Research Methodology - El Ebrashi, 2011

TUTORIAL 2
Literature Review
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
 Cover Page.
 Updated Outline.

 Literature Review.

 Research gap + research question or

hypothesis.
 You have to mention here the variables and/or
concepts/constructs used.
 List the research questions/hypotheses

 List of References.
 CD including all references (PDF articles)
used.

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COVER PAGE
Sample of a
cover page:

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THE OUTLINE

The outline is flexible and can change as you

write. However, the purpose itself
should not
be changed.

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INTRODUCTION
 It should be half a page to two pages long
 It includes:
 An introduction to the topic (with citations).
 Purpose – focus of the research.
 Motivation – why this focus is important (with
citations).
 Structure of the paper – how it is organized.

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LITERATURE REVIEW
 It should be at least 12 pages (excluding cover
page, outline, introduction, and references)
 It’s an account of what has been published on a
topic by accredited scholars and researchers.
 Enlarges your knowledge about the topic.
 It’s an integration of articles/paragraph.
 It’s not just a descriptive list of the material
available, or a set of summaries.
 MUST use academic articles.

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LITERATURE REVIEW: INTEGRATION
 Contains good integration
 gets an idea from one source (or more),
 complements it from a second source (or more),
 gives an example from a third (or more),
 and criticizes it from a fourth! (or more).

 Every concept should come from at least 4 different

articles. For example:
 Literature review
 Poverty
 Definition (minimum 4)

 Types of poverty (minimum 4)

 Causes of poverty (minimum 4)

 Minimum number of articles to be used in the write up

of the literature = 15
 Integration counts for 15%
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LITERATURE REVIEW: EXAMPLES

 See samples on the intranet

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LITERATURE REVIEW: FLOW OF IDEAS

 The “flow” grade depends on the following:

 Introduction of chapters.
 Section flow.
 There are links between the paragraphs: there is
a sequence of ideas between them.

 It is logical, makes sense, easy to read and

follow

 Please use transition words! (accordingly,

therefore, in addition, while….).

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LITERATURE REVIEW: CITATIONS

 All information provided should be well cited from academic

articles INCLUDING PAGE NUMBERS.
 You should cite the article you are reading ONLY! Not from within
the article. For example: In an article written by Westley and
Antadze (2014:5) that you are reading:
“Whereas the concept of social enterprise is primary focused
on organizational form and mission, social entrepreneurship is a
human-centered concept that highlights the personal
qualities of a person who starts a new organization” (Phills et
al., 2008:6).
 You should cite it in your literature review as (Westley and Antadze, 2014:5)
 However, if it is a well-known theory (for example, the theory of
capitalism by Adam Smith) and you are reading it in (Westley and
Antadze, 2014), you should cite it as follows:
 (Smith, 1864 cited in Westley and Antadze, 2014)
 If you use excessive number of unmatched in-text citations with
your references, you will lose at least 5%.

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LITERATURE REVIEW: THE GAP & RESEARCH
QUESTION
 The Gap:
 Is identified after reviewing the literature
 It represents lack of thorough investigation about a
certain aspect of your topic
 It can be an application on a certain age, gender,
company, a certain aspect of the topic,
moderating/mediating variable… etc.
 It can also be in-depth exploration of certain variables:
1. Focus (HR): exploring the effect of corporate image on
attracting job applicants.
 Research gap: researching the effect of corporate
image specifically on attracting expatriates.
2. Focus (Marketing): exploring the success factors of
new product launch.
 Research gap 1: researching the relationship between
technological innovation and new product launch.
 Research gap 2: exploring the success factors of new
product launch in the food industry.

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LITERATURE REVIEW: THE GAP & RESEARCH
QUESTION (CONT’D)

 The Research question/hypothesis:

 Based on the gap that was earlier identified.
 Has to mention the concepts/constructs or
variables (which is the dependent and which is
the independent).

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LITERATURE REVIEW: IN-TEXT CITATION
 In case of one author: (Author last name year of
publication: page number). Example: (Miller, 1950: 7)
 In case of multiple authors: (Author last name & other
author last name year of publication: page number).
Example: (Gupta and Goetz, 1999: 7).

 In case of no author: (Article name year of publication:

page number). Example: (The Human Development Report,
2000: 5)

 In case of citing from multiple sources for one paragraph:

(author last name year of publication: page number;
author last name year of publication: page number).
Example: (Miller, 1950: 7; Gupta,1999: 15)

 In case of citing from many pages from one book/article

for one paragraph: (author last name year of publication:
beginning page- last page). Example: (Miller, 1950: 7-20)
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REFERENCES

APA style

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FORMATTING
 Font, Size: Times New Roman, 12
 Line Spacing: 1.5

 Justified paragraphs.

 Automatic margins.

 Automatic table of contents.

 Page numbers.

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CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
 Covering outline + purpose + research gap
(relevance).
 In-text citation + references.

 Formatting (paragraphing, font, margins,

numbering...etc).
 Integration of sources and different
arguments.
 Flow of ideas.

 Spelling, grammar, English, punctuation.

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IMPORTANT REMARKS
 You have to abide by the guidelines on the
intranet (APA style, but in-text citations
should contain page numbers).
 Plagiarism cases will receive zeros.

 Submitting a paper that is submitted in any

other course will receive zero.
 Buying a paper is prohibited! You will receive
zero if this is discovered.
 The deadline is a hard deadline! No literature
reviews will be accepted after the date
specified.

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Research Methodology - El Ebrashi, 2011
THANK YOU!
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