Searching and

reviewing the literature

Lecture 5

1
Learning objectives

• After studying this topic, you should be able to

– Identify potential sources of secondary data
– Search the literature
– Use the Harvard system of referencing
– Review the literature
– Identify your main research question(s)
• Independent study
– Study Chapter 5
– Obtain advice on searching the resources in your library
and using reference management software
– Other activities as set

2
Introduction

• Once you have identified a research topic, you need to start

collecting and analysing the literature in order to identify a
specific research problem to investigate
– The literature is ‘all sources of published data on a particular topic’
• A literature search is ‘a systemic process with a view to
identifying the existing body of knowledge on a particular
topic’ (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 76)
– It may be sufficient for undergraduates to refer to textbooks, but
Master’s and doctoral students must study the original sources of
knowledge
– Only search authoritative sources

3
Review of the research process

Choose a topic and search the literature

Review the literature and define the research

question(s)

Design the research and write the proposal

Collect the research data

Analyse and interpret the research data

Write the dissertation or thesis

4
Exercise 1
Potential sources of literature
• In the context of your research, what types of
published data will you be looking for and in
what way do you expect this literature to be
useful?

5
Solution 1
Potential sources of literature
• Academic journal articles, research reports,
conference papers, etc.
– Main source of information on theory, previous
studies, methodologies and methods
• Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and specialist
books
– Useful for definitions (always use an authoritative
source), background information and references
to other sources
• Annual statistics and reports, newspapers,
business journals, internal documents/records 6
Procedure for a systematic literature search

• Draw up a list of sources

– Eg Specific journal databases, subject-related websites,
bibliographic catalogues
• Define the scope of the research
– Eg sector, geography, period of time
• Determine keywords
– Include alternative spellings and synonyms
• Search each source, keeping a record of your progress
– Describe your methods in your methodology chapter
• Only collect literature that is relevant

7
Managing the process

• Start with most recent publications and work back

– Look at the references at the end of relevant publications
to lead you to previous studies
– If a publication is cited often, it is likely to be a seminal
work
• Keep a list of the full references in alphabetical order
• File relevant material in the same order
• Your search is nearly over when you start to recognise
the references, but to continue throughout the
project to keep up to date

8
Importance of keeping records

• Highlight key points

– Eg Research questions, characteristics of the sample/cases,
methods used, theoretical framework, contribution and
limitations, potential quotations
• Summarise key themes, findings, conclusions and
limitations in your own words
– Paraphrasing or changing the odd word is plagiarism
• Record any quotations accurately
– Reproduce the original spelling, punctuation and emphasis
and record the number of the page from which it was
taken

9
Referencing

• Whether you are undergraduate, postgraduate or

doctoral student, you must ensure that you follow one of
the standard systems for referencing.
• All systems provide rules for making citations and
references.

10
Types of Referencing System

• There are two main groups of referencing system:

1. Author-date systems
• Harvard system
• American Psychological Association (APA) system
2. Number-based system
• Vancouver system

11
The Author-date of Referencing System

• The Harvard system of referencing is one of

the most widely used referencing systems in
business and management research
• The APA system is very similar to the Harvard
system

12
Citations under the Harvard system

• A citation is ‘an acknowledgement in the text of the

original source from which information was
obtained’ (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 84)
– Acknowledgement is made by citing the surname of the
author(s) and the date of the publication in brackets
– If the author’s words are quoted or you reproduce a
table, chart or figure, you must also include the page
number from which it was taken)
– If you are supporting your point with two or more
citations in the same brackets, order them
chronologically, separated by a semi-colon
13
Citations under the Harvard system cont.

• If a printed document or on-line material is not

paginated or not dated, use n.p. or n.d. as appropriate
• If there are three or more authors, all their names should
appear the first time you refer to the publication and
thereafter you need only use the name of the first author
followed by et.al.
• If you are citing more than one author with the same
surname, you should include their initials in the text to
avoid confusion

14
Using citations for emphasis

• To emphasize the information

– Access to data is a key factor in the success of a
student’s research project (Collis and Hussey,
2014).
• To emphasize the authority
– Collis and Hussey (2014) argue that access to data
is a key factor in the success of a student’s
research project.
– ‘The availability of data is crucial to the successful
outcome of your research’ (Collis and Hussey,
2014, p. 100). 15
Citing the original source – An example

Although Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009) warn

of the associated penalties, some students ignore
the fact that universities treat plagiarism as
academic misconduct. Plagiarism has been referred
to as a ‘slippery concept’ (Bryman and Bell, 2011, p.
116), but Collis and Hussey (2014, p. 92) define it as
‘the act of taking someone’s words, ideas or other
information and passing them off as your own
because you fail to acknowledge the original source’.
They describe it as a form of intellectual theft.

16
Importance of citations

• Citations are important because

– They provide evidence of your literature searching and the
range of your reading
– They help you support your arguments using the authority
of the source you have cited
– They help the reader to distinguish between your work
and the existing body of knowledge, thus avoiding
accusations of plagiarism

17
References under the Harvard system

• References are ‘a list containing bibliographic details

of the sources cited in the text’ (Collis and Hussey,
2014, p. 84).
– They are shown in alphabetical order by author’s
surname at the end of the document (do not use bullet
points or numbering)
• We distinguish between a ‘bibliography’ and
‘references’ because a bibliography can be a
catalogue of publications, not a specific list of
sources cited in the text

18
Listing the references

References
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2011) Business Research
Methods, 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2014) Business Research,
4th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009)
Research Methods for Business Students, 5th edn.
Harlow: Pearson Education.

19
Importance of references

• References are important because they

– Provide full bibliographic details that support the
citations
– Allow supervisors, examiners and other
researchers to locate the source of the works you
have cited

20
Checklist for the Harvard system of referencing

• Have you acknowledged other people’s work, ideas and all

sources of secondary data in my text?
• Have you enclosed quotations in quotation marks and cited
the author(s), date and the number of the page in the original
source?
• Have you acknowledged the source of all tables, diagrams
and other items you have copied, including the number of the
page in the original source?
• Have you included full bibliographic details for every source
cited in your list of references?
• Have you applied the rules consistently?

21
Checklist for reading the literature

• What was the purpose of the study? How does it differ

from other studies and your research?
• How does the author define key terms? Are the terms
used consistently?
• What is the structure of the argument?
• How was the research conducted? How do the methods
differ from other studies and your research?
• What were the findings? How do they differ from other
studies and your study?
Continued…

22
Checklist for reading the literature (continued)

• What claims does the author make? Are they supported

by appropriate evidence?
• Are there any underlying values that may be guiding the
author and influencing these claims?
• Is there evidence to support any generalizations?
• What were the limitations and weaknesses of the study?
• Has any irrelevant material been included? Has any
necessary material been omitted?
• Does the author cite any literature you need to locate
and read?

23
Recording references

• You can set up your own system for recording your references
or use reference management software
– Eg Reference Manager, ProCite and RefWorks
• Main features of reference management software
– References from most e-resources can be ‘dragged’ into a
personalized database
– You can also import charts, diagrams and images
– You can cite the publications from your database as you write
and the software will generate a list of references at the end of
your document when you are ready
– You can select your preferred style of referencing (useful if you
subsequently write articles for academic journals with different
house styles)
24
Reviewing the literature

• ‘A literature review is a critical evaluation of the existing

body of knowledge on a topic, which guides the research
and demonstrates that the relevant literature has been
located and analysed’ (Collis and Hussey, 2014, p. 87).
• It provides a context for your research question(s)
– In a deductive study you will identify a theoretical
framework (theories and models from the literature that
explain how things function and why events occur)
• The preliminary literature review you write for your
proposal will focus on the most influential previous
studies (the seminal studies)

25
Review of the research process

Choose a topic and search the literature

Review the literature and define the research

question(s)

Design the research and write the proposal

Collect the research data

Analyse and interpret the research data

Write the dissertation or thesis

26
Purpose of Writing a Literature Review

• It shows the readers that the writer is familiar with the research topic
• It shares with the reader with other studies closely related to your
work
• It provides the necessary background information needed to
understand the study
• It introduces terminology and definitions to clarify how terms are being
used in the context of your work
• It shows how your study is filling in gaps and extending prior studies
• It justifies the writer’s choice of research questions
• It provides a framework for establishing the importance of your study
• It relates your work to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature

27
Before Writing a Literature Review

• The researcher should have a fine collection of literature

• The researcher needs to start reading and analyzing the
literature in order to develop research proposal and
research design
• The researcher is required to ask these questions at the
time of reading:

28
General Analytical Approach

• Many researchers adopt a thematic approach, which

involves categorizing the themes in the relevant
literature.
Author, Subject Objectives Methodology/ Findings Location
Date Sample size /Country

Ahmed Advertisemen Survey Strong Somalia

(2012) t and Sales 100 positive
growth relation
(Farah Service quality Cross-sectional Weak Kenya
2013) and sales 200 relation
growth

29
Identifying Variables of the Study

• Variable is something that can change and or can have more

than one value.
• A variable as the name implies, is something that varies.
• It may be weight, height, anxiety levels, income, production
units, absenteeism, and motivation and so on.
• Each of these properties varies from one person to another
and also has different values along a field.
• It could be demographic, physical or social and include religion,
income, occupation, temperature, language, food, etc.
• Some variables can be quite concrete and clear, such as gender,
types of blood group etc.

30
 Defining a variable

• Variables can be defined in terms of measurable factors

through a process of operationalization.
• It will convert difficult concepts into easily understandable
concepts which then can be measured, empirically.
• The variable have to be able to work for you to become
operational.

31
 Independent and Dependent Variables

Independent Variable
• It is a variable that influences the values of a
dependent variable
• It influences the DV in either positive or negative way
 Dependent Variable
• It is a variable whose values are influenced by one or
more independent variables.
• The goal of the research project is to understand,
predict or explain the variability of this variable
Examples

• The intensity of lighting (IV) in the workplace might be

manipulated to observe the effect on the productivity
levels (DV).
• Compensation and employee satisfaction
• Absenteeism and student academic performance
• Employee motivation and employee productivity
• Internal audit and financial reporting

33
Identifying a research problem and research question(s)

• From the literature on your topic, choose a

research problem or issue that is interesting or
important
– Look for gaps and deficiencies in the literature and
then formulate a research question you can
investigate
– Most researchers highlight limitations of their
work and suggest areas for further research
– Consider replicating a study in a different
sector/setting to update/extend the findings
– Consider making a new analysis of existing data 34
Sample of conceptual framework

35
Writing your literature review

• Select only material that is relevant to the topic, industry,

methodology, etc.
• Identify themes and group the material
• Define key terms and draw out the important features
• Compare results and methods of previous studies
• Be critical and demonstrate relevance to your research
• Set the context for your study (a deductive approach suggests you will
identify a theoretical framework and hypotheses)
• Identify gaps or deficiencies in the literature that your study will
address
• Conclude with your research question(s)
• Acknowledge other people’s contribution to knowledge using the
Harvard system of referencing
36
Exercise 2
Literature review
• Compare these two reviews and decide which
is the better review and why (handout of p.
95)

37
Solution 2
Common faults when reviewing the literature
• Making assertions without stating where the
evidence is
– You must support all claims to avoid plagiarism
• Failing to state the objectives of previous
studies, the year conducted, location, sample,
methodology
• A ‘shopping list’ with no effort to synthesise or
compare previous studies, or provide rationale
• Poor structure, style or spelling
• Conclusions fail to provide rationale for the 38
Conclusions

• Adopt a systematic and methodical approach

to your literature search
– Study the literature to identify a research problem
• Write an analytical literature review using the
Harvard system of referencing
– Point out any gaps and deficiencies to provide a
rationale for your study and state your research
question(s)
• Allow approximately 20% of your research
time for this important stage in the research
process 39