Auctora AI

summer research
Program
Week 01
 Title 01: How to Write a Literature Review

Title 02: Research Engines and Tools

Table of
content Title 03: Research Paper Reading Techniques

Title 04: How to Indentify Credible Resources

 Title 01:
How to Write
a
Literature Review
 What is a Literature Review?
A critical summary of existing research on a topic

Involves books, journal articles, theses, and other scholarly sources

Provides an overview of theories, methods, and gaps

Not just a summary—it analyzes and synthesizes information

There are five steps to writing a literature review:

1. Search for relevant literature

2. Evaluate Sources

3. Identify themes, debates, and gaps

4. Outline the Structure

5. Write your literature review

 Why is a Literature Review Important?
When you write a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, you will likely have to

conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge.

The literature review gives you a chance to:

Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context

Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research

Position your work concerning other researchers and theorists

Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of

the scholarly debates around your topic.

 Step 1 – Search for Relevant Literature
Define your research question (impact of social media on Gen Z's body

image)

Create a list of keywords and synonyms

Use databases: Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCO, PubMed, etc.

Apply Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search

Read abstracts to determine relevance

 Step 2 – Evaluate and Select Sources
Assess:

1. Research questions, theories, and methods

2. Results, conclusions, and credibility

Look for:

1. Landmark studies and influential authors

2. Strengths and weaknesses in methodology

Keep notes and create an annotated bibliography

Tip:

You can use Scribbr’s free APA citation generator or MLA citation generator to quickly create correct

and consistent citations. Want to check your literature review for plagiarism? Try Scribbr’s Plagiarism

Checker for students.

 Step 3 – Identify Themes, Debates & Gaps
Find patterns in methods or findings

Identify recurring themes and contradictions

Highlight pivotal publications

Spot what’s missing from current knowledge

Define how your research will fill the gap

 Step 4 – Outline Your Structure
Organizational Strategies:

Chronological: shows development over time

Thematic: group by recurring ideas or concepts
Methodological: compare qualitative vs. quantitative studies
Theoretical: focus on frameworks, theories, or models
Use subheadings and logical transitions

Tip:

AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used to brainstorm ideas and create an outline for your

literature review. However, trying to pass off AI-generated text as your own work is a serious offense.

This will be recognized by your university’s plagiarism checker or AI detector.

 Step 5 – Write the Literature Review
Structure:

Introduction: The introduction should establish the focus and purpose of

the literature review.

Body: Summarize and synthesize, Analyze and interpret, Critically evaluate,

and Write in well-structured paragraphs using transition words and topic

sentences

Conclusion: In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you
have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.
 Step 5 – Write the Literature Review
Tips:

If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate

your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly

context. You can emphasize the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have

focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been

much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

Be sure to show how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or

discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for

your research.
 Title 02:
Research Engines
&
Tools
 Research Engines
and Tools
Scholarly source: a work written by experts or researchers in a particular
academic or professional field, intended to advance knowledge and

understanding.

How to reach those sources?

research databases
The most effective and common method is to search within

To access those databases, you may need to use Research Engines and Tools
 Research Engines
and Tools
How and where should you look for your information?
Before beginning the search, we define what we’re looking for to guide our focus.

We begin by identifying the main terms from our research question, then expand

our search using synonyms and related words. We use Boolean operators like
AND, OR, and NOT to refine results. If needed, we adjust our keywords based on
what we find to improve search quality.

Rely on scholarly databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, or Scopus to

find peer-reviewed journal articles and studies. These platforms provide high-

quality, trustworthy sources.

 Research Engines
and Tools
Google Scholar is a free academic search engine that lets users search scholarly content

like articles, theses, books, abstracts, and patents from trusted sources (universities,

publishers, and repositories).

Results are ranked by citation count, author, and journal, just like academic

evaluations.

Assess the quality carefully because it includes both peer-reviewed and gray

literature

Export citations (APA, MLA, Chicago)

Note: Research continually opens up new questions. The key is to stay focused on your goal and
pursue only those inquiries that relate to your specific question.
 Research Engines
and Tools
AI tools in research:
AI tools use machine learning and natural language processing to support research tasks,
including finding and summarizing papers, analyzing data, and managing citations. AI tools

are time-consuming and are continually improving, analyzing large numbers of papers to

provide accurate answers to your questions.

AI tools suggestion:
Scispace

ChatGPT deep research

Grok deep research

Deepseek deep research

Elicit
 Title 03:
Research Paper
reading
techniques
 Skimming & Scanning –
Reading Techniques
Skimming and scanning are fast reading techniques that help you handle large

amounts of text efficiently. Skimming gives a general idea of the content, while

scanning helps you find specific facts or answers quickly.

Key Points:
Skimming = quick overview

Scanning = specific info search

Both use keywords and structure cues

Useful in studying and research

These techniques save time and improve reading efficiency when used purposefully
 Skimming – Reading
for the Big Picture
Skimming is reading quickly to grasp the general meaning of a text. It’s great for

previews, reviews, or deciding if a source is useful without reading every word.

How to Skim:
Read introductions and summaries

Focus on headings, bold words

Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph

Skip detailed examples

Skimming helps you understand the main ideas without getting stuck in the details
 Scanning – Searching
for Specific Info
Scanning is reading quickly to locate particular facts, like names, numbers, or

keywords. It’s ideal for answering questions or doing focused research.

How to Scan:
Choose one keyword or phrase

Let your eyes move rapidly

Pause when you spot your keyword

Read the nearby text to verify relevance

Scanning is like using your eyes as a search engine—fast and focused

 How to read a
research paper
self-study
 Title 04:
How to identify
credible sources
 How to Identify
Credible Resources
A credible source is free from bias and backed up with evidence
Sources categorization:
Sources are categorized into three types:

Primary sources: Direct evidence related to your topic (e.g., original data or firsthand

accounts).

Secondary sources: Interpret or analyze primary sources (e.g., academic books or

articles).

Tertiary sources: Summarize or compile information from primary and secondary

sources (e.g., encyclopedias or bibliographies). These are useful for background

reading but not usually cited in academic work.

 How to Identify
Credible Resources
The CRAAP test is a catchy acronym developed by California State University
to help students remember best practices for evaluating content

The 5 components of the CRAAP test

Currency: Is the source up-to-date?

Relevance: Is the source relevant to your research?
Authority: Where is the source published? Who is the author? Are they considered
reputable and trustworthy in their field?

Accuracy: Does evidence support the source? Are the claims cited correctly?
Purpose: What was the motive behind publishing this source?

The criteria for evaluating each point depend on your research topic
 How to Identify
Credible Resources
Peer review and gray litrature
Peer-reviewed sources are considered the most credible in academic research. These are
articles reviewed by experts in the field before publication, ensuring the information is

accurate, original, and high quality.

EX. Academic journals, conference papers, and scholarly books.

Gray literature includes materials not published through traditional academic channels,
like reports, government documents, or working papers. While not peer-reviewed, gray

literature can still be valuable, especially from trusted institutions,but it should be

evaluated carefully for accuracy and bias.

Q&A
Closing Remark
(Good Luck)