Some journals have "literature review" as a category for article submissions.  Most of my published work is fieldwork (qualitative research).  One of my most popular papers in terms of downloads is an analytic literature review dealing with the corporate culture literature.  One might argue that if one is analyzing documents, this is a form of content analysis and it could be quantitative or qualitative.  Most people I have seen who are doing an analytic literature review do not include a methods section showing how the research was done.  Based on what you wrote, I did not see any description of coding or any sort of quantification.  Some content analyses are positivist and quantitative in orientation and some are more inductive and qualitative.  Without some additional description, I do not feel I can say much more. Good luck, Bruce

Hi Hani, you may be conducting mixed methods research - which is partly qualitative and partly quantitative. Quantitative research involves collecting and analysing numerical data, qualitative research usually involves collecting and analysing textual data (i.e. words from documents, interviews, focus groups etc - though some researchers also use data in picture form, or sound, video etc). As Bruce Fortado says, some individual methods involve quantitative and qualitative elements, such as content analysis. Some research projects explicitly include both quantitative and qualitative elements, such as a drug trial which includes quantitative research such as measuring components of blood or tissue samples, and qualitative research such as asking patients about their symptoms, feelings, and experiences. I'm not entirely clear about your method from your description, but I can tell you that mixed methods research is perfectly acceptable. There are entire academic journals devoted to mixed methods research, such as the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches. If you are conducting mixed methods research, you may find it helpful to have a look at these. I wish you luck. Helen

Hey Bruce,

after looking at the literature to gather from them the information and the real causes for the error that I have. Next stage I need to work on computer to use software to be able to reduce the errors. for example; usually without using computer the error (A) will occur and in avg. we will have 50 errors (A).

by using a specific software we will be able to reduce 50 to 20 for example.

also when I am using that software at the end of the experiment I need to tell If it was useful (the software) how it help. overall the potential of the software.

so I am going to start my test on computer and see how many errors I have then trying to reduce that number of errors to see at the end how many errors will we have. and then taking about the capacity and what the software offered to me. (if that make sense).

so basically , according to u and Helena I have to conduct mixed methods.

about content analysis, if I conduct it that mean I need to summarize literature and trying link them together or it is like thinking critically and appending the evidence to my sentences?

thank you a lot I really appreciate the help.

and what about case study approach ?

It sounds like you may have an experimental design, which would be quantitative. For an experimental design, you introduce an intervention as an independent variable (in your case, using the computer) and then you analyze how that affects a dependent variable (in your case, error rate).

A mixed methods study would require that you also collect and analyze qualitative data in the form of open-ended interviews or observations. In other words, you would collect a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data -- but I do not see anything qualitative in what you have described so far.

Dear David,

let me correct that what I meant by errors is 'problems'

cause 1                                                problem 1

cause 2      ---------------------->          problem2   ------->  solve by computer

cause 3    (from literature review)       problem 3

some of those problems are obvious and some related to multiple causes so that I need to show the link between two or three causes then afterward I can mention the problem. (and I did that in my lit review).

so  that should be a qualitative, right ?

and then by using software there will be other qualitative data but also quantitative data will exist because I will show how may problems we have and then how many left after using the the software and also show that how many groups of problems I will create etc.

thank you a lot for your time. and waiting for your respond.

Can you possibly be more specific as to what "problem" you are addressing? especially if the problem you are talking about comes from the literature review and you are looking at a solution using a computer -- some specific program? ? 

From what you wrote, I agree with David, that you are using quantitative methods and again from your response and explanation to his writing.

If you are analyzing data from articles in a lit review and that data is numerical, then you are using quantitative methods.  If you are looking at qualitative data, that would reflect using words/language; then you would have to "convert" it in order to combine  it with any quantitative data.  Otherwise, you would have two different methods, so,  as mentioned, you are using  mixed methods.

Can you please tell why you think you may be using qualitative methods? I ask only because it is  difficult for me to understand how the difference between the two methods would not be clear before or once a researcher begins his/her work.  

Dear Mary,

okay the problem is the 'clash' and by using BIM you can detect those clashes before they occur in construction phase.

when i am going to use a software i need to come up with a method to organize all components of building in the model .. but special rule in the 'options' of the detection tool before run it in order to be able to prevent false clashes ... sometimes we have like 3 - 4 clashes in one specific point (and this case in most likely) therfore by orginzie something in the software we can consider those = 1 rather than 4, and so on.

from litureture review:

.. I addressed How BIM may contributes by its tools to reduce clashes

and I pointed out how clash (if occur)  causes rework/chance in design/  request for information ...  and what cause the clash, the lack of coordination and communication between different disciplines...

MY focuse on BIM which is going to solve or mitigate the coordination issue and clashes.

that is why I think that  I have mixed methods.

hope now everything is clear.

This extent of computer knowledge is beyond my own.  From, my research knowledge, I do not think you are using qualitative methods and did not understand why you think you are using these. and perhaps I misunderstood your original question regarding being unaware of whether you are using qualitative or quantitative. Perhaps, you can describe in detail, which is your quant and which is you qual method, as you understand the research methods.  Again, I doubt if you are using a qualitative method.

 I just meet my supervise, he told me no data should be collected from lit review it is just a lit review.

and because I am going to work on software to look at something and its variables ... so I should conduct a case  study approach.

Yes, you CAN use/collect data from a  lit review-- it's called a secondary analysis.  There are many studies entitled, "secondary analysis of ...." and that is exactly what these involve, data from a lit review.  Here's ad definition:

Secondary analysis involves the use of existing data, collected for the purposes of a prior study, in order to pursue a research interest which is distinct from that of the original work; this may be a new research question or an alternative perspective on the original question (Hinds, Vogel and Clarke-Steffen 1997, ...