Extract from: Coonan, 2022 - Module 1: Reading the literature

(for Lesson 15)

a. Identify journals and articles

- using key words, identify pertinent refereed journals/periodicals and within them potentially
pertinent articles. This can be done in the university library as well as in on-line data bases:
e.g., the university on-line data base, Google Scholar, Scopus, etc., (the data bases you
consult will be influenced by the discipline area you are working in);
- find a recent key article and use its ‘References section’ as a springboard for further
searches;
- build up your own data base of articles or monographs that you feel are key.

b. Use a reference management system

It is wise to organise your library research in as systematic a way possible right from the start.
This means that you must take note of essential information - called metadata - about each
publication you identify as potentially important: bibliographic details, page numbers,
ISBN/ISSN, Internet links, etc).
To help you in this, you could use a reference management system software1, e.g., Zotero,
Mendeley, which ‘save’ this metadata automatically without you having to type anything in
yourself. The important point to note here is that the metadata ‘bank’ you create is available
for use when you write up your dissertation (where you need to provide in-text citations and
draw up the final References section) without you having to write in all the details yourself.
The data are simply ‘drawn down’ from the bank that you have created (see below).
It is possible to write up a short abstract/summary of the work you are reading in the notes
section of Zotero (see red arrow in screenshot below). These abstracts represent a very
important source for the Literature review section of your dissertation.

Thus, as an efficient and time-saving device, it is worth dedicating just 30 minutes of your time
at the beginning to become acquainted with the workings of the software (e.g., for Zotero,
which is free and open source, there are many tutorials available online. Just type in ‘Zotero
YouTube’).

c. Write notes/summaries
Writing is not something that you leave to the end of your research project. It must begin
right from the start.
You:
- write notes to clarify your understanding and consolidate your knowledge. When writing your
notes, it is useful to distinguish between what is a paraphrase (your own words) and what are
the author’s words. When the time comes to finalise your final copy, you may not remember
which is which. This might have consequences for the anti-plagiarism check that the University
runs on your dissertation. Also, in the case of a quote (author’s own words) do not forget to
note down the page number it is taken from. It will be very time-consuming to have to go back
later to find it;
- jot down questions that come to your mind — these are potential research question;

1 Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/download/ . Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com/ ;

 LOOK: Zotero: an example metadata page of a publication

A couple of functions on Zotero: green arrows: by clicking on the yellow folder a window opens that
allows you to insert information about the publication. In this case the ISBN number was inserted. The
metadata on the right was automatically inserted by the software. Red arrow: the red arrow indicates a
‘Notes’ function. A window opens that allows you to write an summary of the publication.

- summarise research studies (see Zotero above): writing a summary carries out an important
function as, through it, you crystallise your knowledge of the studies carried out by other
people on or around the topic you choose and be able to ‘position’ your own. As summarising
is something that you will begin to do right from the beginning, you must include essential
information about the studies.

As with the abstract that you yourself will write for your own dissertation, the summary will
mention the problems being addressed, the central purpose of the study, the subjects involved
and the key results. Add evaluative comments (e.g., mention positive aspects or shortcomings
vis à visa your own perspective). It may be the case that the article you are summarising is not
a research study but rather a conceptual piece. In this case the information you will include
will refer to the topic and to the focus of the article
 LOOK: Examples of research summary

Example 1
A study conducted by Zheng et al. (2009) explored the affective factors in learning English as an FL
in a 3D game-like virtual world. Using communication tools (e.g., chats, bulletin boards, and e-
mails) and 3D avatars, students co-solved online content related problem quests with native
English speakers. The students using the virtual world rated themselves higher in self-efficacy
towards advanced use of English, attitude towards English and e- communication, than those
students who did not participate in the virtual learning world. Consequently, the distance learning
mode proved beneficial for the participants ’sense of self-efficacy in FL learning

Example 2
Phuttharaksa et al. (2018) conducted a study with some highly self-efficacious learners who failed
in an online foreign language course. The findings suggest that goal setting, the shift of attribution
and insufficient feedback are factors that might negatively influence the sense of self-efficacy in
online learners.

Example 3 (conceptual or think piece)

Bilingual education and second language immersion programs have operated on the premise that
the bilingual student's two languages should be kept rigidly separate. Although it is appropriate to
maintain a separate space for each language, it is also important to teach for transfer across
languages. In other words, it is useful to explore bilingual instructional strategies for teaching
bilingual students rather than assuming that monolingual instructional strategies are inherently
superior.
The paper explores the interplay between bilingual and monolingual instructional strategies within
dual language programs and suggests concrete strategies for optimizing students' bilingual
development.