . . .
The issue becomes more complex when a third school of
thought is considered . . .
One researcher who agrees with Chen is . . .
A different approach to this question looks at problems in X
One of the most troublesome problems is addressed by
Green . . .
A problem with this approach is that . . .
A recent study adds this to the mix . . .
A crucial issue that has not been addressed is z . . .
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22. What are you planning to do?
Why is it important?
How are you planning to do it?
Answer these 3 questions in a suitable
order
Write a single paragraph
Refine it as you understand the research
problem better
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23. Get stuck while writing it?
• It means you are still not clear about the research
problem
• If so, think, read, & analyze more, talk to others
• Then give it another try
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24. Is a synthesis of
available research
Is a critical evaluation
Has appropriate
breadth & depth
Has clarity &
conciseness
Uses rigorous &
consistent methods
An annotated
bibliography
Confined to description
Narrow & shallow
Confusing &
longwinded
Constructed in an
arbitrary way
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25. Vagueness due to too much or inappropriate
generalizations
Very narrow focus
Insufficient information
Irrelevant material
Omission of contrasting view
Omission of recent work
• Work carried out during last 2 years
Lack of a clear flow
Repetition
Use of big words
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