EDCP 652 - Chapter 4 - Locating and Reviewing Related Literature

What does the ERIC Thesaurus provide?

A controlled vocabulary of key terms called descriptors

Which of the following describes what a researcher is doing when the results of many studies are statistically combined?

A meta-analysis

What is the difference between a refereed journal and a non-refereed journal?

A refereed journal uses external reviewers whereas a nonrefereed journal does not.

What is the advantage of using a metasearch engine?

A search is submitted to multiple search engines simultaneously

Which of the following is most likely found in a literature review?

A synthesis of the results from previous studies on the topic

Which of the following should a researcher NOT do when reviewing studies related to his research problem?

Assume an author is biased if he or she cites his or her own work

What is one advantage of an Internet subject directory over an Internet search engine?

Content has been reviewed and categorized by a person

A researcher identified drug testing and high school as two key terms. Which of the following phrases would result in the most refined literature search?

Drug testing and high schools

In order to locate literature related to a research problem, a researcher needs to identify the key terms related to the problem. Which of the following is often used to find appropriate words and phrases to conduct a literacy search?

ERIC Thesaurus

A researcher wanted to do a literature review on teaching calculator skills to students with special needs. Which of the following is a possible secondary source the researcher might use to find information on the topic?

Handbook of Special Education: Research and Practice

Which of the following is likely to have the most current statistics and governmental information?

Internet

Which of the following offers the least control of the quality of information?

Internet

Which of the following is a benefit of doing a literature review?

It can provide the researcher with long quotations from experts to use in the manuscript.

Which of the following best describes a meta-analysis?

It is a review that uses statistical methods to synthesize previous research.

Which of the following reflects the purpose of a literature matrix?

It provides a way to summarize important information on a research topic.

Which of the following is NOT a recommended step in conducting a literature review?

List all the publications that might have articles on the selected problem.

A researcher identified middle school and student achievement as two key terms for his literature search. Which of the following would produce the fewest references in a computerized ERIC search?

Middle schools and student achievement

What do primary sources of information provide to the researcher?

Original articles in which researchers communicate directly

Which of the following is analogous to reading a movie review?

Reading a secondary source

In which of the following search tools has the content of Internet resources been reviewed and organized by teams of editors who have knowledge of specific disciplines?

Subject directory

Which of the following is likely to contain primary sources of literature?

The Elementary School Journal

What is the advantage of using refereed journal articles rather than nonrefereed journal articles when conducting a literature search?

The articles in a refereed journal have been subjected to external review and nonrefereed journal articles have not.

Which of the following is a major disadvantage of using the Internet for educational research?

There is no standard vocabulary that facilitates a search.

Why are primary sources an important source of information to a researcher?

They provide original articles in which researchers communicate directly.

Which of the following reflects the general purpose of a literature review?

To relate previous research to the current problem

Which of the following is commonly used to find links to educational research news, grant opportunities, statistics, publications, and other federally supported centers?

ies.ed.gov