This assignment has two parts: the first is to work through readings for this phase of writing and secondly, you will write up a blog post with your thoughts and including documentation (screenshots, embed docs additional material) that you have created on. Though our writing for our work will be in academic form these posts in the blog should be reflective.

 

Tasks for Doing your research

  1. Using your search strategy created last week to collate a large number of resources. (a list of documents relating to your topic)
  2. Apply the 3 pass method(below) for evaluating each resource (highlight which stage you have reached with each doc)
  3. Use the Review Matrix you created last week to help you synthesize, analyze, evaluate, and summarize your sources as annotated bibliographies. This week you should aim for 4 annotated bibliographies For example look at this one-page guide. [Links to an external website] as well as this excellent resource [links to an external source]

Doing your research

Literature reviews develop critical appraisal skills, which require critical reading. Reading critically means you evaluate arguments and ideas presented in sources by considering evidence and logic, external influences or confounding variables, limitations, interpretation of facts, and the overall validity of the conclusions. Active reading and note-taking are two strategies you can use to encourage critical reading.

Active vs Passive

Active reading strategies help you read critically to extract important information from sources. Determine the purpose of your research and select an active reading strategy that complements your learning style.

      • uses techniques to engage critically with a text;
      • considers the source’s information, the author’s approach, and the source’s significance to your work while you are reading;
      • can be used throughout all stages of your reading to help you synthesize, analyze, and evaluate sources; and
      • forms evaluations that will be the foundations of your literature review.
      • is done without a critical mindset;
      • accepts all aspects of the source without questioning or consideration;
      • can be useful while simply seeking information to help you learn about a topic; and
      • builds your knowledge on a topic and directs your future reading

Reading Approaches

Literature reviews require a substantial amount of reading, so approaching each source methodically results in a thorough understanding of the content and saves time. One strategy for active reading is to break your reading into three steps (pre-reading, reading, and post-reading) that collectively allow you to quickly examine all aspects of each source.

PRE-READING
    1. Skim the title, subheadings, figures, table of contents, glossary, equations, index, keywords, and abstract.
    2. Ask yourself questions: What do you already know about the topic? What are the important details of the topic that you should be reading for? What could reasonably be expected about the study and its findings?
READING
    1. Underline main ideas/thesis/research questions.
    2. Summarize the text in margins instead of highlighting.
    3. Write questions in the margins.
    4. Make diagrams, flow charts, or outlines to represent the main ideas of paragraphs.
    5. Identify and define unfamiliar concepts.
    6. Summarize the main idea of paragraphs in your own words using one sentence.
    7. Identify confusing sections to return to after further reading.
    8. Outline the main arguments by explaining how they support the thesis.
    9. Determine the significance of conclusions.
POST-READING

    1. Write a short overall summary of the source, including your preliminary evaluation of it, as if describing it to a friend.
    2. Return to confusing sections after reading other sources for additional background information.
    3. Review your notes to ensure you have not missed valuable information.
    4. Ask and answer “so what”? after reading the source.

Reading Sources: the Three-Pass Method

A more structured active reading strategy, the Three-Pass Method, allows you to extract information from sources in a systematic manner. In addition to using active reading strategies, a consistent reading approach can help you extract information from sources while you read. For example, the three-pass method is one strategy that suggests reading each source three times. Use the Literature Review Matrix (PDF), which incorporates the three-pass method, to help you effectively read sources and record pertinent information.

Objective: Quick scan of the source to decide if you need to read again

Description
      1. Read title, abstract, and introduction
      2. Read headings and subheadings
      3. Look at tables, figures, and images
      4. Read conclusion
      5. Skim index, glossary, or references
After the Read-Through, You Should Be Able To…
      1. Categorize the source type (e.g., empirical, theoretical, qualitative, etc.)
      2. Give the theoretical context
      3. Assess the source’s credibility
      4. Describe the main contribution to the field
      5. Decide if you will use the source and read again

Objective: Read more details to grasp the content

Description
      1. Using the active reading strategies described above, engage with the source’s text*
      2. Carefully read figures, diagrams, images, and tables*
      3. Record relevant unread references for you to read later

*Note: Some articles may be better examined by switching steps 1 and 2.

After the Read-Through, You Should Be Able To…
      1. Grasp content of paper
      2. Summarize main findings
      3. Identify parts you don’t understand so you can do further reading
      4. Decide to do a third read through or not

 (RECOMMENDED FOR FULL COMPREHENSION)

Objective: Final read to fully understand the assumptions and validity of conclusions

Description
      1. Identify and challenge every assumption and conclusion made by the authors
      2. Identify issues with experimental or analytical procedures
      3. Consider what you would do differently as the researcher
      4. Record ideas for future work
After the Read-Through, You Should Be Able To…
      1. Reconstruct the study as if you were the researcher
      2. Identify strengths and weaknesses of ideas
      3. Identify missing citations to relevant work
      4. Identify inherent assumptions

ACTIVE NOTE-TAKING (ALSO KNOWN AS NOTE-MAKING)

  • answers questions
  • has a clear purpose (what you want to get out of a source)
  • seeks out connections, relationships, and processes
  • summarizes the text in your own words

PASSIVE NOTE-TAKING

  • is highlighting, underlining, copying and pasting quotations from sources
  • accepts all information as relevant

Blog

When you have completed this week’s reading work write up a blog post with your thoughts about what you have worked on. For the blog post, use “doing” in the title, with “Reading 03, Week 15 (3)” as the labels, and include at least one image (with image information). Here is the Declaration for Reading:

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: I have published & spent at least 3 hrs working on the reading tasks.
LENGTH. the reflective component of my post is a minimum of 200 words long.
PROJECT. All work in relation to this week’s tasks is shown (screenshots, copying, links to work…)
PROOFREADING. I have spell-checked and proofread the post.
IMAGE. My post contains at least one image with image information.
TITLE: I have included the words “Reading 03” in the title of the post.
LABEL: I have used “Week 15 (3)” as the label for the post.