Reading for research

Riset Teknologi Informasi

 Pustaka
• How to research
 Ten reasons for reading for research

1. It will give you ideas.

2. You need to understand what other
researchers have done in your area.
3. To broaden your perspectives and set your
work in context.
4. Direct personal experience can never be
enough.
5. To legitimate your arguments.
 Ten reasons for reading for research

6. It may cause you to change your mind.

7. Writers (and you will be one) need readers.
8. So that you can effectively criticize what
others have done.
9. To learn more about research methods and
their application in practice.
[Link] order to spot areas which have not been
researched.
 Reading at different stages and for different
purposes
Stages:
• at the beginning of your research,
– in order to check what other research has been done, to focus your
ideas, shape your hypotheses and explore the context for your
project;
• during your research,
– to keep you interested and up to date with developments, to help
you better understand the methods you are using and the field you
are researching, and as a source of data;
• after your research,
– to see what impact your own work has had and to help you develop
ideas for further research projects.
 Reading at different stages and for different
purposes
Purposes:
• accounts of research on similar topics to your
own;
• accounts of research methods being applied in
ways which are similar to your own plans;
• accounts of the context relating to your project;
• to protect against duplication and enrich your
arguments.
Coping with the research literature
• The volume of literature.
– The amount of material written on most subjects is
already huge, and expanding at an ever increasing rate.
How does the researcher get to grips with this?
• The variety of literature.
– There are so many kinds of literature (e.g. textbooks,
journals, magazines, newspapers, policy documents,
academic papers, conference papers, Internet materials,
internal reports, novels, etc.) which may be relevant.
How does the researcher use this range of sources?
Coping with the research literature
• Lack of boundaries.
– Unless a project is very tightly defined, it may be impossible
to judge which areas of the literature are relevant. How
does the researcher avoid reading too widely or aimlessly?
• Conflicting arguments.
– As soon as you start reading, you are likely to be confronted
by different opinions, arguments and interpretations. It may
seem that no two writers agree about even the most basic
issues. How does the researcher assess these arguments,
and place themselves within them?
 Basic reading strategies
• where to read;
• what to read;
• whom to read;
• how to find what you need to read.
 Where to read
• Library
• Ebooks &
Internet
• Bookshops
• Colleagues
sources
 What to read
• books:
– of all kinds;
• journals:
– local, national and international, home and overseas,
practitioner-oriented or research-based, popular and
academic, and abstracting journals;
• reports:
– produced by institutions or organizations of different kinds,
including employers, representative associations, political
parties, trades unions, voluntary bodies, community groups,
central and local government, and international bodies;
 What to read
• popular media:
– the daily and weekly press, magazines, radio and television
broadcasts;
• computer-based materials:
– an increasingly important source, which may include both textbook
and journal materials as well as discussion groups and websites.
• memos, minutes, internal reports:
– produced by organizations you are studying, or which are relevant
to your research topic.
• letters, diaries:
– and other personal documents produced by individuals of interest.
 types of material for reading (1)
• Published and unpublished literature.
– Much that is of relevance to your research,
perhaps because it is a relatively new field, may
not be published. Unpublished material (e.g.
committee minutes), though more difficult to
access as an outsider, may be of critical
importance to your research.
 types of material for
reading (2)
• Contemporary and classic
works.
– While it is important to be as
up-to-date as possible, this does
not mean that you should
ignore older materials. There
may be key classic texts in your
discipline which you should
refer to. Or you may find that
much the same issues which
you are addressing have been
tackled by others quite some
time ago.
 types of material for reading (3)
• Introductory and overview texts.
– All disciplines have produced one or more basic
texts which summarize the development and
current state of thinking. Typically designed for
sixth form or undergraduate audiences, these
texts can be very useful means for reading quickly
into a new or unfamiliar subject area, or for
refreshing your understanding.
 types of material for reading (4)
• Edited collections and literature reviews.
– These may also be of particular use to you when
starting your research, particularly if they have been
recently published. Edited collections, including those
published by the Open University as course materials,
can be an excellent introduction to a given topic.
Literature reviews may be invaluable as well, but do
not place too much reliance on their opinions or
selection. Wherever possible, refer to the original
materials as well so that you can form your own views.
 types of material for reading (5)
• Methodological and confessional accounts.
– In addition to reading books and papers which
relate directly to the issues you are researching,
you should also consider reading material on the
approaches, techniques and methods you are
using in your research project. These may focus on
the methods themselves or on other peoples’
experience of applying them. More guidance on
this is given in the section on Reading about
method as well as subject later in this chapter.
 Whom to read
• Faced with a bookshelf containing 20 or 30 books on the
same topic, or decades of dozens of journals,
– be very difficult to decide where to start.
– choose one volume at random, or (perhaps) selecting the most
recent book written and published ?
• It is important to be aware of whom you are reading,
– where they are coming from,
– how authoritative a voice they have, and
– what their motivations in writing might be.
– your aim: to read a range of views, exploring both the founding
thinkers or the great names of your field and the diversity of current
opinions.
 Whom to read
• Remember!! :
– everybody is capable of being mistaken in their opinions or
interpretations.
– the purpose of research writing: to stimulate further thinking.
• get plenty of guidance on whom to read, at least to start with:
– from your supervisor, manager, colleagues or fellow researchers.
– Some of the kinds of sources mentioned above, particularly literature
reviews, are also excellent places to go for suggestions on who to read.
– As you read more and more literature, you will begin to build up a view
of the most quoted or cited authors, and the classic texts; but you
should also follow your own hunches and seek out less read materials.
 Eight stages for finding what you need to
read
1. Take advice from available sources: your supervisor, manager,
fellow researchers or students.
2. Locate books, journals or other materials that appear relevant
by asking advice, browsing around, or using a library catalogue
or Internet search engine (see the following two sections on
Using libraries and Using the Internet for further advice). You
will find that keyword searches can be particularly useful.
3. Once you have identified relevant shelf or Internet locations,
look at other materials there which are relevant to your topic.
4. Once you have identified relevant journals – in print or online –
look through recent issues to find the most up-to-date writing
on your topic.
 Eight stages for finding what you need to
read
5. Read outwards from your original sources by following up
interesting looking references.
6. Identify key texts by noting those that are referred to
again and again. Make sure that you read the most
popular or relevant of these. Seek out the latest editions.
7. As you develop a feeling for the literature relevant to your
field, try and ensure that you have some understanding,
and have done some reading within, its different areas.
8. Use the time and resources you have available to do as
much pertinent reading as possible.