Literature Review
Theory and Research: Three Models

The theory before research model




Ideas-Theory-Design Study-Data CollectionAnalysis-Findings-Ideas
Works where there is a well-developed knowledge
base and strong theories.
You think you know the answer before you gather
any data. You gather data to “test” your answer.
You have an idea and you look to a theory that
suggests an explanation/solution.
Theory and Research: Three Models

The research before theory model




Ideas-Design Study-Data Collection-TheoryAnalysis-Findings-Ideas
Works where there is neither a well-developed
knowledge base nor strong theories.
You need to look to the data to obtain an answer.
Your theory come from what you learn as you
gather data.
You have an idea and you design a way to collect
data and after that you develop a theory.
Theory and Research: Three Models

The Spiraling Research Approach


Ideas
Don’t try to memorize all the directions
Point is there is a huge amount of feedback
Theory
Design
Data
Collecti
on
Analysis
Findings
Working Model for Research

IdeasLiterature ReviewDesignData
CollectionAnalysis &
FindingsDissemination




Begin with ideas,
Check relevant literature for more ideas and
theories,
Use these to generate a research question or
researchable foci (hypothesis if appropriate),
Design study, collect data, etc.
Reviewing the Literature



Idea gives you an initial interest—male college
student drinking.
Genearte an initial question trying to focus
interest—What is relationship between college
and male drinking?
Begin library review. Libraries are all different
and Internet makes more and more information
available electronically.
OSU Library Resources (lab)
Reviewing the Literature



Go beyond your library with internet searches
such as google. May find programs that are
related to your topic.
Many good articles may not show up on the
internet.
Ask for a reference library to help you search
the library.
Literature Review

Evaluating Web sites




Whose web site? —names can be extremely
misleading.
Search for information on the site itself. “Friends
of Diversity” may be a group opposed to diversity.
What is the date of material? —often hard to know.
Web sites may not be deleted when they are
abandoned.
Can information be collaborated?
Literature Review


You may have a computerized information
retrieval system to use.
A word document is a simple approach with

One page for each quotation, finding, etc.




Use quotation marks or something when it is a direct
quote and page numbers.
Put key word or topic at top of page.
Uses example on page 25 as a model.
A list of complete references at the end of the file

Include citations from earlier pages in the references.
Literature Review


The most basic system is a two card method. Using 4
x 6 cards.
Author Card (see page 24) has formal reference.




Include authors, date, title, publication, page numbers, and
where you got it (web page, library call number). Include
more than you think you need.
Might list key words relevant to your question
Subject Card (see page 25) and what is in Word
document.
4 x 6 cards are easy to shuffle/organize
Literature Review




The written literature review is like a funnel.
Start with the general area of interest—general
idea.
Get more and more focused on your specific
research question.
The last paragraph or two of the literature
review should give you specific research
question/hypothesis.
Research Hypothesis



Sometimes you have a specific hypothesis.
At the least, an hypothesis requires and
independent and dependent variable and what
you expect their relationship to be.
An hypothesis is most common where there
are well developed theories and extensive
research.
Research Question

More often, you have a research question.


The literature review leads to this question as what
needs to be investigated.
We know a lot about diversity, but very little about
gender diversity in female dominated fields and
why men are rare in these fields. Nobody has done
a systematic study of this in an HDFS department.
Our question is why are there so few men in HDFS
and what could HDFS do to change this.