research methods in tourism nicos rodosthenous phd 07/03/2013 5 7/3/2013dr nicos rodosthenous1

RESEARCH METHODS IN TOURISMNicos Rodosthenous PhD

07/03/20135

7/3/2013 Dr Nicos Rodosthenous 1

Reviewing the literature

1. Introduction : the aim of this chapter is to explain the importance, for any research project, of reviewing previous research and being aware of existing writing –the literature-on a topic.•It sets out the mechanics of compiling bibliographies and recording bibliographical references for research purposes.•The primary aim is not just to add to knowledge but to use research to assist directly in the solution of policy, planning, strategy or management problems.



2. The roles of the literature in research.The entire basis of the researchSource of ideas on topics for researchSource of information on research already done by othersSource of methodological or theoretical ideasSource of comparison between your research and that of othersSource of information that is an integral or supportive part of the research-i.e. statistical data on the study area population



3. The value of bibliographies : helping to consolidate the “state of art” and saving other researchers valuable time and trouble in searching for material.3.1. Searching : Source of informationLibrary catalogues: modern libraries have computerised catalogues which are accessed via terminals within the library and from remote locations via the Internet.Published bibliographies: libraries have a separate section for bibliographies published in hard copy and can be found on the Internet.



Published indexes and electronic databases: such indexes are in CD-ROM format or being made available on the Internet.

The Internet: Internet has rapidly become a significant and global source of information for researchers. i.e. For the World Tourism Organization the address is: www.world-tourism.org/publications/



General leisure and tourism publications: the researcher should be aware of publications on specific activities or aspects of leisure and tourism. For example in the area of leisure:

Driver et al. (1991) Benefits of LeisureIn the area of tourism:Leiper (1995) Tourism Management Reference lists: to identify material at the

beginning of any research, it will be an on-going exercise through the course of the project which willd to useful material.



Beyond leisure and tourism: many researchers fail to look beyond immediate leisure or tourism material. For example, if the research involves the study of leisure or tourism markets, then general marketing journals may be useful sources.

Obtaining copies of material: if material is not available in a library it can be obtained from inter-library loan service, or with the provision of a photocopy. Copies of complete articles can also be downloaded from the Internet.



4.Compiling and maintaining a bibliography It involves record keeping using a database

program with store key-words. Hours of time and efforts can be saved and

details can be recorded accurately for future reference.

4.1. Reviewing the literature The review of the literature can play a number

of roles in a research project as follows:



4.1.a) Inclusive bibliography: Seeks to identify everything that has been

published on a particular topic. Such bibliography will be a significant

achievement in itself, and becomes a resource in the future by others.( e.g. books, articles, reports)

b) Inclusive/evaluative review: literature analysis is a common variation and involves a quantitative analysis of temporal trends.



• c) Exploratory review: seeks to discover existing research which might throw light on a specific research question or issue.

• d) Instrumental review: it s a management issue and the literature is used as a source of suitable ideas.

• e) Content analysis and hermeneutics: are techniques which involve detailed analysis of the content of a certain body of literature.



• f) Reading critically and creatively: involves with how the conclusions arrived and what is not known as it is to determine what is known.

• A number of questions may be asked as follows:



5. Referencing the literature 5.1. The purpose of referencing :1) the report

is related to existing body of knowledge 2) enable the reader to check sources.

Recording references: a number of standard or conventional formats exist for recording references to the literature.

The general format recommended for recording references is shown below:



In some systems the date is put at the end. When using the Harvard system the date should follow the author name.

Note that the publisher of the book is not the same as the printer of the book.

Internet references are becoming very common and one of the problems is that some sources disappear or their website address (URL) changes over time.



Internet reference should include all the details which apply to hard copy items, the website URL and the date of accessed.

5.2.Referencing systems. There are two common used systems: the author/date system, sometimes referred to as the Harvard system and the footnote or endnote system.



Specifics and quotations: when referring to specific points, page references should be noted.

When quoting directly from a source, page references should also be given.i.e. Aitchison(2003:135-58)

Advantages and disadvantages The system has the disadvantage not to

incorporate footnotes or endnotes. The advantages of the author/date system is to



• save the effort of keeping track of footnote or endnote numbers. It indicates the date of publication to the reader, the details and alphabetical list of references at the end of the document.

Footnote or endnote system. Basic features: the footnote style involves the use

of numbered references in the text and a list of corresponding numbered references at the foot of the page.



• Most word-processing packages offer this feature automatically by computer.

• Publishers generally place the notes all together at the end of the chapter or book.

Multiple references: it should never write a reference in full more than once in a document, but making reference back to previous footnotes.



Advantages and disadvantages of the footnote/endnote system.

The footnote advantage is less obtrusive than the author/date system and can accommodate authors notes in addition to references to the literature.

Keeping track of footnotes or endnotes and their numbering is much less a disadvantage than it used to be, since this can now be made by computers.



Comparing the two systems: the features, advantages and disadvantages of the two systems, author/date and footnote/endnote are shown on the table below:



Secondhand references: secondhand references should be avoided and every effort is made to refer to the original source.

Excessive referencing : it becomes tiresome when repeated reference is made to the same source on every other line of the report.

Latin abbreviations: a number of Latin abbreviations are used in referencing:

et al. Is used for more than two authors of the a work, authors name and et al.



• op. cit. : stands for the Latin opere citato, meaning in the work cited.

• ibid: if reference is made to the same work in consecutive footnotes, the ibid is sometimes used short of ibidem, meaning the same.


research methods in tourism nicos rodosthenous phd 07/03/2013 5 7/3/2013dr nicos rodosthenous1

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