Grey literatureSecondary literature structureTertiary literature structure

Grey Literature

informally published written material not published commercially or is not

widely accessible. It may or may not be an important

source of information for researchers, because it tends to be original and recent reports)

Definition :The Fourth International Conference on

Grey Literature (GL '99) in Washington, DC, in October 1999 defined grey literature as follows:

"That which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers."

Classification scheme http://www.greynet.org/greysourceindex.html

00 - GENERAL, MULTIDISCIPLINARY01 - AERONAUTICS02 - AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHERIES, VETERINARY SCIENCES03 - ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, PROTECTION AND CONTROL04 - HUMANITIES (HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, ETC.)05 - SOCIAL SCIENCES (ECONOMICS, INFORMATION SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, ETC.)06 - BIOLOGICAL & MEDICAL SCIENCES07 - CHEMISTRY08 - EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES               09 - ELECTRONICS, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE10 - ENERGY & POWER11 - MATERIALS12 - MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES13 - MECHANICAL, INDUSTRIAL, CIVIL & MARINE ENGINEERING14 - METHODS & EQUIPMENT15 - MILITARY SCIENCES16 - MISSILE TECHNOLOGY17 - NAVIGATION, COMMUNICATION, DETECTION, COUNTERMEASURES18 - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - S&T (MULTIDISCIPLINARY)19 - ORDNANCE20 - PHYSICS21 - PROPULSION & FUELS22 - SPACE TECHNOLOGY

06  - BIOLOGICAL & MEDICAL SCIENCESBC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network http://www.bceohrn.ca/search/greylit/orgBELIT Bioethics Literature Database http://library.wustl.edu/databases/about/belit.html Bio-Ontologies Gray Literature http://bio-ontologies.knowledgeblog.org/bio-ontologies-gray-literatureBotany Resources; University of South Dakota http://libguides.usd.edu/content.php?pid=34244&sid=1450329British Lichen Society http://www.thebls.org.uk/content/survey.htmlCochrane Reviews http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/mr000010.htmlDuke University Medical Center Library http://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/greyliteratureETH Zurich: Plant Pathology http://www.path.ethz.ch/docs/grey Fade: The North West Grey Literature Service http://www.fade.nhs.uk Gray Literature in Health Research http://researchguides.dml.georgetown.edu/content.php?pid=352972&sid=2887419Grey Horizon, A Grey Literature Current Awareness Tool in Cancer Care http://grey-horizon.blogspot.nl/Grey Literature for Dentistry http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/dentistrygreylitGrey Literature in the Health Sciences http://guides.library.upenn.edu/healthgreylit?hs=aGrey Literature Report - New York Academy of Medicine http://www.nyam.org/library/pages/grey_literature_report

Secondary Sources & Secondary literature

Structure of critical review

Secondary Literature Secondary literature consists of interpretations and

evaluations that are derived from or refer to the primary

source /literature.

Examples include review articles (specifically meta-

analysis and systematic reviews) , critical review and

reference works.

Professionals within each discipline take the primary literature

and synthesize, generalize, and integrate new research.

What is Literature Reviewa literature review is literally—an

evaluation of a compilation of texts that have already been published on a particular topic or area By someone

General Structure of a Critical Review

Headings

Introduction

Main BodyCritique

SummaryConclusion

References

Heading /Title

Introduction1.The length of an introduction is usually one

paragraph for a journal article review and two or three paragraphs for a longer book 1review.

2.Include a few opening sentences that announce the author(s) and the title, and briefly explain the topic of the text.

3.Present the aim of the text and summarize the main finding or key argument.

4.Conclude the introduction with a brief statement of your evaluation of the text. This can be a positive or negative evaluation or, as is usually the case, a mixed response.

Main Body Two parts

Summary Critique

Summary• Briefing the whole review in small

paragraph• Present a summary of the key points along

with a limited number of examples.• You can also briefly explain the author’s

purpose/intentions throughout the text • The length of summary for a critical review

should only be about one quarter to one third of the whole critical review.

Generally two parts ◦summarizing and paraphasing 

Summarising and paraphrasing are essential skills for academic writing and in particular, the critical review.

Summarising

To summaries means to reduce a

text to its main points and its

most important ideas.

Paraphrasing means putting it into your own words.Paraphrasing offers an alternative to

using direct quotations in your summary (and the critique) and can be an efficient way to integrate your summary notes.

Critique

• The critique is a balanced discussion • evaluation of the strengths, weakness and

notable features of the text. I.e., positive and negative aspect

• Remember to base your discussion on specific criteria.

• Good reviews also include other sources to support your evaluation (remember to reference).

In long reviews( more than one page) can address each criteria you choose in

a paragraph, including both negative and positive points

For very short critical reviews (one page or less) where your comments will be briefer,

include a paragraph of positive aspects  and another paragraph for negative.

You can also include

recommendations for how the text

can be improved in terms of ideas,

research approach; theories or

frameworks used can also be included

in the critique section

Conclusion• This is usually a very short

concluding paragraph.• Restate your overall opinion of

the text.• Briefly present

recommendations.• If necessary some further

qualification or explanation of your judgment can be included.

• This can help your critique sound fair and reasonable.

References :If you have used other sources in you review you should also include a list of references at the end of the review.

[1] A Critical Review of Goodwin et al, 2000, 'Decision making in Singapore and Australia: the influence of culture on accountants’ ethical decisions', Accounting Research Journal, vol.13, no. 2, p 22-36.[2] Using Hofstede’s (1980, 1983 and 1991) and Hofstede and Bond’s (1988) five cultural dimensions, Goodwin et al (2000) conducted [3] a study on the influence of culture on ethical decision making between two groups of accountants from Australia and Singapore.[4] This research aimed to provide further evidence on the effect of cultural differences since results from previous research have been equivocal. [5] The study reveals that accountants from the two countries responded differently to ethical dilemmas in particular when the responses were measured using two of the five cultural dimensions. The result agreed with the prediction since considerable differences existed between these two dimensions in Australians and Singaporeans (Hofstede 1980, 1991). [6] However the results of the other dimensions provided less clear relationships as the two cultural groups differed only slightly on the dimensions. [7]To the extent that this research is exploratory, results of this study provide insights into the importance of recognizing cultural differences for firms and companies that operate in international settings. However several limitations must be considered in interpreting the study findings.

[8] In summary, it has to be admitted that the current study is [9] still far from being conclusive. [10]Further studies must be undertaken, better measures must be developed, and larger samples must be used to improve our understanding concerning the exact relationship between culture and decision making.[11] Despite some deficiencies in methodology,[12] to the extent that this research is exploratory i.e. trying to investigate an emerging issue, the study has provided some insights to account for culture in developing ethical standards across national borders.

[1] Title and bibliographic details of the text[2] Introduction[3] Reporting verbs[4] Presents the aim/purpose of the article and Key findings[5] Sentence themes focus on the text[6] Transition signals provide structure and coherence[7] Reviewer ’s judgement[8] Conclusion summarises reviewer’s judgement[9] Modality used to express certainty [10] Offers recommendations[11] Concessive clauses assist in expressing a mixed response[12] Qualifies reviewer’s judgement

Getting Started on Your Literature Review

• Chronological order• The 'Classic' studies order• Topical or thematic order• Inverted pyramid order

Possible ways of structuring a literature review

Chronological order

The discussion of the research /articles is ordered according

to an historical or developmental context.

The 'Classic' studies order

A discussion or outline of the major writings regarded as

significant in your area of study.

(Remember that in nearly all research there are 'benchmark'

studies or articles that should be acknowledged).

Topical or thematic order• The research is divided into sections representing the

categories or conceptual subjects for your topic.

• The discussion is organised into these categories or

subjects.

Inverted pyramid order• The literature review begins with a discussion of the related

literature from a broad perspective.

• It then deals with more and more specific or localised

studies which focus increasingly on the specific question at

hand.

Discussing & evaluating the literature• Critically examine the literature• critically examine the texts that relate to your research

question, rather than to just list what you have located. • must link the literature to your research question, • highlight the strengths, weaknesses and omissions of the

literature, providing a critique of the research. • Hence, the language used in a literature review is often

evaluative and demonstrates your perspectives of the literature in relation to your question.

• Make your 'voice' clear• Your 'voice', that is, your perspective, position or

standpoint, should be clearly identifiable • However, in the literature review because you are

writing about other people's work it is easy for your own 'voice' to be lost.

• It is important that, firstly, your theoretical position is clearly and strongly stated and that your critical evaluations are an integral part of this.

• Secondly, it is important that your language indicates your own or other writers' attitudes to the question or issue..

Tertiary Sources Are the compile or digest information from primary or

secondary sources that has become widely accepted.  They aim to provide a broad overview of a topic, or data,

already proven facts, and definitions, often presented in a convenient form.

They provide no new information.  These include “reference” types of works such as textbooks, encyclopedias, fact books, guides and handbooks, and computer databases such as Micromedex and Drugs Facts and Comparisons. 

(Sometimes review articles are placed in this category since the content is tertiary although the reference section is secondary.)

Thanks.