Thursday, September 22, 2011

Key Concepts: Developing the Study

Patten
  • Strict replications - A study that mimics a previous study; the purpose is to obtain the same results.
  • Modified replication - A study that is replicated from a previous study but with some major modifications.
  • Descriptor - A key subject-matter term
  • Record - All the information about a given article
  • Literature review tip 1 - When citing literature on each topic, group references together when they have something in common.
  • Literature review tip 2 - It is important to indicate the results of the research in the literature review, not just the description of the methodology.
Pyrczak
  • Tip 1 for evaluating literature reviews - Has the author avoided citing sources for a single point?
  • Tip 2 for evaluating literature reviews - Has the author distinguished between opinions and research findings?

Wildemuth
  • Symmetry of potential outcome - Concept of whether or not the initial hypothesis is confirmed does not matter because the findings of the study will still be useful.
  • Components of a good research question: (1) clear and easily understood; (2) specific enough to suggest the data that need to be collected; (3) answerable; and (4) interconnected with important concepts
  • Evidence-based information - Information professionals should base their decisions on the strongest evidence available.
  • Practice-based question - A research question that is abstract enough to be of interest beyond the local setting.
  • Hypothesis - A conjectural statement of the relation between two or more variables
  • Null hypothesis - A hypothesis that states there is no relationship between variables or no difference between one thing and another. 
Williams
  • Directional hypothesis - A hypothesis that indicates the relationship between, or among, variables.
  • The role of literature review - The literature review should include evaluative and critical judgments about the research literature, and that it should present a comparison of ideas and research findings, tying them together.

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