msc-computer-science-notes

MSC Independent Research Proposal Lesson Notes

Literature review

• The literature review should be an account of what other people have done in this field before. It includes a literature review, accounts of other people’s research and any historical survey necessary to place your investigation in context.
• You will need a literature review even if the central focus of your research project is based on some original empirical work of your own. Some research projects consist solely of a critical evaluation of literature. In this case, there would obviously be an expectation that it would be more comprehensive in its range and more thorough in analysis. Good accounts of what has gone before organise the material into themes and draw out the main points on which previous writers agree or disagree.
• A literature review or review of others’ research findings is, therefore, more than a series of mini-book reviews or a chronological account of who did what and when. It should lay the foundation for your own analysis by identifying the significant issues that have arisen from earlier work.
• Your conclusion of the literature review must include derivation(s) of your research question(s) and how they relate to previous work. For example, you might want to test someone’s hypothesis; repeat someone’s research method with a different group or in a different location; test whether some theory expounded in the literature is supported in certain circumstances. A perfectly acceptable (and highly recommended) approach would be to adapt the methodology from a previous paper or dissertation (cutting the scale of the study down if necessary) and apply it to a setting that you are interested in - perhaps a different country or industry.

Literature Review Recap

• What is the literature review? Three bullet points:
  • description of the literature
  • process of locating, scanning, reading and evaluating relevant books, articles and other materials
  • review of other, previously published, findings Doing a literature review is a process of locating, scanning, reading and evaluating relevant books, articles and other materials to find out who the key writers are, what has already been said, the prevailing theories and hypotheses, and what questions are being asked about the research topic and objectives that you are interested in. It is a review of other, previously published, findings.
• Why is it necessary?
  • The literature review helps to define the field of study in which your research topic is situated, it supports the identification of the research problem and formulation of the research question. It demonstrates to the examiner that you can critically evaluate existing work in the field, elicit main issues from which to create a coherent argument and produce an academically grounded piece of work. The absence of a literature review in your research report risks a discussion of findings and conclusions that are borne from conjecture and opinion rather than substantiated critical analysis.”
• What is meant by critical writing? Bullet points:
  • Critical evaluation is the distinguishing factor between a poor or good literature review.
  • Your critical appraisal should demonstrate the following skills:
  • weigh up the arguments from multiple perspectives,
  • evaluate your own and others’ ideas,
  • consider the strengths and weaknesses of arguments
  • identify gaps and limitations in existing literature.
  • skills: weigh up the arguments from multiple perspectives, evaluate your own and others’ ideas, consider the strengths and weaknesses of arguments and identify gaps and limitations in existing literature. Evidence of critical evaluation skills can be found where authors are cited, their work described and insight, in the form of a reasoned argument or opinion about that work, in relation to your own research objectives, is given.
• Hints and tips from an examiner’s perspective:
  • Do focus on literature that is relevant to your research topic
  • Do go beyond describing who has said what by evaluating how and why this is relevant to your own research question
  • Do make sure that you reference correctly using IEEE referencing style.
  • Don’t drift away from your research focus
  • Don’t plagiarise i.e. present the work of others as your own
  • Don’t introduce or discuss literature that you have read without warning or without
  • explaining why it is relevant to your research objectives

Skill based Resource