We'll use this Google Doc during the library instruction session. Open the doc by clicking on the link below and find your name. You will complete 'your row' with your responses to the prompts at the top of the columns.
A good research strategy is to begin looking at secondary sources to gain an overview of the subject in question, locating references to other secondary and primary literature that are included in the bibliographies of the secondary sources.
Then you can proceed to the primary literature, using the bibliographies of these papers as well.
By the end of the session you'll be able to
USE PRIMARY LITERATURE FOR:
USE SECONDARY LITERATURE FOR:
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimiliated that work into the work at hand.
"In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review
For more information, visit the Literature Review Research Guide.
In your scientific research you should consult a variety of these formats.
This page is based on a guide created by Elizabeth Graboski, MLIS Intern. Content is based on a library guide "Biocite" by Sara Penhale, Science Librarian at the Wildman Library, Earlham University.
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