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CONF 101: Conflict and Our World

Resources to assist with research assignments in CONF 101.

Research Methodology Resources

Research methodology is a discussion of the methods used in your research. It includes the reason behind the methods used in the research, the theoretical concepts informing the selection of the methods, and a literature review about the methods other scholars have used when studying the topic. Locate information by searching the name of the method or theoretical framework (survey, interviews, positivism, hermeneutics, etc).

Literature Review Resources

A literature review is an analysis of the ongoing conversation on a topic, question, or issue. A strong literature review organizes existing contributions to a conversation into categories or "threads." For each category or thread, a literature review might highlight particularly interesting books or articles, then briefly cite or mention other instances

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review answers questions like:

  • What is the current state of the literature/research on your topic?
  • What are the major contributions to the study of your topic? What do they say?
  • What are the "threads," themes, or categories in the conversations about your topic? Do you find any of these particularly valuable? Why?
  • What are the major disagreements or debates on this topic? Are there any areas of consensus?
  • Do you see anything missing or otherwise problematic in the literature?

 

Recommended reading: Jeffrey W. Knopf (2006). Doing a Literature Review. PS: Political Science & Politics, 39 (01):127-132. doi: 10.1017/S1049096506060264