Deck 4: Evaluating Introductions and Literature Reviews

Question 1

Which one of the following statements about the introduction and literature review portion of an article is INCORRECT?

A) As soon as possible at the beginning of the article, a specific problem the study focuses on should be outlined.
B) The importance of a research problem is determined by the reader's personal interest in it.
C) Introductions often use statistical information to establish the importance of a research problem.
D) If a study is based on a theory, the theory should be briefly described in the introduction.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

There are several ways for a researcher to establish the importance of a problem area. Which one is the weakest approach?

A) Providing statistics on the prevalence of the problem.
B) Citing prominent or influential authors.
C) Bringing up actions by governmental or professional bodies.
D) Citing anecdotal evidence or personal experience.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which one of the following types of research is most likely to be aligned with a theory?

A) Exploratory.
B) Descriptive.
C) Explanatory.
D) Evaluation.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which one of the following statements most adequately describes the situation with regard to theory in qualitative research?

A) Theory is not relevant for qualitative research.
B) Theory may not be described until the Results or Discussion section in qualitative research.
C) The way theory is used in qualitative research is highly subjective and thus cannot be evaluated.
D) None of the above statements are correct.

Question 5

Which one of the following statements about the structure of introduction and literature review is correct?

A) It should be moving from topic to topic.
B) It should be moving from citation to citation.
C) It should not be broken down into subsections.
D) It should not be discussing any specific sources in detail.

Question 6

Below are several statements about conceptual definitions. Which one is INCORRECT?

A) Researchers can cite other sources when providing a conceptual definition of a term.
B) Conceptual definitions should be provided for every single term used in the study.
C) Conceptual definitions should not be long but should be clear.
D) Conceptual definitions need not be provided for widespread and common terms.

Question 7

All of the following rules apply to introductions and literature reviews, EXCEPT:

A) If something is widely known and accepted, there is no need to cite the source of information.
B) When something seems to be a fact but is not well known, the source needs to be cited.
C) The study hypotheses should logically flow from the previous research reviewed in the study.
D) The research questions posed in the study should come with an element of surprise.