Developing Study Skills and

Research Methods
Objectives:
Learn to review and critique scientific literature
Develop your presentation skills
Expand your understanding of research design
Gain a more advanced appreciation of data
analysis
Introduce you to different perspectives in
Exercise Science.


Assessment
Group Literature Review
Organise yourselves into groups of 4
Select an area of research that is of interest to you
Find and read relevant articles
Write a 1000 word literature review
Groups distribute your own grades.
Different types of papers
Primary literature
Secondary literature
Tertiary literature
Primary Literature
Research Papers
Case Studies
Conference Proceedings
Dissertations
Primary Literature
Research papers
Original data
First published record of the findings of an experiment of
series of experiments
Peer reviewed
Normally a group of authors
Primary Literature
Case studies
Medical/veterinary/psychology literature
Normally peer reviewed
Report the circumstances of a particular case
i.e. an unusual repair technique for a ruptured achilles
tendon
Primary Literature
Conference proceedings
Vary in length and quality!
Sometimes reviewed, sometimes not
Often preliminary data
Will often appear later in research paper form
Primary Literature
Dissertations
Undergraduate research (BSc, MSc, BEng or MEng)
Graduate research (MSc, MPhil, PhD)
University published
BSc all dissertation that achieve mark of 50% or above in
library
MPhil & PhD theses are examined and corrected
Secondary Literature
Review articles
Information about primary sources
Compilation or synthesis of ideas and data
Should be reasonably objective (although often arent)
Usually peer reviewed
Tertiary Literature
Textbooks present science theory rather than
contributing to it
Research Paper Structure
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
Abstract
Advertisement for the paper
Summary of paper
Reason for performing the study
Hypothesis
Important results
Implications of the findings
Introduction
Background to the study
Brief overview of the current state of the field
Citing other peoples work

The function of tendons can be classified into two
categories: tensile force transmission, and storage of
elastic strain energy during locomotion (Ker et al., 1988,
2000; Shadwick, 1990; Pollock and Shadwick, 1994).
(Maganaris and Paul, 2002)
Introduction
Background to the study
Brief overview of the current state of the field
Citing other peoples work
How the authors arrived at their research question
Why this is the most important question in the world!
HYPOTHESIS
Simple
Easily answered
Materials and Methods
Clear concise description of what they did
Often includes figure of experimental setup if appropriate
Subjects
Data collection what they were measuring and how
Analysis
Statistics

Methods should be clear enough to repeat the
experiment and give the same results
Results
What they found
Visual representation of the data
Graphs
Tables
Good figure legends
Description of their results - no
discussion of the implications


Discussion
Interpretation of the results
How they relate to previous research
Implication and/or applications of the findings
How supplement A might improve endurance
How knowledge of the forces at the knee during a cutting
manoeuvre might be used to reduce injury risk
Future directions for research
References
Expansion of the citations in the text
Record of the authors, title and journal where the
papers were published
Critically important to avoid plagiarism must
include the sources of all information that is other
peoples intellectual property
Two citation methods
Harvard System
Numeric System
Individual journals will request specific methods
References
Harvard System
Cite references in the text by giving authors surname(s)
and year of publication.
The function of tendons can be classified into two categories:
tensile force transmission, and storage of elastic strain energy
during locomotion (Ker et al., 1988, 2000; Shadwick, 1990;
Pollock and Shadwick, 1994).

References
Harvard System
Cite references in the text by giving authors surname(s)
and year of publication.
The function of tendons can be classified into two categories: tensile force
transmission, and storage of elastic strain energy during locomotion (Ker et
al., 1988, 2000; Shadwick, 1990; Pollock and Shadwick, 1994).
(Maganaris and Paul, 2002)
Reference list alphabetical order
Ker, R.F., Alexander, R.McN. and Bennet, M.B. 1988. Why are
mammalian tendons so thick? Journal of Zoology, London
216, 309-324

Dont use capitals for authors names as in library guide to
referencing
References
Numeric System
Each citation is given a number in parentheses. These are
numbered according to where they appear in the text. First
reference is (1), second reference is (2) etc
However, excess tendon elongation leads to a partial or
complete tendon rupture (4), and the Achilles tendon is one of
the most frequently injured tendons in the human body (5)
(Muraoka et al., 2005)
Reference list listed in numerical order based on number
you have given each citation in the text.

4. Butler, D.L., Grood, E.S., Noyes, F.R.and Zernicke, R.F. 1978.
Biomechanics of ligaments and tendons. Exerc. Sport Sci.
Rev. 6, 125-181
References
Guide to Referencing

Scopus
Pubmed



What is a literature review?
Critical look at existing research relevant to
your question in order to
Identify the problem
Develop a hypothesis
Develop a method
It is NOT just a summary of a series of research
papers
You must evaluate the research papers and
show the relationships between different work
What is a literature review?
Approach it with the following questions
What do we already know in the area concerned?
What are the key concepts?
What are the existing theories?
What are the inconsistencies?
What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory
or too limited?
What views need to be tested further?
Selecting a topic
Real World vs Theoretical
Research at ICT or another institution
Controversial issues
Relevant to your topic
Review papers
Interesting!!!
Six Step Procedure
(Thomas and Nelson, 1996)
Problem statement
Consult secondary sources
Reviews ADDR, ACS, NATURE
Be wary of www sources
Evaluating Internet Sources
Is it someones personal page?
What type of domain does it come from?
academic, charity, industry, government
Who published the page?
What are the authors credentials?
Are sources documented?
When was it last updated?
Six Step Procedure
(Thomas and Nelson, 1996)
Problem statement
Consult secondary sources
Reviews
Be wary of www sources
Determine descriptors
Search terms
Search for primary sources
Read and record literature
Write literature review
Read and Record Literature
Hypothesis / Question
Methods
Subjects
Instruments/tests used
Testing procedures
Independent/dependent variables
Analysis
Findings and Conclusions
Critique of paper strengths/weaknesses
How to Write a Literature Review
Background
Introduce to topic to the reader
Make it interesting and easily understandable by
explaining it in plain language and relating to actual
or potential applications
Explain scientific principles underlying the topic
Define and justify the scope of the review i.e. your
question
How to Write a Literature Review
Critique of the Literature
Do not give a summary paper by paper
Deal with themes and try to draw together the results
from several papers into each theme.
Use sub-headings to identify your themes
Try and create a logical progression through the
subject/argument
Use what you have learnt about research design to
critically evaluate the results of the papers you are
discussing
How to Write a Literature Review
Tables and Figures
Tables can be a useful, concise way of summarising
the findings of a number of similar studies
You must cite the sources of the information
Use tables alongside your evaluation of the data in the
text, not instead of it
Figures and diagrams can be very useful to explain
important principles
Cite source of information
How to Write a Literature Review
Conclusions
Should be short and concise
What is your opinion
Further Research
Finish your review with some ideas for further
research that needs to be done in the area and why.
How to Write a Literature Review
References
As used in Journal of Sports Sciences
Names of author (s) and date of publication in the text
Full references listed in alphabetical order in the reference
list
Instructions on formatting references can be found IN
JOURNAL OR HOMEPAGE
Writing Style
Spelling, grammar and punctuation matter!
Use spell check
Ask someone to read your paper for you before
handing it in
Fonts and Symbols
Do not use stylised fonts
Many of the symbols needed for scientific
information can be found in insert-symbol
Normal text ( )
Mathematical operators ( )
Writing Style
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Keep to a minimum
Only use if full expression is excessively long or abbreviation
is in common use
Define the first time it is used
Use SI (Systeme Internationale) Units
km, m, cm, mm, m
kg, g, mg, g
L, ml
d, h, min, s, ms
C
mol
ms
-1
or m/s

Writing Style
Tables
Insert-Table in word
Units in column and row headings
Use a realistic number of significant figures
Include a legend which describes the table
Figures
Create figure in powerpoint of graphics software
Insert-picture from file
Create graphs in Excel or other graph drawing package
Paste into word
For this review paste figures into appropriate place in the text.
For publication figures should be separate
Writing Style
Use of Words
Be economical dont waffle
Be precise dont generalise, be specific if you can
Dont use however more than once in a paragraph
changing the direction of an argument twice in one
paragraph can confuse the reader
Dont use however too often
Thesaurus for synonyms
Keep technical terms to a minimum
Avoid colloquialisms such as steer clear of

Writing Style
Use of Words
Dont use long complicated sentences
Beware of tenses
When describing experiments and reporting results use past
tense
When discussing implications use present tense
Beware of singular and plural terms
Datum data
Medium media
Phenomenon phenomena

Writing Style
Flow of Ideas
Focus your thoughts by writing a plan/outline first
The first sentence of a paragraph usually sets the
topic for the paragraph
Check that you dont contradict yourself
Aim for simplicity!

READ YOUR WORK BEFORE YOU
HAND IT IN!!!

Preferably ask someone else to read it
too!