Literature review and research design : a guide to effective research practice / Dave Harris.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Acknowledgements -- Part I : On research -- 1. Research philosophy -- A story about the world-your own version -- Fact, not fiction -- Uncertainty -- The community of researchers -- The research literature : a conversation among scholars -- Project 1 : what does research do for you? -- 2. Research practice -- Your vision, your purposes -- Allocation of resources -- Research design -- Defining the research question is a significant problem -- The problem of learning -- Use what you already know -- Writing and thinking -- Practice : writing is a skill to develop -- Rhetoric and persuading your community Cultivating confidence -- Finishing your projects -- Project 2 : the practice of research -- Part II : Reading literature -- 3. Attitude -- Reasons to read scholarly literature for research design -- Reasons to read 2 : personal purpose -- How to read : your attitude -- Heroes and villains -- Why is so much academic writing bad? -- Different definitions, different ideas -- Breaking down arguments -- Finding the sources for your own ideas -- Project 3 : being critical -- 4. Managing the literature -- Managing an entire discourse -- Practice : writing is a skill to develop -- Rhetoric and persuading your community -- Cultivating confidence -- Finishing your projects -- Project 2 : the practice of research -- Part II : Reading literature -- 3. Attitude -- Reasons to read scholarly literature for research design -- Reasons to read 2 : personal purpose -- How to read : your attitude -- Heroes and villains -- Why is so much academic writing bad? -- Different definitions, different ideas -- Breaking down arguments -- Finding the sources for your own ideas -- Project 3 : being critical -- 4. Managing the literature -- Managing an entire discourse -- Reviewing the literature -- Record keeping -- Using what you have read -- Finding and selecting literature -- Accept practical limits -- Seek efficiency : issues in selecting literature -- Iterative reading : from quick reviews toward deep reading -- First iteration : title and publication information -- Second iteration : abstract -- Third iteration : single sections -- Project 4 : managing the literature -- 5. Deep reading -- Direct models -- Motivation -- Audience -- Use of other literature -- Style and rhetorical models -- Questions : from concept to practical research -- Reading checklist/questionnaire -- Project 5 : deep reading -- Part III : Writing about literature -- 6. Writing with literature -- Write with purpose -- Drafts and feedback -- Target lengths -- Focal, contextual, and tangential materials -- Situating your work -- In conversation with heroes and villains -- Audience -- Focus on your own work -- Paraphrasing -- Project 6 : writing with literature -- 7. Writing a literature review -- What is a literature review? -- The purpose of a research background literature review -- Writing about search terms -- Voice -- How short can a literature review be? -- Start from the core, and work outward -- Writing a literature review-structural concerns -- Project 7 : writing a skeleton literature review -- Conclusion --Suggested readings -- Index.

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.

Dave Harris is a writing coach who helps authors develop productive writing practices, using principles from design methods, philosophy of science, and cognitive science. With Jean-Pierre Protzen, he is author of The Universe of Design (2010, Routledge), and, alone, author of Getting the Best of Your Dissertation (2015, Thought Clearing). Find him on the web at www.thoughtclearing.com.