PSC 202 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I. Dependent and Independent VariablesII. HypothesesIII. InferenceIV. Example: ideologyOutline of Current Lecture I. The literature reviewII. Literature Search StrategiesCurrent LectureI. The literature review- literature review (critical review essay): summarizes and evaluates a body of writings about a specific topic- helps researches identify articles from scholarly journals relevant to their topic area- summarizes major schools of thought and/ or findings in scholarly literature; identifies shortcomings in previous research; states how the paper’s research willadd to our knowledge- 2 key elements:1. should concisely summarize the findings or claims that have emerged from prior research efforts on a subject2. should reach a conclusion about how accurate and complete that knowledge is- several benefits1. can give you a general overview of a body of research with which you are not familiar2. can reveal what has already been done well so that you do not waste time3. can give you new ideas you can use in your own research4. can help you determine where there are problems or flaws in existing research5. can enable you to place your research in a larger context, so that you can show what new conclusions might result from your research- 3 contextsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.1. can be an end in and of itself2. can be a preliminary stage in a larger research project3. can be a component of a finished research project- can address either theoretical or practical questions; mostly theoretical in academic settings - step by step:1. identify and describe different schools of thought to answer your research question2. find most important scholars involved with each school3. determine which school of thought provides the best answer in your view II. Literature Search strategies- databases 1. JSTOR2. Web of Knowledge 3. ProQuest4. Google scholar- Search tips1. try variations on your search terms2. search your terms both individually and combined3. if necessary, search on more general or related concepts4. when you identify a key article, identify other articles that cite it- Write it up 1. find 4-6 scholarly works related to your topic. Give proper citations2. write a one paragraph summary/assessment for each