Finding and compiling the research history carried out by reviewing and examining related texts is a basic preliminary and one of the first stages that is necessary to carry out many of researches including dissertations, researching projects and articles . The general aim of preparing and writing "Texts Review and Research History" is to determine what works have been done and published in the researcher's intended field and what area(s) need to be explored more...

The Difference Between Article’s Research History and Dissertation’s Research History

Compiling the review for a dissertation is different from an article. An academic dissertation and/or a research report is compiled incorporational, more comprehensively, more analytically or more critically. Whereas an article has a little space for analytical or critical analysis of the topic's history and this section should be prepared generally and briefly.

Identifying Resources Which Have to Be Reviewed

1- Referring to preliminary resources. Encyclopedias and detailed and basic scientific texts within the concerned field.

2- Referring to information recovery tools. Searching informational bases and professional abstracts.

            Note: It is better to search resources firstly that have text review and history.

3- Citation Index is another way of finding core works and key authors which makes the researcher's work so easy. Like: ISI, Scopus

4- Referring to experts, guiding and consultant professors

5- Referring to firsthand resources, such as :

         a.Researching projects reports.

         b.MA and PhD dissertations.

         c.Researching and scientific articles (especially articles based on researching projects and dissertations).

         d.Reviewarticles and resources. (Review articles, Annual review of …)

         e.Descriptive and analytic articles.

 Common Mistakes in Compiling the Research History

 1.Not defining the issue and its key concepts precisely.

2.Insouciance and haste in searching resources.

3.Over-the-top trust in secondary resources.

4.Emphasizing on researches' results and neglecting methods and tools.

5.Recording way too much information in note tabs.

6.Incorrect setting of the resource inventory.

7.Judging researches, methods, issues and results before understanding them correctly.

Criteria of Research History

To ensure about the quality of "Texts Review and the Research History" and its different aspects, there is a comprehensive inventory by which you can evaluate each of the references written in your research history More…

Read more:

        Why do we conclude: "My research has no history"?