What is Literature Review Finding Information Searching using the Internet Evaluating Sources Reading a Scientific Paper	Citing Sources Writing a Good Review Quiz / Feedback Powerpoint Download	Literature Review Exercise Assessment Rubric Sample Literature Review Submission of Exercise Retrieval of Results
Finding Information Before you embark on your project, search for information first -- Golden rule to carrying out a research. You wouldn't want to do up a huge chunk of your research work then realise that you've been on the wrong track all along, or find out that your work has been done by someone else on the other side of the globe. When that happens, don't shout "OMG!!!" but blame yourself for not doing up your literature review. [Image modified from http://www.medilexicon.com/images/pages/choice_and_directions_signs.jpg] So before you work on anything, do up your literature review first. The following are some sources which you may find useful in gathering information. Journal Articles Good especially for up-to-date information Are frequently used in literature reviews Offer a relatively concise format for research Usually reputable journals are referred Books Tend to be less up-to-date Text books Are unlikely to be useful as they are Intended for teaching more than for research Provide foundation for background or basic skills Offer a good starting point to find more detailed sources Conference Proceedings Provide the latest research, or research that has not been published Provide information on people who are currently involved in specific research areas Help track other work by the same researchers Government/Corporate Reports Governments and corporations commission or carry out research Published findings can provide a useful source of information, depending on the field of study Newspapers and Magazines Intended for general (not specialized) audiences Information provided are of very limited use Often newspapers are more helpful as providers of information about recent trends, but you should then search for more detailed information in other sources. Theses and Dissertation Useful sources of information Disadvantages: they can be difficult to obtain the student who carried out the research may not be an experienced researcher and more caution is needed when browsing for information. Internet Great source of information especially with electronic journals When using a search engine, type ".pdf" to find scholastic journals. But read carefully because the researcher may be inexperienced. Easy to use Search engines generate a lot of results All other sources of information, including those mentioned earlier, can be found on the internet BACK: What is Literature Review NEXT: Searching using the Internet
Hwa Chong Institution (High School) | Centre for Scholastic Excellence Research Module | Literature Review | Last updated on January 2009