Literature Reviews, SOTA,

Citations, and References

EGR 386W

What is a Lit. Review?A critical synthesis of the research on a particular topic

Offers a summary of sources regarding a topic

Discusses the following:

What has been done?

What do we already know?

What needs to be done?

Synthesizing Research

Why Read/Write Lit. Reviews?

To understand the existing research on a topicTo stay up-to-date on current knowledgeTo offer information to readers with limited timeTo draw conclusions regarding the body of research itself

“Research shows strong evidence for the benefits of prescribed burns.”Research on prescribed burns focuses mostly on…but is lacking in the area of…”

To illuminate need for further research

State of the Art Lit. Reviews

Emphasizes most up-to-date research

Shows trends in most recent literature on a topicWhat has been tried before?What does recent research focus on?

Identify gaps in available technologies and solutions

May highlight the need for further research

Lit. Review SectionsAn Introduction

Identifies & explains the problem to be addressed

Describes problem using existing factsPrimary objective: Introduce the project purpose

A Background

Fully quantifies the problemLocates the project in time and spaceDescribes scope of design solution

Lit Review Sections (cont.)

A Conclusion

Readdresses the purpose statementExamines the following:

Your current understanding of the topicHow the available or lack of research on the topic has provided and affected the understanding of the topicWhether it is difficult to draw conclusions due to the research available

Research: ApproachSecondary sources as a starterUsing the reference section to identify primary sourcesUsing existing Literature Reviews

Get an idea of themesSearch “review” and topic on interest in Google Scholar

Avoid using secondary sources as main source of informationEstablishing credibility through sources

Depth and BreadthVariety

Why do we cite?To make yourself believable

To show your familiarity with the fieldTo convey authority To promote validity using the existing informationTo exhibit professionalism

To acknowledge intellectual propertyTo protect against plagiarism

What not to citeGeneral Knowledge

Well-Known SayingsNever use clichés

Obvious ConclusionsThe chief engineer stated, “It must have failed.”

Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

FormattingE.g., Margins, Font, Spacing, Page Numbers

OrganizationTable of ContentsList and Figures/List of TablesConsecutive Numbering of Parts

Tables, Figures, and IllustrationsIn-Text CitationsReferences or Bibliography

In-Text Citation Format

Preferred Acceptable

[1], [3], [5][1] - [5]

[1, 3, 5][1-5]

Citation FormatOrder

List the references by order the notes appear in the textIf a source is used more than once, list the first number as the endnoteDo NOT list a single work more than once in the references

FontsUse the same font and size as the rest of the document

No superscripting, which is default in MS WordE.g., 2nd ed. vs. 2nd ed.

References Listing Examples

BookR.J. Larsen and M.L. Marx, “An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics,” in Statistics, 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,1988.

Personal communicationR.N. Smith, General Motors Corporation, personal communication, Feb. 2007.

PatentJ.P. Wilkinson, “Nonlinear Resonant Circuit Devices,” U.S. Patent 3 624 124. July 16, 1990.

References Listing Examples

Journal articleD. Antanaitis et al., “Brake System and Subsystem Design Considerations for Race Track and High Energy Usage Based on Fade Limits,” SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars, Berlin, Germany. 2008, pp. 5 -18 doi: [2008-01-0817].

Magazine articleJ.R. Veen and J. Pan, “Standardized Test Procedures for Small Reverberation Room,” Sound and Vibration, vol. 5, pp.18-20, Dec, 2005.

References Listing Examples

Conference paperS. Otsuki et al., “Hydrocarbons Speciation of Automotive Emissions Using High Speed Gas Chromatography, Engineering Society Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition, Detroit, 1979, pp. 163-167.

Conference/Journal paper, no paper number or DOI (which is very common)

P. Saha et al., “Thoughts Behind Developing a Small Reverberation Room-Based Sound Absorption Test Method for the Automotive Industry,” in Noise Conference 2008, Chicago, 2008.

References Listing Examples

Electronic JournalT. Browning "Embedded visuals: Student design in web spaces," Kairos, [online] vol. 3, 1997.  Available: http://www.as.ttu.edu/kairos/2.1/features /browning/index. html.

Thesis and DissertationS. Birch, "Dolphin-human interaction effects : frequency mediated psychophysiological responses in biological systems," Ph.D. dissertation, Monash University, Clayton, Australia, 1997.

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

Use DOI at the end of a citation if source is not paginated

Created in 2000 to aid in finding technical articles on internet

Earlier papers will not have a DOI

To find the DOI associated with a reference, use the free search feature at http://www.crossref.org/guestquery/