Research Guides: INCO 590 & INCO 610 (UNH Durham): Introduction

Introduction: What is included in the guide

This guide includes many resources for undergraduate students preparing for research. There are sections on:

Research Process
Literature Review
Finding Articles
Citing & Writing
Library Tutorials
Responsible Conduct of Research
Data Management
Research Conference Resources
How to Get Help

Research Process

Literature Review

What is a literature review:

comprehensive summary of research on a topic which synthesizes the research as well
often conducted early in the research process to provide an overview of the existing scholarship of a field of study
may be part of a research article
sometimes are written on their own

A literature review can help:

make you an informed researcher/applicant
provide perspective by situating your work within the knowledge base (theory & practice) of your field
support your research idea/proposal or identify a gap needing further research
provide ideas for research design; for example, quantitative or qualitative approaches or instruments to use
give credibility to research or grant proposals

Here are some resources for help when conducting your literature review:

Literature Review Handout
A brief handout from the UNH Connors Writing Center which includes the function of a literature review, questions as you get started, and a common structure for a literature review.

Writing the Literature Review by Sara Efrat Efron; Ruth Ravid
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 9781462536917
Publication Date: 2018-09-24
This accessible text provides a roadmap for producing a high-quality literature review--an integral part of a successful thesis, dissertation, term paper, or grant proposal. Each step of searching for, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing prior studies is clearly explained and accompanied by user-friendly suggestions, organizational tips, vignettes, and examples of student work. Also featured are excerpts from peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods articles. This is the first book to focus on crafting different types of reviews (systematic, traditional-narrative, or hermeneutic-phenomenological) that reflect the writer's research question, methodological choices, and approaches to knowledge. It describes what all reviews have in common and highlights distinct characteristics of each type. The book includes dos and don'ts for evaluating studies and constructing an argument, and software suggestions for locating, organizing, and arranging sources.
The Literature Review by Lawrence A. Machi; Brenda T. McEvoy
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 9781071852903
Publication Date: 2022-01-17
Creating a successful literature review can be a daunting task, which is why so many researchers have relied on previous editions of this book to make the process more manageable. Using the six-step model, you'll work seamlessly to narrow your research topic, focus your literature search, negotiate the myriad of books, periodicals, and reports about your topic--and, of course, write the review. Its model takes you through the logical progression needed for producing a quality literature review--while taking the mystery out of the process.
Conducting Your Literature Review by Susanne Hempel
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 9781433830921
Publication Date: 2019-09-10
This book is a step-by-step guide to writing a literature review, and includes tips for modifying the process as needed depending on your audience, purpose, and goals. This book will help you formulate a strategy for making decisions about what to include and not include in your review, and produce a reliable and unbiased summary of the existing research. You will learn skills for defining research questions, using search tools and managing citations. This book is part of the American Psychological Association's Concise Guides to Conducting Behavioral, Health, and Social Science Research series. Aimed at undergraduate students in research methods courses or others with a lab or research project, each book describes a key stage in the research process.
Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review by Andrew Booth; Anthea Sutton; Mark Clowes; Marrissa Martyn-St James
Call Number: Dimond - Level 4 ; LB1047.3 .B66 2022
ISBN: 9781529711851
Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Whether you are new to literature reviews or working with new types of data, this book takes the guesswork out of writing your literature review. From deciding how much literature to include to managing your data, assessing your sources, and writing results, it outlines a step-by-step process that works with any data. The perfect project support for any social sciences student, this edition also includes a new chapter on analysing mixed methods research.
Literature Review and Research Design by Dave Harris
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 1000740358
Publication Date: 2019-11-26
Designing a research project is possibly the most difficult task a dissertation writer faces. It is fraught with uncertainty: what is the best subject? What is the best method? For every answer found, there are often multiple subsequent questions, so it's easy to get lost in theoretical debates and buried under a mountain of literature. This book looks at literature review in the process of research design, and how to develop a research practice that will build skills in reading and writing about research literature--skills that remain valuable in both academic and professional careers. Literature review is approached as a process of engaging with the discourse of scholarly communities that will help graduate researchers refine, define, and express their own scholarly vision and voice. This orientation on research as an exploratory practice, rather than merely a series of predetermined steps in a systematic method, allows the researcher to deal with the uncertainties and changes that come with learning new ideas and new perspectives. The focus on the practical elements of research design makes this book an invaluable resource for graduate students writing dissertations. Practicing research allows room for experiment, error, and learning, ultimately helping graduate researchers use the literature effectively to build a solid scholarly foundation for their dissertation research project.

Scholarly & Peer Reviewed Articles

Scholarly (also called academic) articles are written by and for academics, researchers, and experts in the specific topic or broader subject area of the article.

Peer reviewed (also called refereed) articles are those which have been reviewed prior to publication by other experts in the topic of the article. Often reviewers are external (not members of the journal's editorial staff or board).

To help determine if an article has been peer reviewed, you can check:

the database record for the article, which sometimes indicates whether a journal uses peer review
the journal website, especially under About Us or Information for Authors
the database, Ulrichsweb, and search the journal title. (Ulrichsweb uses referred rather than peer reviewed)

Note: Not everything in a journal is peer reviewed; letters to the editor, book reviews, news items, and other short works without listed references are typically not peer reviewed the way more substantive articles are.

Some Article Types

Empirical Research Articles

Analyze data collected by the article authors or by others

Literature Review, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Critically survey or analyze current state of published research on a top (doesn't include original research)

Editorial, Letter to the Editor, Article in a Column

Comments on or offers a perspective or opinion on a topic; doesn't require original research

Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarly Activity

Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarly Activity
This research guide, created by Julie Simpson, provides access to a host of resources on the responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity.

Fostering Integrity in Research by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Policy and Global Affairs; Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy; Committee on Responsible Science The integrity of knowledge that emerges from research is based on individual and collective adherence to core values of objectivity, honesty, openness, fairness, accountability, and stewardship. Integrity in science means that the organizations in which research is conducted encourage those involved to exemplify these values in every step of the research process. Understanding the dynamics that support ? or distort ? practices that uphold the integrity of research by all participants ensures that the research enterprise advances knowledge. The 1992 report Responsible Science: Ensuring the Integrity of the Research Process evaluated issues related to scientific responsibility and the conduct of research. It provided a valuable service in describing and analyzing a very complicated set of issues, and has served as a crucial basis for thinking about research integrity for more than two decades. However, as experience has accumulated with various forms of research misconduct, detrimental research practices, and other forms of misconduct, as subsequent empirical research has revealed more about the nature of scientific misconduct, and because technological and social changes have altered the environment in which science is conducted, it is clear that the framework established more than two decades ago needs to be updated. Responsible Science served as a valuable benchmark to set the context for this most recent analysis and to help guide the committee's thought process. Fostering Integrity in Research identifies best practices in research and recommends practical options for discouraging and addressing research misconduct and detrimental research practices.
ISBN: 0309391288
Publication Date: 2017-12-13

INCO 590 & INCO 610 (UNH Durham)

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Liz Fowler