STEPS TO A RESEARCH
PROPOSAL IN LEGAL STUDIES
T. BRETTEL DAWSON
Step 2: Relation to Existing
Knowledge
(builds on earlier item: Step 1
The Research Question)
Discussion
The Graduate Handbook outlines the role of the
statement of the ‘relation to existing knowledge’ as being to “demonstrate the
worthiness of the proposed research” and notes that “it should underpin the
statement of objectives”. At a minimum you need to be able to establish that
the research you propose to do hasn’t already been done and that it has
intellectual relevance in that it addresses “gaps or conflicts in present
knowledge or understanding.”
As
noted in the UNSW “Thesis
Proposals: A Brief Guide , “the review of the literature, together with the
following section on the theoretical orientation, will be the main substance of
the proposal and will lay the basis for your discussions of your methods and
your total research program.” See:
www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/thesis.html
This step
is also a continuation or part of ‘stating the research problem” – ideally, it will
be an integrated statement of the relation of the problem to the field: How
does the proposed research relate to existing knowledge in the area? What is
the academic justification for the question? What other work has been done in
the area? What are the open issues? … A sampling of important findings in
relevant studies and theory; a discussion of the literature that bears on your
questions, predictions and contentions.
As noted by the Learning
Connection, UNISA, “reviewing the literature is important in all stages of the
research process. Research does not occur in isolation - it is always conducted
in the context of what is already known about the topic and what still needs to
be known. Even though a literature search and review is often depicted as a
discrete step in the research process it is more usually a continuous process
throughout a project, with peaks
at the beginning and near the end of the project.” See, Learning Connection,
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/research/literature.asp
This is a very useful source and I
recommend reading it ‘from cover to cover’.
Obviously, it is unlikely that there will be
material specifically on your topic or approach but you need to be able to
locate your project in terms of the major theoretical traditions in the area of
inquiry, the major substantive research (findings or claims) in the area,
including the claims and assumptions made by others and the extent to which you
concur or differ. This literature discussion should help you to identify core
concepts and frameworks of reference for your research work and analytical
approach. Your purpose here is to talk
about ‘existing knowledge’ as it relates to, informs, suggests the need for the
research that you propose to undertake.
To assist in making this seem a bit more concrete,
I have gathered some discussions of the purpose and parameters of ‘the
literature review’. You might find it useful to ready a a very approachable chapter by Howard Becker
in Writing for Social Scientists, “Terrorized by the Literature”. I have also identified some useful web pages
for ‘further reading’.
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Extract
1: |
A crucial element of
all research degrees is the review of relevant literature. So important is this
chapter that its omission represents a void or absence of a major element in
research. There are good reasons for spending time and effort on a review of
the literature before embarking on a research project. These reasons
include:
As far as the literature review process goes, ultimately the goal
for students is to complete their review in the allocated time and to ensure
they can maintain currency in their field of study for the duration of their
research (Bruce 1990).
Extracted from:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php
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Extract 2: |
A literature review is where a
researcher “critically reviews the literature that is directly and indirectly
related to both the topic and the proposed strategy of conducting the research”
(DePoy & Gitlin, 1994, p.61). A key word in this definition is “critical”
in that the literature is not just reviewed and restated but it is reviewed,
summarised, and synthesised in the context of the proposed study. The
author of a good literature review interprets and organises the literature so
that it clarifies the problem, makes clear the relevance of the problem and
states what is presently known and not known about the problem.
The purpose of a literature review
is to determine the existing knowledge base around a particular topic or
practice area. In particular it aims to:
The
literature review does not simply:
· show that nothing has been written on the topic;
· show your awareness of the big names in the field;
· provide a summary of all the literature on the topic;
·
introduce the reader to a pre-given field of
research;
· occur at the beginning of the research process;
· occur once all relevant material has been searched and copied.
Structure:
Introduction to the Literature Review
- Content - what is covered
- Structure - how it is organised
- Boundaries - what is outside of its scope
The Body
of the Literature Review
Section 1
The most important topic of a key concept
- Discussed and evaluated
- Summarised and related to your research project
Section 2
The next most important topic of key concept
- Discussed and evaluated
- Summarised and related to your research project
Section 3 etc
Conclusion
- From each of the section summaries, highlight the most relevant points
- Relate these back to the need for your research
- Reiterate what these mean for the research design
Extracted
from: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/research/literature.asp
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Extract 3: |
Furthering knowledge in one's field is one important part of the
thesis process. Therefore, the review of the literature provides you with a
means of learning about what others have done and what remains to be done. It
is difficult to develop a viable research project that will contribute to
furthering knowledge without a thorough review of the literature. The
foundation of future work is built upon the literature. If you fail to develop
your foundation, your work is likely to be shallow and naive. In your proposal
you should demonstrate, through the literature review, that the research
project which you are proposing is an appropriate contribution to furthering
knowledge in the field. (Often tests of a theory or replicating previous
research will contribute to the knowledge base.)
When referred to as a "literature review," it is easy to
hold the narrow perception that the background section is limited to a
discussion of just the published reports of related work. Actually the whole
section should be a comprehensive analysis of precedence. You should present
the development of ideas, issues, and techniques that relate to your research
interest. The contrary views should also be acknowledged with an attempt to
show some for of resolution, if appropriate. Analysis of precedence is not
limited to just published literature, especially in a practice-based
profession. There are numerous executed works of planning and design that also
show precedent and trend that might indicate the response of practitioners to
issues germane to your interests.
Kenneth R. Brooks, LAR 898 Thesis Proposal Writing Syllabus, CONTENTS OF THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
http://larcp.arch.ksu.edu/brooks/thesis99/898prop.htm
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Extract 4: |
A review of the literature is a
classification and evaluation of what accredited scholars and researchers have
written on a topic, organized according to a guiding concept such as your
research objective, thesis, or the problem/issue you wish to address.
Your objective is not to rack up points by listing as
many articles as possible; rather,
you want to demonstrate your intellectual ability to recognize relevant information, and to synthesize and evaluate it according to the guiding concept you
have determined for yourself. Your reader not only wants to know what literature exists, but also your informed evaluation of the
literature. To meet both of these needs, you must employ two sets of skills:
A literature review is NOT just a summary, but a conceptually organized
synthesis of the results of your search. It must
Although we value "unbiased" scientific research, the truth
is that no author is free from outside influence, such as
The value of your review depends not simply on how many sources
you find, but also on your awareness of how these different levels of perspectives affect the way that research on
your topic is conducted, published, and read:
Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Review of Literature
Questions
to Ask Yourself About
Each Book or Article You're Reviewing
Further information (to explore)
Madsen,
pp 53, 62-64.reviewing
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/thesis.pdf
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/pdf/thesis.pdf
http://www.library.cqu.edu.au/litreviewpages/
xx
http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php