Foundation Session Taught at Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2011 drawn extensively from Saunders et al

1. Slide 1.1
Session 3: Critically reviewing the literature
Power
Values
Assumptions
Controversies

2. Slide 1.2

3. Slide 1.3
Literature sources available
Saunders et al. (2009)Figure 3.2 Literature sources available

4. Slide 1.4
Reasons for reviewing the literature
To conduct a ‘preliminary’ search of existing material
To organise valuable ideas and findings
To identify other research that may be in progress
To generate research ideas
To develop a critical perspective

5. Slide 1.5
How should we present this theory?
It is NOT ! It IS
Just a list of references
Data
List of variables
Diagrams
Hypothesis
“Theory is about the connections
between the phenomena, a story why
events, structure and thoughts occur.
Theory emphasises the nature of causal
relationships, identifying what comes
first as well as the timing of events.
Strong theory, in our view, delves into
underlying processes so as to
understand the systematic reasons for a
particular occurrence or non-
occurrence”
[Sutton & Staw 1995 p. 375 citied in
Saunders et al 2009 p.36]

6. Slide 1.6
Where can I find ‘theory’?
Academics gain personal (& institution) prestige by
researching and publishing in key journals
BFSU Online databases
[http://202.204.132.205/database_list.asp?id=69]
especially this one ·
 EBSCOhost 全文数据库 ( 新增社会学、教育学
、文学等五个子库 )

7. Slide 1.7
The literature search strategy (1)
Write down
parameters of your search
key words and search terms to be used
databases and search engines to be used
criteria for selection of relevant and useful studies
And
Discuss these with a colleague & tutor (if possible)

8. Slide 1.8
How to use the databases
Key Terms: Text Book / Key Article / Key Authors
Search tips:
Peer Reviewed (this ‘ensures’ it is high quality)
Full Text (ensures you can get access to it)
Search in title, abstract etc.
Combine terms using ‘AND’ ‘OR’ ‘NOT’
Expand terms by using ‘*’ e.g. comput* to find the words computer or
computing.
Wild cards by using ‘#’ e.g colo#r will bring back ‘colour’ and ‘color’

9. Slide 1.9
The literature review process
Figure 3.1 The literature review process

10. Slide 1.10
Content of the review
You will need to
Include key academic theories
Demonstrate current knowledge of the area
Use clear referencing for the reader to find the
original cited publications
Acknowledge the research of others

11. Slide 1.11
The Critical Review
Key purposes
To further refine research questions & objectives
To discover recommendations for further research
To avoid repeating work already undertaken
To provide insights into strategies and techniques
appropriate to your research objectives
Based on Gall et al. (2006)

12. Slide 1.12
Adopting a critical perspective
The most important skills are
The capacity to evaluate what you read
The capacity to relate what you read to other
information
Wallace and Wray (2006)

13. Slide 1.13
Adopting a critical perspective
Skills for effective reading
Quick look: Title, Abstract, Introduction then
Conclusion
Annotating: Cornell system
Summarising: Cornell system
Comparing and contrasting
Harvard College Library (2006)

14. Slide 1.14
Adopting a critical perspective
Questions to ask yourself : the essentials
Why am I reading this?
What is the author trying to do in writing this?
How convincing is this?
What use can I make of this reading?
Adapted from Wallace and Wray (2006)

15. Slide 1.15
Is your literature review critical?
Content of literature review
Does it relate to the research
questions?
Have you covered most
relevant theories?
Have you included most
relevant & significant literature
Is your literature up to date?
Is it reference (to Harvard
standard)?
Is it Critical?
Have you shown how your
research question links to previous
research?
Have you assessed +ve / -ve of
previous research?
Have you been objective?
Have you included literature
counter to your opinion?
Clearly distinguished facts &
opinions?
Justified why new research is
required (inc. reference to previous
research)?

16. Slide 1.16
The key to a critical literature review
Demonstrate that you have read, understood and
evaluated your material
Link the different ideas to form a cohesive and
coherent argument
Make clear connections to your research
objectives and the subsequent empirical material
Saunders et al. (2009)

17. Slide 1.17
Recording the literature
Make notes for each item you read
Record –
Biographic details
Brief summary of content
Supplementary information
Sharp et al. (2002)

18. Slide 1.18
Recording the literature
Bibliographic details (author, year publication,
title, journal volume, journal part / issue
number, page number)
Brief summary
Supplementary information (key quotes, where
you found it, your comments, when you
consulted it, where you have saved the PDF !)

19. Slide 1.19
Example of a Plagiarism Report

20. Slide 1.20
Plagiarism
Four common forms
Stealing material from another source
Submitting material written by another
Copying material without quotation marks
Paraphrasing material without documentation
Adapted from Park (2003), cited in Easterby-Smith et al. (2008)

21. Slide 1.21
Examples
THE ORIGINAL PASSAGE
This book has been written against a background of both reckless
optimism and reckless despair. It holds that Progress and Doom are two
sides of the same medal; that both are articles of superstition, not of faith.
It was written out of the conviction that it should be possible to discover
the hidden mechanics by which all traditional elements of our political and
spiritual world were dissolved into a conglomeration where everything
seems to have lost specific value, and has become unrecognizable for
human comprehension, unusable for human purpose. Hannah Arendt, The
Origins of Totalitarianism (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973
ed.), p.vii, Preface to the First Edition.
A) Copying sections word for word ....
Source:
www.gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/honor/system/53501.html
(downloaded on the 16th Sept. 2010)

22. Slide 1.22
Examples
 This book has been written against a background of both reckless optimism and reckless
despair. It holds that Progress and Doom are two sides of the same medal; that both are
articles of superstition, not of faith. It was written out of the conviction that it should be
possible to discover the hidden mechanics by which all traditional elements of our political
and spiritual world were dissolved into a conglomeration where everything seems to have lost
specific value, and has become unrecognizable for human comprehension, unusable for
human purpose. Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc., 1973 ed.), p.vii, Preface to the First Edition.
 B) Hannah Arendt’s book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, was written in the light of both
excessive hope and excessive pessimism. Her thesis is that both Advancement and Ruin are
merely different sides of the same coin. Her book was produced out of a belief that one can
understand the method in which the more conventional aspects of politics and philosophy
were mixed together so that they lose their distinctiveness and become worthless for human
uses.
Even if the author’s exact language is not used, a footnote is required for material that is
paraphrased.

23. Slide 1.23
Examples
 C) the mosaic
“The first edition of The Origins of Totalitarianism was written in 1950. Soon after
the Second World War, this was a time of both reckless optimism and reckless
despair. During this time, Dr. Arendt argues, the traditional elements of the
political and spiritual world were dissolved into a conglomeration where everything
seems to have lost specific value. In particular, the separation between the State
and Society seems to have been destroyed. In this book, she seeks to disclose the
hidden mechanics by which this transformation occurred”.
Even though this example includes some original material, selected phrases of the
original are woven throughout the passage- -- a. reckless optimism and reckless
despair, b. traditional elements of the {our in original} political and spiritual world
were dissolved into a conglomeration where everything seems to have lost specific
value, and c. hidden mechanics.

24. Slide 1.24
…it is not all about percentages!
the ‘apt phrase’
“Following the Second World War, scholars from a variety of disciplines
began to explore the nature of “totalitarianism.” One of the most pressing
issues for these writers was understanding the “essence” of
totalitarianism. How, for example, is a totalitarian regime different from an
authoritarian regime? Although authors disagree on the precise answer to
this question, a common thread running throughout most of the classic
works on totalitarianism deals with the relationship between State and
Society. In a totalitarian state, the traditional boundaries between State
and society are dissolved into a conglomeration so that the two become
indistinguishable”.
This passage is almost entirely original, but the phrase “dissolved into a
conglomeration” is taken directly from Arendt. Even though this is a short
phrase, it must be footnoted. Only phrases that have truly become part of
general usage can be used without citation.

25. Slide 1.25
The easiest way is to get use, now, to referencing
If you are paraphrasing / summarising an article “Johnston (2003) claims
that there are many factors that are known to affect the success of
students at university”.
If you are taking a direct idea (often a quotation) “McLaine (2002, p. 16)
stated that productivity was found to be affected by work related stress in
69% of workers. “
See this booklet for examples of how to reference different sources:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/students/study/referencing/harvard.pdf

26. Slide 1.26
My Mid-Autumn Break Gift to You!
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
E.g. Being Critical
Introducing questions, problems and limitations (theory)
Introducing questions, problems and limitations (method/practice)
Identifying a study's weakness:
Offering constructive suggestions:
Highlighting inadequacies of previous studies:
Introducing other people's criticisms:
 However, Jones (2003) points out that .....
Many analysts now argue that the strategy of X has not been successful. Jones (2003), for
example, argues that .....
Non-government agencies are also very critical of the new policies.
The X theory has been / vigorously / strongly challenged in recent years by a number of writers.
Smith's analysis has been criticised by a number of writers. Jones (1993), for example, points out
that ……


27. Slide 1.27
Power
Values
Assumptions
Controversies
Session 3 Homework: Critically reviewing the
literature

28. Slide 1.28
Questions to ‘ask’ the author
Why did you write this?
Who did you write this for?
What was your purpose?
What questions were you
asking?
What answers did you find?
What is your evidence?
What is your conclusion?
Questions to ask myself
Why am I reading this?
Was it written for me?
What am I looking for?
What questions am I asking?
Do I find those answers
credible?
Do I accept that evidence?
Do I agree with those
conclusions?
But above all …
What have I learned
And
How can I use it?
Clough and Nutbrown 2007 p. 102

29. Slide 1.29
Tsang, EWK (1998) Can Guanxi Be a Source of Sustained
Competitive Advantage for Doing Business in China? The
Academy of Management Executive Vol. 12, No. 2 (May,
1998), pp. 64-73
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4165458
Woetzel, J. (2004) ‘A guide to doing business in China’ The
McKinsey Quarterly 2004 p.37-45
http://www.cccb.org.uk/Chinese_Chamber_Commerce_in_
Britain_Resources/files/A%20guide%20to%20doing
%20business%20in%20China.pdf

30. Slide 1.30
Davies H. et al ‘The Benefits of Guanxi; the value of
relationships in developing the Chinese market Industrial
Marketing Management 24, 207-214
http://www3.gdufs.edu.cn/smgdufs/marketing/frontier/kh
/the%20value%20of%20relationships%20in.pdf
Kohen, D. ‘Confucian Trustworthiness and The Practice of
Business in China’ Business Business Ethics Quarterly Vol.
11, No. 3 (Jul., 2001), pp. 415-429
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3857847

31. Slide 1.31
Blah Blah
Read article – at least 24hrs before and make notes using Critical
Reading questions
HOME : Discuss the article with each other in
same colour groups of 4 or 5 ... 5 x 5 mins =
25mins
AWAY: Discuss the article with each other in
different colour groups of 4 ... 4 x 6 mins =
24mins & 15 mins group discussion to
prepare some notes for everyone
Blah Blah

32. Slide 1.32
Summary:
The critical literature review
Sets the research in context
Leads the reader into later sections of the report
Begins at a general level and narrows to specific topics

33. Slide 1.33
Summary:
A literature search requires
Clearly defined research questions and objectives
Three main categories of sources
Defined parameters

34. Slide 1.34
Critical Literature Review
 What is the author trying to say?
 What is the real point here? What is the central argument?
 To whom is the author speaking?
 Is this account written for academics? Policy makers? Practitioners? Is the author really
speaking to me?
 Why has this account of this research been written?
 Does s/he have a political point to make? How does this relate to current policy?
 What does the author ultimately want to achieve?
 Does s/he want to bring about some change? Does s/he want to make a difference? To
what?
 What authority does s/he appeal to?
 Disciplinary? Policy evidence? Political mission?
 What evidence does the author offer to substantiate the claims?
 Participants’ statements? Observations / documentary analysis? Is there any ‘missing’
evidence?
 Do I accept this evidence?
 Is it sufficient to support the claims made in the report? What else could I ask to see?

35. Slide 1.35
Critical Literature Review 2
 Does this account accord with what I know of the world?
 Is there a match between my experience and my reading and what I am
reading? Does it matter if the report is disconnected from my own world? Can I
learn something from that disconnection?
 What is my view?
 Based on what principles / ideology / pedagogy / life experiences .. And
supported by which authors…?
 What evidence do I have for this view?
 How can I substantiate my own view? Do I draw on what I am reading here?
What other sources and experiences have formed my view?
 Do I find this account credible with the compass of my experience and knowledge?
 Taking my responses to the above questions, does my reading of this research
report lead me to decide that it should ‘count’ in my own study? Should it be
included as part of the bank of information and evidence which shapes my own
study?
Clough and Nutbrown 2007 p. 101-102