Goals:
- Explain the difference between popular and scholarly articles.
- Use different types of information appropriately in a research paper.
- Define literature review.
- Find articles for your literature review.
Agenda:
- Types of sources: Popular & scholarly articles.
- Types of evidence: Primary, secondary, tertiary sources.
- Defining literature review.
- Generating keywords.
- Searching DBs
- APA references
Types of sources
- 5 quick questionsRoom name: DCCCLC
- Popular, Scholarly, and Reference articles.This chart breaks down the types of articles you may find in your research (scholarly, magazine, reference, etc.) and the contexts in which they are created.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary information
- Primary and secondary sources: a short overviewFrom American University. This is a one-page review.
- Some characteristics of primary, secondary, & tertiary SourcesData is a primary source; your research paper is secondary because it interprets the data and other information to reach a conclusion.
Literature review
Definition: Like an annotated bibliography, a literature review is a paper or section of a paper that reviews what's already been published on your research topic.
Unlike an annotated bibliography, a literature review is written in a standard paper format, with citations grouped together on the last page.
Literature review: a scholarly conversation
Some people think of literature review as being like a party where there are lots of conversations happening at once.
Here's a 2-minute video illustrating this metaphor:
Your literature review is an overview of all the conversations going on at the party, highlighting where guests agree and disagree, and what questions are still unanswered.
- Literature Review ExampleOpen the above document in a new tab or window.
- Find the literature review in this articleSchmitt, W. S., & Faas, C. (2016). Alignment of educational and occupational expectations influences on young adult educational attainment, income, and underemployment. Social Science Quarterly, 97(5), 1174–1188. https://doi-org.libdb.dccc.edu/10.1111/ssqu.12244
Parts of a research article
In general, the parts of a primary research article should include:
- Abstract: Summary of the research question and findings.
- Introduction: Overview of the context of the research question, including literature review.
- Materials/Methods: Description of the method used to collect data.
- Results: Analysis of data and outcomes of the study.
- Discussion: Description of how the results answer or don't answer the research question.
- Conclusion: Summary, significance of research.
- References: Research papers and other information sources that were referenced in the article, most prominently in the Introduction/Literature review.
Typically these sections are usually called out with headings throughout the article.
Look for these sections in the article above to help you understand the information and its purpose in each section.
Peer review
Before they can be published, research articles often go through a rigorous refinement process called peer-review.
- Peer review: a quick PreziScholarly articles go through a unique editorial process called PEER REVIEW. Scroll through this Prezi for a quick visual overview of the Scholarly Publication and peer review process.