Research question development
1. From one’s own experience or the direct observation of a situation or event in the field.
2. From logical gaps that exist in our current state of knowledge of the field
Research question attributes
1. Clear and easily understood
2. Specific enough to suggest the data that need to be collected during the study
3. Answerable with the data to be collected
4. Interconnected with important concepts or phenomena
5. Substantively relevant to the field
Evidence-based information practice – As information professionals make decisions about new services, systems, policies, etc., they should use the current literature base and conduct their own research to identify evidence that can inform those decisions.
Practice-based question - the researcher is a member of the organization that is being studied (e.g. a university study about student by another student).
Hypothesis – a conjectural statement of the relation between two or more variables.
Causation - The concept that one event predictably leads to another.
Williamson Ch. 3
Literature Review - Plays an important role in the generation of theory and in the formulation and refinement of research questions and hypotheses. It also assists in providing a background and context for a study.
Literature review writing steps:
- Categorize literature into subject/topic
- Introduction
- Significance and importance
- Contents of the review
- Body
- Organized under headings relating to research questions
- Critically analyze relevant literature under those headings
- Conclusion
- Indicate gaps in literature
- Other reasons why further research is needed
- Highlight key concepts
- Research questions the proposed research will investigate
- Check that literature critical and evaluative
Patten (Topic14, 15, 16)
Strict replication - Mimicking the study in all important aspects to see if the same types of results will emerge.
Modified replication - A replication with some major modifications (i.e. examining a new population or using an imporved measurement technique)
Record - Contains all the information about a given article in electronic databases
Field - Exist within each record (e.g. title, abstract, descriptor)
Pyrczack (Appendix D)
Literature review evaluation questions:
- Does the researcher being by identifying a specific problem area?
- Are underlying theories adequately described?
- Has the researched cited sources for “factual” statements?
- Is the current research cited?
- Has the researcher distinguished between opinions and research findings?
- Has the researcher noted any gaps in literature?
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