Soc 3306a
Lecture 4
The Research Report and
the Literature Review
Aims of research reports from
(Babbie’s “The Research Report)
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Exploratory research report:
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Is an exploration of a topic of interest
Should indicate tentativeness of conclusions
and shortcomings of the research
May offer suggestions for more refined
research on the topic
Aims (cont)
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Descriptive reports:
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have a descriptive purpose
should distinguish between descriptions
that apply only to the sample and those
that are inferred to the population
inferential descriptions should give
indication of the probable range of error
Aims (cont.)
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Explanatory research reports:
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have an explanatory aim
focus on causal relationships among
variables
should carefully delineate the rules of
explanation that lie behind computations
and conclusions
should also indicate relative certainty of
conclusions
Aims (cont.)
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Action research reports:
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have the aim of proposing action on the
basis of research findings or example, the
values and orientations (ie personal
politics) can interfere with proposal for
action
specific actions should be supported by the
empirical data and should outline the logic
behind the proposal
Main components of a research report
(see Babbie’s “The Research Report)
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Introduction: purpose and overview
Literature review (more detail discussed below)
Study design: the sample and method
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brief description of population, sampling frame,
sampling method, sample size, data collection
method, completion rate, methods of data
processing and analysis (use codebook info)
Analysis and interpretation: includes a results
and a discussion section
Summary and conclusions
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Summarize most significant findings, point to
directions for future research
Babbie’s Forensic Dictum
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“Tell them what you're going to tell
them; tell them; and then tell them
what you told them.”
Writing style: clear, concise, no spelling
errors or typos, with very careful
citations where needed
Reviewing the Literature
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Recommended Sources:
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Library Databases
Journal articles
Books
Conference proceedings
Government / corporate reports
Other Sources
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Internet (be careful with this!)
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Look for research/papers on academic websites
Newspapers and Magazines (not recommended)
Western Library Resources
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Go to http://www.lib.uwo.ca/
Login to the Western library and use the
“Summon” search utility to find full-text
articles, data and more!
Next, explore the social science databases at
http://alpha.lib.uwo.ca/search/xSociology%20Databases
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Try JSTOR and the SocINDEX (my favourites)
Writing The Literature Review
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The literature review provides both the
background and the rationale for your
study
should focus on studies that have direct
relevance to your study
Writing (cont.)
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In essence, the literature review
should….
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Concentrate on the scientific research and
theory in your area
Summarize and evaluate the literature in
that particular area
Provide the context for your research
Justify the proposed study
10 Questions to consider in
writing a literature review:
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1. What do we already know in the immediate
area concerned?
2. What are the characteristics of the key
concepts or the main factors or variables?
3. What are the relationships between these key
concepts, factors or variables?
4. What are the existing theories?
5. Where are the inconsistencies/shortcomings in
our knowledge and understanding?
Questions (cont.)
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6. What research designs or methods seem
unsatisfactory?
7. What evidence is lacking, inconclusive,
contradictory or too limited?
8. What views need to be (further) tested?
9. Why study the research problem further?
10. What contribution can the present study
be expected to make?
Tips:
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Remember the purpose
Read with a purpose
Write with a purpose
Always put citations into your writing
immediately
Keep a bibliographic file
Other things to consider….
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What are your variables of interest?
How are they related to the literature?
What hypotheses will you be testing?
You should include a brief section at the
end of the literature review outlining
your main variables and a tentative
model
Other: Causal Hypotheses
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Two or more variables – independent and
dependent and can include
control/intervening variables
Describe a cause-effect relationship
Are expressed as prediction or outcome
Have a logical link to your research
question
Example of a good causal model
Other: Level and Unit of
Analysis
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Level of analysis
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Micro, meso, macro
Unit of analysis
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The unit that is measured
Individual, family, society, etc.
Avoid Mismatched Units of Analysis
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Ecological Fallacy
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when group characteristics or findings are
applied to individuals
Reductionism
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“fallacy of nonequivalence”
applying individual level data to large groups
Finally….
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Babbie’s article on the Sage website: Read
very carefully. Pay attention to his tips on
avoiding plagiarism and his guidelines for
reporting analyses and results.
Leedy and Ormrod Ch. 4: Again, read very
carefully, paying special attention to the
composition of the sample literature review.
Your Research Project
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Using the guidelines above, and the variables
that you have chosen for your model, begin
conducting a formal literature review.
Focus on finding recent studies that have
been done in your chosen area.
Make sure that your literature review provides
a good overview of what is known and not
known about your problem.
Keep track of studies that are useful by
writing up a bibliographical entry for each one
and a brief annotation. This will help you
when you write the actual review!