Technology to Support Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Literature Review

The review of literature surrounding a possible research topic or problem is a critical step in the research process.  "Only by becoming thoroughly familiar with prior research and theory can you hope to contribute something that others will build upon" (Merriam, 2000, p.31).  The literature review process serves to build a thorough knowledge base of the researcher on the topic, establish the problem or framework of the study, prove how the study will contribute to the professional community, lay the ground work for the study methodology, and become the basis to compare and contrast the findings of the research study (Creswell, 2003, p. 30; Merriam, 2000, p. 32; Hart, 1998, p. 27).  In summary, the literature review serves to integrate, synthesize, and critique important ideas and concepts on a particular topic. 
        Technology has made conducting a literature review significantly more effective in terms of information accessibility, collecting and organizing information, and the overall writing process.  The aspects of the literature review that are particularly supported by technology include, locating scholarly articles and research, communicating with experts or professionals in the area of the literature review, storing and organizing information and resources electronically, and finally, writing the review (Leedy, 2001, p. 20). 
        When reviewing the technologies available to facilitate a literature review, the common ones include word processing, brainstorming software, and perhaps a spreadsheet application to track and log the articles one has reviewed. However, while the literature review is a common aspect of most research, it is often overlooked as a form of qualitative research (di Gregorio, 2000, p.2).  The process of building an argument from a body of literature is very similar to the process of analyzing qualitative data as summarized in Table 2 (2000, p.2). 

Table 2

Comparison of Qualitative Data Analysis and Literature Review Processes

Although each researcher has their own system for managing the massive amounts of data generated through the literature review, technology can do much more to facilitate the literature review than just replace the old index card system. For example, applications such as NVivo provide analytic tools that support the analysis of the data or research, and enable the researcher to compare and link critical concepts throughout the review.  di Gregorio makes a compelling case that the a features of NVivo can be used to support the literature review process.  Figure 1 graphically represents the features of NVivo and their corresponding literature review process using Inspiration 6.0.

Figure 1. Correlation of NVivo tools and the literature review process (Funk, 2002).

Granted the concept of using a technology tool to facilitate the analysis required in the literature review may be creative, but again, the technology is not the brain.  In this case, di Gregorio suggests ways in which using the brain can engage in higher order thinking and critical analysis while using the technology to track and narrate the ideas. 
          Electronic databases offer global access to numerous peer reviewed articles, research studies, government and private industry reports from the researchers desktop. "Information retrieval has become the next frontier of scientific development for social and human science researchers" (Creswell, 2003, p. 36).   Having global access to research and scholarly articles enables the researcher to more easily access information, re-visit research studies on topics and make connections between findings that were not as available to previous researchers. 
            There are pros and cons to having easy access to such a wealth of information and resources.  Without a way to organize and manage the information the researcher can quickly become overwhelmed and confused. This is an area where technology tools really support the research process by enabling the researcher to manage the information and to keep electronic information electronic.  Although, printing remains human preference over digital review, it is important to establish ways to electronically organize the resources you find and ensure they are available later for more thorough examination.  The Internet offers a variety of tools that facilitate the management, archival and retrieval of electronic information.  Backflip.com and IkeepBookmarks.com are two such web-based tools for managing and organizing electronic information.  A review of Backflip.com details features of this application and outlines how it facilitates the literature review process.   
           The ability for researchers to communicate with other researchers, professionals and scholars world wide is facilitated by electronic mailing lists.  The Internet contains millions of topical electronic mailing lists commonly referred to as listservs.  For example, the QUAL-Software electronic mailing list is an excellent resource for discussing issues, news and the use of software for qualitative research.  Electronic mailing lists also provide access to other researchers or professionals who are share interests in a similar topic.  As a result, the researcher gets a variety of perspectives on a topic as well as access to possible participants or focus groups as the study progresses. 
            Finally, the current generation has fully adopted computer applications for word processing which is the industry standard to publishing, disseminating or exchanging scholarly work.  As a member of Generation X, I personally, could not imagine conducting business, teaching or researching without the use of technology. 

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References