Literature Review

12 Key excerpts on "Literature Review"

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  eBook - PDF

  Research Methods in Information

  • Alison Jane Pickard(Author)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Facet Publishing

    (Publisher)

  A Literature Review is a critical discussion of all significant, publicly available literature that contributes to the understanding of a subject. In order to produce a Literature Review you must carry out a search of all the appropriate bibliographic sources in order to ensure that no significant documents have been missed. From the retrieved literature you must record each item’s existence uniquely, appraise each item in terms of its contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject of the search, and synthesize all of the literature located into an account of the research on which your project is built. This will convey a sense of the research data available, the validity of the methods you used to gather that data, the currency of your findings, the ideas and theories which have been formulated by previous researchers, any gaps in current knowledge and the predicted contribution of your own impending work. A Literature Review is a written document that presents a logically argued case founded on a comprehensive understanding of the current state of knowledge about a topic of study. This case establishes a convincing thesis to answer a studies question. (Machi and McEvoy, 2009, 4) Machi and McEvoy define six steps in the Literature Review process: topic selection; literature search; developing an argument; literature survey; critique; write (Machi and McEvoy, 2009). I would argue that all of these stages can be covered by the four-stage approach presented here but I would also highly recommend referring to this text, as it provides an excellent guide to the Literature Review process. The ‘advanced’ Literature Review discussed by Machi and McEvoy is much more suited to a research project that consists entirely of a review of the current state of knowledge within a topic area rather than the Literature Review which usually precedes empirical data collection.

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  Research Methods for Business and Management

  a guide to writing your dissertation

  • Kevin D O'Gorman, Robert MacIntosh(Authors)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Goodfellow Publishers

    (Publisher)

  3 The Literature Review Norin Arshed and Mike Danson Being able to establish what is known about a subject area, and by association what is not yet known, is an important skill for students, researchers and practicing managers alike. In academic circles this is referred to as reviewing literature, and allows you to understand the current state in a subject area, to relate this to the ongoing research, and to identify gaps in this knowledge. A Literature Review may resolve a debate, estab-lish the need for additional research, and define a topic of inquiry. This chapter concen-trates on establishing and understanding the purpose of the Literature Review and the steps involved in undertaking a comprehensive Literature Review. The purpose of the Literature Review The purpose of a Literature Review is simple: it is to educate oneself in the topic area and to understand the literature before shaping an argument or justification. A Literature Review is “an important chapter in the thesis, where its purpose is to provide the background to and justification for the research undertaken” (Bruce, 1994, p. 218). The writer “extracts and synthesises the main points, issues, findings and research methods which emerge from a critical review of the readings” (Nunan, 1992, p. 217) to build a “coherent argument which leads to the description of a proposed study” (Rudestam and Newton, 2007, p. 63). Over the years, numerous types of Literature Reviews have emerged, but the four main types are traditional or narrative, systematic, meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. The primary purpose of a traditional or narrative Literature Review is to analyse and summarise a body of literature. This is achieved by presenting a comprehensive background of the literature within the interested topic to highlight new research streams, identify gaps or recognise inconsistencies. This type of Literature Review can help in refining, focussing and shaping research questions as well as

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  Social Research Methods

  For Students and Scholars of Theology and Religious Studies

  • Joshua Iyadurai(Author)
  • 2023(Publication Date)
  • Marina Centre for interdisciplinary Studies in Religion

    (Publisher)

  A Literature Review gives an overview of your topic, surveys the current knowledge to locate your research, and justifies the need for your study. Researchers do two types of Literature Reviews: systematic Literature Reviews and narrative Literature Reviews. Established scholars do a systematic Literature Review as stand-alone projects to find solutions through rigorous analysis and synthesis of many studies. This is not done as the background for a research project. But a narrative Literature Review is a discussion of related studies on the topic that is done as a background for a research project. It is “an examination of theory and research relating to your field of interest that outlines what is already known and that frames and justifies your research question(s)” (Bryman 2016, 91). You will do a narrative Literature Review for your project based on social research.

  Before discussing what a Literature Review is, let us be clear about what a Literature Review is not. A Literature Review is not a series of brief descriptions of each study on a topic: this is known as an annotated bibliography. It is not a collection of studies that support your point of view (Efron and Ravid 2019) or a compilation of all studies related to the topic.

  A Literature Review does identify relevant theories, models, concepts, and themes from the literature and engage them critically to set the stage for research. By reviewing the literature “you identify the theories and previous research which have influenced your choice of the research topic and the methodology you are choosing to adopt” (Ridley 2012, 3). A Literature Review for Sara Efrat Efron and Ruth Ravid (2019, 2) is “a systematic examination of the scholarly literature about one’s topic. It critically analyzes, evaluates, and synthesizes research findings, theories, and practices by scholars and researchers that are related to an area of focus.” A Literature Review, according to Helen Aveyard (2014, 2), is “the comprehensive study and interpretation of literature that relates to a particular topic.” The essence of a Literature Review is “to synthesise sources into a coherent, integrated whole: a meaningful picture that gives the reader a broad and deep understanding of the issues that dominate the topic. It should reveal where the picture is unclear, where parts are missing and where there are gaps that need to be filled” (Greetham 2021, 123). Thus, the literature you assess, and the Literature Review you write are vital to show the contribution of your study.

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  Successful Dissertations

  The Complete Guide for Education, Childhood and Early Childhood Studies Students

  • Caron Carter(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Bloomsbury Academic

    (Publisher)

  From doing your Literature Review you should become knowledgeable in the topic area, not just in terms of facts but in terms of the methodological approaches commonly used in that particular field and the impact of previous studies on practice and policy. A Literature Review is not simply a sequence of short commentaries on each piece of literature that you have read as this would constitute more of a book catalogue or annotated bibliography rather than a Literature Review. Instead what you are trying to create is a themed discussion of your topic which sets the context and elaborates on key issues by drawing on the literature available. It should summarize the views of others in the field certainly; Literature Reviews do involve giving information and pulling together what the different sources say, but they do more than just this. A good Literature Review will also organize this information into themes or subtopics so that the content of different materials can be compared or considered together. A good Literature Review should raise relevant questions and place your own study within the wider context. This involves synthesizing the literature to develop a coherent discussion about the subject and identifying key debates and critical issues within the area. A good Literature Review will also critique some of the sources that it draws on in terms of their significance or their validity. In the majority of dissertations involving some firsthand data collection much of the Literature Review is completed before the data is gathered but in projects where a grounded-theory approach is used the Literature Review is carried out later on as part of the data (Punch, 2014). You may also be asked to produce a limited review of key literature as part of a research proposal to show that your research question has been informed by the literature and that you understand your topic.

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  Research, Evaluation and Audit

  Key steps in demonstrating your value

  • Maria J. Grant, Barbara Sen, Hannah Spring, Maria J. Grant, Barbara Sen, Hannah Spring(Authors)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • Facet Publishing

    (Publisher)

  A Literature Review can form part of a larger piece of work (e.g. a research proposal, or the introduction section of an academic paper or dissertation), be a piece of work in its own right (e.g. a book chapter or review paper) or a research methodology in its own right (e.g. a systematic review). The extent of how far Literature Reviews have developed in the library and information sector is demonstrated by Grant and Booth (2009). In a typology of reviews they used a framework to examine the methodology of reviews and identified 14 types of review. Key differences between three of the most common types of review can be seen in Table 6.1. Although there are many different types of review, their underlying purpose is the same, to set the project in context, justify the project approach and give credibility to the project findings. Before starting a Literature Review it is useful to read similar types of 82 PART 2 DOING RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND AUDIT Figure 6.1 Concept map defining topic prior to literature search reviews around the topic area or sector to get an understanding of the structure for your Literature Review. This is particularly important if you are thinking of submitting your work to a journal, in which case scan recent reviews within the journal you are thinking of submitting to. The journal may even provide guidelines for writing up the review. Critiquing your literature search Reviewing or critiquing your search strategy as well as the results retrieved is crucial in identifying errors that may impact on the accuracy of the search (McGowan, Sampson and Lefebvre, 2010) and result in the exclusion of MADEN REVIEWING THE LITERATURE 83 Table 6.1 Selection of commonly used review methodologies (taken from Grant and Booth, 2009, 91–108) Label Description Search Appraisal Synthesis Analysis Literature Review Generic term: published materials that provide examination of recent or current literature.

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  In-Service Training and Development of Technical Libraries

  • Kokate, Rajendra G(Authors)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Daya Publishing House

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 2 Review of Literature Introduction A review of literature is very much essential in conducting the new research. The reviews of past study is the guideline for researcher, it shows the limitation of the study and the considerable views on latest development. The main functions of review of literature are to determine t -hat work both theoretical and empirical, which has been previously done, should assist in delineation of problem area. The review of literature provides a source or research ideas, gives an orientation to what is already known, helps to develop a conceptual frame, indicates as assessment of feasibility and provides information on the research approach to be used. Literature search plays a very important role in research activities, as it form the very frst step of research pursuit. It provides a basis for conceptual framework; insights into methods and procedures suggest operational defnitions of major concepts and also provide a basic for interpretations and fndings. The study of related literature implies locating, reading and evaluating reports of research as well as reports of casual observation and opinion that are related to plan research project. Van Dalen (1963) “The review of educational research gives you an excellent overview of the work that has been done in the feld and This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. helps to keep with recent developments. It helps to move further in the right direction”. According to Best and Kahn (1986) “Since effective research is based upon past knowledge, review of related literature helps to eliminate the duplication of what has been done and provide useful hypothesis and suggestions for signifcant investigation. It is valuable guide to indenting problem, recognizing the signifcance, suggesting and premising data gather devices, appropriate study of design and source of data.

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  Student Research and Report Writing

  From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper

  • Gabe T. Wang, Keumjae Park(Authors)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Wiley-Blackwell

    (Publisher)

  Student Research and Report Writing: From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper, First Edition. Gabe T. Wang and Keumjae Park. © and Published 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Reviewing the Literature 59 What Is a Literature Review? When you read journal articles on your topic, you will find a section, usually in the beginning, describing theoretical frameworks and previous research findings about the research topic. This is the Literature Review section. The Literature Review section is the space where researchers show how their studies are connected to previous knowl- edge on the topic. The literature refers to all previous research done on a specific topic, including theoretical analyses and empirical research findings on the topic. Reviewing means you will read, summarize, assess, and synthesize the literature to build a foun- dation for your research. Reviewing the literature involves looking over published papers, reading, and evaluating them. It is more than merely summarizing the find- ings of previous research; it also involves critical reflection, grouping similar studies, and relating them to other groups of research. When writing Literature Review, you provide your readers with an organized overview of the existing studies on the topic and your critical evaluation of the state of the field of study. Ultimately, the purpose of reviewing the literature is to identify questions or areas in need of more research. One of the most challenging tasks in your Literature Review process is to decide what to include and what to exclude in your Literature Review. In order to write a good Literature Review, you need to pay attention to two things. First, you need a clear idea about your topic, your research questions, and the concepts included in your inquiry. Second, you will carefully skim through the abstracts and outlines of each reference, and select the studies you should include in your review.

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  Research Recipes for Midwives

  • Caroline J. Hollins Martin(Author)
  • 2023(Publication Date)
  • Wiley-Blackwell

    (Publisher)

  For example, a Literature Review is compiled of a viewing of primary studies and may follow the method (recipe) of a scoping review, narrative review, systematic review, or meta-analysis. A Literature Review is a summary of available research (primary research) on a given topic that compares studies based on design and methods. It summarizes the findings of each paper and points out selected aspects (e.g. low participant numbers) or confounding variables that may have been overlooked by the primary author. Analysis and Discussions of the Findings and Conclusions of Pertinent Literature Typically, there are three questions to ask about a given piece of research. a. Is the study relevant to the question/topic? b. What are the conclusions? c. How well do the findings carry over to settings of interest? It is helpful to look at the abstract as it summarizes the entire project. Ask whether the findings appear as though there is value to the paper’s overall findings. Look at the tables and figures along with the study results. Consider how well the results relate to other studies on the topic of interest. Read the literature section of each paper and see how they link to the intended study. 3.7.13 CRITIQUING MODELS MAY BE USED TO ANALYSE PRIMARY PAPERS Critiquing models are often used by researchers. These are guidelines which facilitate the reader to make sense of a paper.

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  Research Skills for Teachers

  From research question to research design

  • Beverley Moriarty(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  4 Understanding and completing a Literature Review

  hThis chapter will help you to:

  • locate and read evidence-based research articles and other literature relating to your topic, problem, broad research question and draft research question/s
  • develop a conceptual framework, write a critical Literature Review and reassess your research questions.

  The ideal time to start working intensively on your Literature Review is after you decide on a topic and a problem and learn how to draft one or two research questions in your area of interest before making decisions about your research design and your methods of data collection. Your draft research question/s will guide your search for evidence-based research articles on your topic and what you find out from your Literature Review will help you to refine the focus of your study, your specific research question/s and how you wish to conduct your study.

  Research design The broad approach or framework employed to investigate or explore a topic or problem and the research question. Research designs can be quantitative (for example, experiments) or qualitative, or use mixed methods (combining quantitative and qualitative). Evidencebased research articles may explicitly identify the design used in the study–for example, a case study or a longitudinal study.

  Literature Review The central purpose of a Literature Review is to find out what is already known about a specific area of interest and how we know (the design and methods used in previous studies), what still needs to be discovered and how the research builds on previous research or fits into part of a gap left by previous research. The Literature Review leads into the research question/s guiding the study.

  The central purpose of a Literature Review is to find out:

  • what is already known about your specific area of interest and how we know (the design and methods used in previous studies). This includes identifying the different approaches that have been used to investigate the topic of interest.

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  Doing Business Research

  A Guide to Theory and Practice

  • Nick Lee, Ian Lings, Author(Authors)
  • 2008(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  It’s important to realise that the Literature Review should have its own value and intellectual contribution to your research project. As I have already stated, simply listing something does not provide anything that the reader could not do themselves, if they could be bothered. You need to provide some kind of added value to the literature, which proves you know the field, as well as have added something. I find that considering the Literature Review as another component of your theoretical contribution really helps you clarify what you need to do. There are two main ways which a Literature Review could contribute to our existing knowledge. First is by organising the wide-ranging body of literature in such a way that new perspectives are given, leading to your own research questions. Second is by synthesising and drawing from the literature to create a new and original theory about your topic area. I’ll discuss both of these as the chapter moves on.

   

  Figure 4.2   A mind map of literature

  Note: References are fictitious  

  Structuring your Literature Review

  Rather than simply listing works that have been conducted in your research area, as shown in IDE 4.4 , your Literature Review should be structured around your thesis or research question. The literature should be evaluated and its contribution to your research identified. You will need to consolidate this literature into meaningful ‘themes’, explaining what is known and what is not, what is controversial and what has already been identified as interesting areas for future research. You will then need to synthesise all this into a new/advanced/modified theory, which I’ll discuss in Chapter 5 .

  Chronological structure: For some studies, organising your Literature Review chronologically is an appropriate structure. Such chronological Literature Reviews may be useful if you wish to explore the evolution of a particular theory or body of knowledge. Typically though, a purely chorological structure to your Literature Review is not appropriate. It is more commonly used to structure sections of the Literature Review that are organised along other lines. An example of a chronological structure is given in Table 4.2

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  Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology

  • Aparna Raghvan(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Society Publishing

    (Publisher)

  134 Chapter Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology 108 The Literature Review is an important aspect of review and evaluation. The importance of the Literature Review in the fields of education and psychology along with the different types of the research literature, literature search strategies, and the various types of the Literature Review has been explained. The components of the Literature Review, importance of critical evaluation and the stages of the evaluation in Literature Review were described. The structure of the Literature Review, issues to consider while writing Literature Review and ways to organize literature have been explained in detail. This chapter provides a comprehensive understanding about Literature Review in research and evaluation. 5.1. INTRODUCTION An empirical research report which is written in the style of the American Psychological Association (APA) generally comprises the written Literature Review about a document. There is need to understand the importance of the Literature Review within a research process because of several reasons and some of these processes are mentioned below and they are: • Review of literature facilitates in conversion of a research idea into an interesting research question. • Literature Review facilitates in understanding the research question which has been answered. • The importance and fascination that is surrounding a research question can be assessed with the help of Literature Review. • The review of literature would provide ideas to develop and design a research study. • The study of several published research articles would provide information regarding the relevance of the study with respect to the research literature (Figure 5.1). Literature Review in Research and Evaluation 109 Figure 5.1. Illustration of book. Source: Image by Pixabay. 5.2. TYPES OF RESEARCH LITERATURE The research literature refers to the research that is conducted in that field and published in the journals.

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  Writing the Literature Review

  A Practical Guide

  • Sara Efrat Efron, Ruth Ravid(Authors)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • The Guilford Press

    (Publisher)

  The goal is not to come up with conclusions but rather reach a tentative theoretical or conceptual level of understanding. Additionally, the emphasis is not on evaluating the quality of the findings but rather on exploring their significance to the field. Personal reflection of the Literature Review writers is encouraged. (For more information, see Barnett-Page & Thomas, 2009; Lockwood & Pearson, 2013; Silverman, 2015; Walsh & Downe, 2005.) As an example of a meta-synthesis we present the thesis work of Sara, one of our master’s-level students (Box 2A.5, p. 36). BOX 2A.4. An Example of an Integrative Literature Review Drawing on current theories, the author first presents an integrated model of meaning making. This model distinguishes between the constructs of global and situational meaning and between “meaning-making efforts” and “meaning made,” and it elaborates subconstructs within these constructs. Using this model, the author reviews the empirical research regarding meaning in the context of adjustment to stressful events, outlining what has been established to date and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current empirical work. Results suggest that theory on meaning and meaning making has developed apace, but empirical research has failed to keep up with these developments, creating a significant gap between the rich but abstract theories and empirical tests of them. Given current empirical findings, some aspects of the meaning-making model appear to be well supported but others are not, and the quality of meaning-making efforts and meanings made may be at least as important as their quantity. This article concludes with specific suggestions for future research. Source: Park (2010, p. 257). 36 WRITING THE LITER ATURE RE VIE W Critical Interpretation Synthesis Review Critical interpretation synthesis review is rooted in the tradition of qualitative research and is oriented mostly toward generating theory.

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