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Literature review and research

Preparing your research

Reflect on the subject

All research should be preceded by careful preparation to optimize your time and your search results. Before using the various research tools, take a few moments to reflect on your subject or research question. 

Ask yourself questions

Ask yourself questions about the aspects to be studied, the groups of people involved, the importance of the geographical context or the period to be considered.

Answer the following questions clearly and in your own words :

  • What? One aspect in particular? What are the components of the question?
  • Why? Why is this important? What are the implications? Why should we care?
  • Who? A specific group of individuals or companies?
  • When? A specific period or era?
  • Where? A geographical context? A particular region? A country?
  • How? An approach or point of view to consider (historical, sociological, economic, statistical, legal, ethical)? 
Formulate

Following this exercise, state your information needs in the form of a title or short sentence.

  • Use meaningful, precise words.
Synthesize into a concept map

Before you begin using databases, create a concept map.

Example

What is the impact of climate change on businesses?

  • What? climate change and businesses
  • Why? Environmental risks? Corporate reputation? Carbon footprint? 
  • Who? Customers? Suppliers? Citizens and social groups?
  • When? In the past 10 years
  • Where? North America? OECD countries?
  • How? Social, economic, or environmental perspective? 
Identifier les concepts et la terminologie

Le plan de concepts permet ensuite de réfléchir sur les idées importantes à retenir pour la recherche. Pour chacun de vos concepts, trouvez des mots-clés, des synonymes ou des termes reliés. Des antonymes ou termes opposés peuvent aussi être utilisés (ex. santé OU maladie). Pensez également à la traduction de vos mots-clés.

Au besoin, consultez les dictionnaires, les encyclopédies et les manuels de la bibliothèque pour vous familiariser avec votre sujet et le vocabulaire associé.

Élaborer le plan de concepts

À l'étape Définir son besoin d'information, vous avez formulé une question précisant votre besoin d'information. Ressortez les concepts importants et disposez-les dans un tableau puis, s'il y a lieu, ajoutez vos mots-clés.

Chaque concept occupe une colonne; les mots-clés, synonymes et termes reliés seront ajoutés dans les lignes de la colonne du concept auquel ils se rapportent.

Vous devriez avoir en moyenne 3 concepts, plus de 5 vous risquez de perdre de l'information pertinente.

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3
Synonyme Synonyme Synonyme
Synonyme Synonyme Synonyme
Terme relié Terme relié Terme relié
Exemple

Rappel de la question : Quel est l'impact du changement climatique sur les entreprises ?

changement climatique entreprises
réchauffement climatique compagnies
réchauffement planétaire corporations
crise climatique  

Pensez à la traduction si vous souhaitez effectuer vos recherches dans plusieurs langues : 

climate change companies
global warming enterprises
global heating corporations
climate crisis businesses
Conseils pour le plan de concepts 

Évitez d'utiliser des mots tels que « effet », « cause », « conséquence », « impact », etc. dans vos concepts. Ce sont des termes vides de sens pour une recherche.

Faites une copie du plan pour l'adapter selon chaque banque de données ou moteur de recherche utilisé.

Gardez de la souplesse lors de vos recherches. La recherche est un processus itératif donc prenez la peine d'analyser vos résultats afin de constater s'ils répondent réellement à votre besoin d'information.

  • N'hésitez pas à modifier votre plan de concepts si vous constatez que certains mots-clés ne sont pas adéquats.
  • Il se peut également qu'en analysant vos résultats de recherche, vous identifiez de nouveaux mots-clés utilisés dans la littérature qu'il serait pertinent d'intégrer à votre requête de recherche (synonymes, termes reliés). 

Si vous effectuez vos recherches dans une banque de données qui contient un thesaurus, prenez la peine de le consulter. 

Vocabulaire contrôlé [...] de termes ayant entre eux des relations sémantiques et génériques, et qui s'applique à un domaine particulier de la connaissance. (Grand dictionnaire terminologique, 2004)

Donc, pour une idée donnée, un terme normalisé est utilisé, peu importe le vocabulaire utilisé par l'auteur.

Exemple tiré du thesaurus de Proquest :

Lexique du thesaurus : 

  • Utiliser le terme pour : indique que le terme du thesaurus est préféré à un autre pour une recherche plus précise
  • Termes associés : ce sont des mots ou des expressions en relation avec le terme recherché
  • Termes génériques : sont des concepts plus larges englobant le terme recherché

Les mots-clés provenant du thesaurus se retrouvent dans le champ « Sujet » des métadonnées : 

Quelques banques de données qui ont un thesaurus :

Search operators

AND / ET

Used to refine the search by combining ideas and concepts (keywords).

  • climate change AND business

OR / OU

Used to broaden searches by linking keywords associated with the same idea (synonyms, related terms, translated terms).

  • businesses OR companies
NOT / SAUF

Used to exclude a keyword from search results

  • companies NOT SMEs

Boolean operators are often used in English (depending on the language of the database) and must be written in uppercase.

Used to combine ideas and concepts (keywords) by limiting the number of words between two keywords or ideas.

Bidirectional 
  • PROX/n / NEAR/n - ''n'' represents the maximum number of words between the two keywords. Proximity finds terms in any order.
    • companies PROX/5 multinationals
Unidirectional
  • ADJ/n / PRE/n - n represents the maximum number of words between the two keywords. Adjacency respects order.
    • climate ADJ/2 change

*Check the database search help section. Not all databases support proximity operators, and the way they are written may vary from one database to another. 

Quotation marks "..."

Used to search for an exact phrase or expression

  • "climate change"
Truncation * 

Used to find the root of a word and its various endings

  • environment* = environments, environmental(s), environmental
Parentheses (...) 

Used to prioritize part of the query

  • climate AND (companies OR enterprises)
Example

Reminder of the question:  What is the impact of climate change on businesses?

Concept 1 : climate change

((climate* OR environment*) PROX/3 (change* OR warming OR crisis))

Concept 2 : businesses

(business* OR compan* OR corporation*)

Concept 1 AND Concept 2

((climate* OR environment*) PROX/3 ​​​​​​​(change* OR warming OR crisis)) AND (business* OR compan* OR corporation*)

Narrowing your search

Limiting document types

Databases often allow search results to be filtered by document type.

  • The different types of documents meet specific needs and objectives. They must therefore be adapted to the research context, the different phases of the research process and the target audience. 
  • This allows you to target your search more effectively, eliminating irrelevant documents.
  • Types of documents (examples) : 
    • Scientific articles (scholarly journals)
    • Professional articles (trade journals)
    • Conference proceedings (conference papers)
    • Case studies
    • Theses and dissertations
    • Reports
    • Etc.
  • In the case of scientific articles, consider filtering with the “peer-reviewed” criterion to find articles that have been evaluated by experts in the field before publication, thus guaranteeing their scientific rigor and reliability.
Scientific articles, professional papers, grey literature - how do you tell them apart?

Scientific article : 

  • Main objective: to present research results and advance knowledge
  • Rigorous research methodology (analyses, conceptual framework, in-depth literature review)
  • Standard structure: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion
  • References: exhaustive list of bibliographic references to verify the validity of the data presented.
  • Target audience: researchers, academics, industry experts

Professional article : 

  • Main objective: to share practical information, advice and useful analyses in a specific field (not necessarily to make new discoveries).
  • Methodology is generally less detailed
  • More flexible approach to structure (not standardized)
  • References: generally less exhaustive list, with more emphasis on practical relevance than in-depth research
  • Broader audience (professionals, interested parties, etc.)

Grey literature : 

  • Main focus: practical and technical guidance (reports, manuals, guides, theses, conference proceedings, etc.)
  • Methodology varies considerably depending on the type of publication
  • Structure varies according to document type, less standardized
  • References: less formal aspect, depends on type of publication
  • Wide-ranging target audience (researchers, professionals, government decision-makers, etc.)
Theses & Dissertations
They may deal with recent topics that have not yet made their way into the scientific literature. 
 
To be considered : 
  • Their format differs from that of scientific articles;
  • Accessibility is restricted to specialized establishments or databases;
  • Standards may vary from one academic institution to another; 
  • They also serve to train researchers.

Sources of theses & dissertations : 

Once you have defined your information needs, you will have situated your search within a framework with certain limits. Databases generally allow you to filter results according to these limits. Here are a few examples: 

  • Peer-reviewed (for scientific articles);
  • Date of publication;
  • Geographic location;
  • Title of publication (journal);
  • Subject;
  • Language of full text;
  • Etc.

Selecting your search tools

Choosing different sources of information helps to diversify perspectives and ensure exhaustive, rigorous coverage of the subject. Your knowledge of the subject can also guide your choice of tools to begin your research.

Encyclopedias
  • Provide comprehensive definitions, explanations and overviews of a field's concepts, theories and practices.
  • Can be used as a starting point for a deeper understanding of subjects.
  • Consult the list of encyclopedias available.
Specialized books
  • Often offer an in-depth perspective on the concepts, strategies and practices of a field.
  • Consult the Sofia shared catalogue to find a book.
Trade association websites 
  • Offers up-to-date resources, best practices, case studies and information from the professional world.
  • Provides insight into current trends, challenges and best practices.
  • Consult our subject guides for suggestions of professional association websites. 
Government agency websites
  • Provide domain-specific statistics, reports and regulations;
  • Provides an understanding of the economic, legal and regulatory context that influences the field.
  • Consult our subject guides for suggestions of government agency websites.
Databases
  • Offer exclusive access to scientific journal articles, theses, empirical research and other types of information (analyses, reports, digital books, laws, standards, statistics, etc.).
    • Reliability and quality of information 
    • Advanced search to optimize your search results
    • Centralized information (numerous journals in a specific field)
    • Export citations for easy writing and editing
    • Regular updates
  • Consult our subject guides for database suggestions by subject or field.

Logbook

Keep a record of your research as you go along. Record the following in table form: 

  • Date on which the search was carried out;
  • Database / search tool;
  • Query run (including operators and characteristics);
  • Key words used;
  • Number of results obtained;
  • Number of relevant documents;
  • Comments / remarks.

Your logbook will help you write the methodological part of your literature review, and allow you to adjust your queries more easily and without redundancy as you analyze the relevance of your results.

Evaluating information

Is your information relevant? Does it meet your information needs as defined at the outset of your preparation?

  • No - Analyze your results and modify your concept plan and limits. 
  • Yes - Evaluate the quality of the information.
5 criteria for evaluating your sources
  1. Reliability of the source
    • Article
    • Journal
    • Publisher
  2. Author reputation
    • Biographical details
    • Expertise in the field
    • Cited or not by other authors
  3. Objectivity of information
    • Author's intention
    • Nuanced language
    • The information is comparable to that found in other sources
    • Varied points of view
  4. Accuracy of information
    • References and bibliography
    • Corroboration by other sources possible
    • Clues that may cast doubt on the quality of the document
  5. Current news
    • Up-to-date information
Bibliometrics as an evaluation tool

Bibliometrics is a set of methods for the quantitative analysis of scientific activity, used in particular to measure the impact of the scientific output of a researcher, an institution, a research group or a journal. 

Examples of impact measurements :

  • Article : number of citations, average relative citations
  • Journal : impact factor, SCImago Journal Rank 
  • Author : h-index

Tools available at HEC :