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EEE 598: Multimedia/Qos

Best library and internet resources plus literature searching techniques for your assignment.

How to Use This Guide

This guide demonstrates the process involved in doing a thorough literature review (or literature survey) and what is involved in each step.  Although designed specifically for this class, the information in this guide will be usefull for other graduate level classes and in the literature review that will be needed for your thesis or dissertation. 

TABs appear across the top of each page within this guide and are used to navigate among the guide's sections. 

  • Each section has a corresponding gray TAB that will turn to maroon when that page is displayed; several of the sections have subpages.  Subpages can be reached from the sections main page or by "mouse-ing over" the down arrow on the section's TAB . 
     
  • Each of the pages and sub-pages within the guide are composed of a header with two columns underneath; the left column will contain the section text while the right column will have the engineerng librarian's contact information.   

If you need assistance with any thing mentioned in this guide, please contact our AskaLibrarian service at https://askalibrarian.asu.edu

Table of Contents

What is a "Survey"?
What is a literature review or literature survey and why is it important?  The different types of literature reviews are described and examples are given. 

The Literature Review/Survey Process
The main page discuss why the thorough literature review is different from the personal types of information searches one does and even different from the types of written assignments required in undergraduate classes. This section includes the following sub-pages describing the steps within the process: 

  • Equip Your Tool Box
    As with any project, make sure you have all the necessary tools on hand before the real work begins.  These are the library and software tools you'll need for a literature review. 

  • What to Look For
    Your topic may be vaguely defined but this section will show you a technique for focusing on the essentials of your information need. Once you have defined what you're looking for, you'll be able to follow the process outlined in the "How Look for It" section.

  • Where to Look For It
    Information can be found in many places, in many formats and in varying quantities.  This section outlines the different types of information sources, what type/quantity of information is likely to be found there, and how to find the best places to look for this information. 

  • How to Look For It
    The overall technique, delineated step-by-step. 

Searching Techniques
Get better search results by taking control of the search interface.  Learn what special features many databases have and how you can use them to your advantage.

Keeping Current
You may have finished your literature review but that doesn't mean the world has stop publishing.  Use your time efficiently by letting the databases, journals and publishers alert you when new material in your area comes out. This section tells about the different features that make keeping current just a click away; subpages: 

 

Checklist
A handy checklist you can use for the steps in the process. 

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.