Ing. E. K. Appiah-Adjei (PhD)Geological Engineering Department

KNUST, Kumasi

LECTURE #3

GED 504: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

LITERATURE REVIEW

It is, simply, a review of the state of development orknowledge in the area of the study subject

Basically about reviewing what others have done in thearea of the research topic or theme

Involves reading and making notes from available standardbooks, refereed articles, reports, etc. (plus verbalcommunication from known experts in subject area)

Effectively, it is searching for information to supporteverything you do in your research (i.e. to justify themethods and analysis for the research)

The information from the literature review is used to spiceyour story as you defend your methodology and analyses

2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Importance of Literature Review

1. It prevents one from duplicating work done already

2. It increases one’s knowledge of the research problem andmay assist in refining the "statement of the problem"

3. It gives one the confidence to clearly understand why aresearch project is needed

4. It enables one to be familiar with different research methodsand select appropriate methods for a study

5. It provides insights on communication of research findings3

LITERATURE REVIEW

Sources of Literature Information

1. Opinions and Beliefs of Key Persons, Experts, etc.

2. Published Information (in books, journals, proceedings, etc.)

3. Unpublished Documents (in related fields, reports, etc.)

4. Organizational (Institutional) Databases

5. Online-based Literature Search using “search engines” like google scholar, Springer Open, Digital Commons Network, DOAJ, DOAB, Cite Seer, etc.

6. Libraries4

LITERATURE REVIEW

Sources of Information @ KNUST

1. College Library

2. Main KNUST Library

- General Section for Books and Other Materials

- ocl.knust.edu.gh (for access to many databases and journals; knust email and password needed for access)

- Access to Science Direct

- ir.knust.edu.gh (repository for graduate research reports; if full copy not available, use report number and title to obtain hard copy at the library)

- Turnitin software for checking plagiarism 5

LITERATURE REVIEW

After an exhaustive literature review, summarize the findingsand write a coherent discussion indicating the research gapthat supports the research or study

In a review write up, emphasis should be given to bothpositive and negative findings; avoid distortion of informationto suit your own study objectives, methods or analyses

Appropriate referencing procedure should always be followedin writing research reports

Many styles are available for citing references in the text andin their documentation; whichever style adopted must be usedconsistently in the write-up and documentation

6

LITERATURE REVIEW

The referencing and documentation for Thesis is specifiedin the guideline manual; styles for journals and others arealways specified (e.g. in “author guidelines”)

Information required for referencing include:

- Name of author(s) and year of publication

- Title of article, book or report (and thesis)

- If an article, journal or proceeding in which it is publishedand number of pages of the article

- If a book, publishers (and total number of pages)

- If thesis or report, type of thesis or report, name ofinstitution and its location (and total number of pages)

7

LITERATURE REVIEW

The format for reference documentation are:

1. Book

Kesse, G. O. (1985). The Mineral and Rock Resources of Ghana. Netherlands: AA Balkema Publishers.

Domenico, P. A. and Schwartz, F. W. (1998). Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology, 2nd edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Quagraine, V. (2011). Kumasi as a Garden City, In: K. K. Adarkwa (ed.), The future of the tree: Towards growth and development of Kumasi. Kumasi, KNUST Printing Press, pp. 14-34. (Book Chapter)

8

LITERATURE REVIEW

2. Journal Article

Appiah-Adjei, E. K., Shu, L. C., Adjei, K. A., Lu, C., and Deng,M. (2012). Interpretation of pumping test with a radial collectorwell using a reservoir model. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering– ASCE, Vol. 17(12): 1397 – 1407.

Nsiah E., Appiah-Adjei E. K. and Adjei, K. A. (2018).Hydrogeological delineation of groundwater potential zones inthe Nabogo basin, Ghana. Journal of African Earth Sciences,143: 1-9. doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2018.03.01

3. Article in Conference ProceedingAppiah-Adjei, E. K. and Allen, D. M. (2009). Impact of ClimateChange on Groundwater Recharge to Fractured-Rock Aquifers.In: Groundwater and Climate in Africa, ed. R. Taylor, C.Tindimugaya, M. Owor & M. Shamsudducha. IAHS Publication334: 210–218. 9

9

LITERATURE REVIEW

4. Dissertation/Thesis

Gyampo, M. A. (2019). Hydrogeochemical Evolution, QualityAppraisal and Risk Assessment of Shallow Aquifer I AtankwidiBasin of Ghana. PhD Dissertation, KNUST, Ghana.

Appiah-Adjei, E. K. (2006). Climate Change Impact on Groundwater Recharge in Gulf Islands. MSc Thesis, Lund University, Sweden.

5. Online Document

Cartwright, J. (2007). Weather Informatics. IOP Publishing PhysicsWeb. http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/11/6/16/1. Accessed on 26/06/07.

Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development, (2008). Climate Data for all the MMDAs in Ghana. Maks Publications & Media Services. http://www.Ghanadistricts.com/data12. Accessed on 15/10/2008.

10

LITERATURE REVIEW

Referencing Tools

- EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, RefWorks, etc.

- Mendeley…

11

LITERATURE REVIEW

Plagiarism is a serious offence; beware!

12

RESEARCH DESIGN (METHODOLOGY)

It is a logical structure that, systematically, guides theinvestigator on the various stages of the research

This is, basically, about designing the methodology thatwould be followed in achieving the research goal

The design should include description of experimental/studysite, equipment/tools/facilities, data sources/types/quality,statistical tools/equations/software for processing /analyses

- Appropriate methods of measurements must be chosen

- Determine the appropriate number of data points for eachtype of measurement; likewise the data range for a study

- Familiarize with equipment; calibrate when needed; andalways follow proper procedure to collect data

13

RESEARCH DESIGN (METHODOLOGY)

Various design types are available for research with specificadvantage/disadvantages; the type to use depend on:

1.Type of information one wants

2.Aims of the study

3.Nature of the phenomenon - is it feasible to collect the data, and if so, would it be valid/reliable?

4.How reliable should the information be?

5.The cost of the design

6. Is there little/much current theory/literature on the topic?

7. Is it ethical to conduct the study?14

RESEARCH DESIGN (METHODOLOGY)

Flow sheet for research design:

15

THANK YOU

16