Advance Research Methodology Literature Review

Table of Contents
 Introduction ………………………………………………………….........03

 Purpose …………………………………………………………………………..04

 Importance ……………………………………………………………………04

 Literature Search ……………………………………………………….06

 Literature Review Process ………………………………………...07

 Literature Review Format ………………………………………….07

 Book Review …………………………………………………………………..09

o As a Teaching Tool ……………………………………………..09

o Text Books ……………………………………………………………10

o As Professional Work ………………………………………...10

 Literature Review Writing ……………………………………..…..11

 Literature Review Example …………………………………………15

 References …………………………………………………………..16

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Introduction

“A literature review is an appraising description of information found in the

literature associated to your chosen area of research. The literature review
illustrates, summarize, appraise and clarify the literature for which you are writing
literature review. It should give a hypothetical foundation for the research and
helps you establish the nature of your research. Unrelated works are removed
completely while the marginal ones are considered critically.  “

A literature review is a summary of previous research on a topic.  Literature

reviews can be either a part of a larger report of a research project, a thesis or a
bibliographic essay that is published separately in a scholarly journal. Some
questions to think about as you develop your literature review:

 What is known about the subject?

 Are there any gaps in the knowledge of the subject?
 Have areas of further study been identified by other researchers that you
may want to consider?
 Who are the significant research personalities in this area?
 Is there consensus about the topic?
 What aspects have generated significant debate on the topic?
 What methods or problems were identified by others studying in the field
and how might they impact your research?
 What is the most productive methodology for your research based on the
literature you have reviewed?
 What is the current status of research in this area?
 What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful to
you?

If the literature review is part of a Ph.D. dissertation, this review will be

comprehensive covering all research on the topic.  As part of your research report,
you need to cover the major work that has been done on the topic recently, but it
is not necessary to try to identify all research on the subject.

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Purpose of a Literature Review

The purpose of a literature review is to convey to the reader what knowledge and
ideas have been established on a topic and what are the strengths and
weaknesses.  The literature review allows the reader to be brought up to date
regarding the state of research in the field and familiarizes the reader with any
contrasting perspectives and viewpoints on the topic.  There are good reasons for
beginning a literature review before starting a research paper.  These reasons
include:

 To see what has and has not been investigated.

 To develop general explanation for observed variations in a behavior or
phenomenon.
 To identify potential relationships between concepts and to identify
researchable hypotheses.
 To learn how others have defined and measured key concepts.
 To identify data sources that other researches have used.
 To develop alternative research projects.
 To discover how a research project is related to the work of others.

Importance of Literature Review

Research is made in order to inform people with new knowledge or discovery.
However, it is not to be expected that everybody would willingly believe what you
are tackling in your whole research paper. Thus, what you can do to make your
research more credible will be to support them with other works which have
spoken about the same topic that you have for your research. This is where
literature review comes in.

You can even have literature sources in works such as stories, comments, project,
speech, article, novel, poem, essay, program, theory, and others. This is why
literature review involves scanning the pages of any published literature like books,
newspaper, magazine, website, webpage, collection, paper, pamphlet, and the like
where you may be able to find any reference to the same topic that you are

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researching on. This time, “literature’” does not exclusively refer to the poetic
rendition of words, like that of Shakespeare alone.

There are many reasons why literature review is rendered as a significant part of
any research or dissertation paper. You may ask what makes it as such if it is only
supposed to contain tidbits of other related works. Literature review is the part of
the paper where the researcher will be given the opportunity to strengthen your
paper for you will be citing what other reliable authors have said about your topic.
This will prove that you are not just writing about any random subject but that
many others have also poured their thoughts on the topic.

You may also ask what makes literature review a necessary part of the paper. This
question can be answered by trying not to include the review in your paper.
Obviously, it affects the length of your paper but this is not the noticeable part.
What would most certainly be lacking is the fact that your paper, without the
literature review, only contains all of your opinions about the facts that you have
discovered through your research. Thus, how can you further convince the readers,
in this case, the committee who will scrutinize your paper? This is the need that is
answered only by the literature review. By the mere fact that you are using
“referencing” by citing what more credible people had said about the topic will
build a stronger foundation for your paper.
With a literature review, you need to establish

A clear tie between the works that you have cited and the topic that you
are writing about. You should be able to justify the inclusion of a certain work in
your review so as to make everything that you have written useful. The more you
include useless points in your paper, the more that the committee will think that
you have not put in a lot of thinking into your paper.

Literature review is also unique from the rest of the paper. While you have to fill
most of the paper with your own analysis, in a literature review alone, you will have
to write purely about related works of other people.

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Literature Search
1. Developing a search strategy

 Defining the topic - In order to begin your literature review you must first
define your research question.  What is the purpose?  What does it mean? 
What are the key words?  Are there other words which could be used, such
as synonyms, variations in spelling?  What do you already know about the
topic?  What is the scope?  Do you need everything ever written in English
on this topic, or just the last ten years?

 Compiling a list of keywords - Before beginning a search for information,

it is important to develop a search strategy that will most effectively locate
useful, relevant information.  This will often involve breaking down an essay
or research question into:
Keywords or phrases; entering your search; and evaluating your results to
determine whether you need to employ  various strategies to broaden,
narrow or otherwise modify your research. 

                      Analyzing the topic of an essay question or research topic usually involves

making a list of keywords or phrases.  You will need to include all the key concepts
or ideas contained within the essay or research question.  It might be useful to
include alternative ways of phrasing and expressing concepts and ideas.  Think
about both general terms and very specific terms for broadening and narrowing
your search. The keyword or phrase is the basic unit of any search.  You may find it
helpful to consult subject dictionaries and encyclopedias, or a textbook glossary
for the common terminology of the subject area.  The use of an index and/or
thesaurus is also advisable to establish the useful terms.
                   
2. Identifying Resources - Information is available in a number of formats. 
It is important for you to understand the significance of various formats so
that you know what will best suit your information requirements.

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 Books
 Reference Materials  Indexes/Abstracts Printed
 Journals  Electronic Databases
 Conference Papers  Government publications
 Dissertations  Theses
 Internet

Literature Review Process

This clear, understandable six-step method for a straightforward literature

review process offers a roadmap to developing and writing an effective literature
review for a research project, thesis, or dissertation. Organized around a
comprehensive and detailed six-step developmental model, provides guided
exercises, graphics, charts, and examples from the everyday experiences of
researchers.

1) Selecting a topic
2) Searching the literature
3) Developing arguments
4) Surveying the literature
5) Critiquing the literature
6) Writing the literature review

Literature Review Format

A literature review is a summary of research that has been published about a
particular subject. It provides the reader with an idea about the current situation
in terms of what has been done, and what we know. Sometimes it includes
suggestions about what needs to be done to increase the knowledge and
understanding of a particular problem.

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The articles used must be from professional journals, which mean we can trust
that the authors are trained professionals, and others have examined their work.
Some studies are more easily read and summarized than others. Be sure you feel
comfortable with your choices, since it is difficult to summarize ideas you don't
understand.

Once you have found the articles, read them and take notes. Write the literature
review from your notes.

Writing the paper:

A literature review usually has three sections although they will not be identified
as such in the paper.

1) Introduction: Introduce your topic and briefly explain why this is a significant
or important area for study. Define terms if necessary.

2) Summary of articles: In a paragraph or two for each study, briefly explain the
purpose, how it was conducted (how information was gathered), and the major
findings. When referring to an article, use the last name of author or authors and
date of publication in the text. Example: Calvin and Brommel (1996) believe family
communication . . .

Or

Communication serves two primary functions in families--cohesion and adaptability

(Galvin and Brommel, 1996).

3) Conclusion: Briefly summarize the major findings of the studies chosen.

Comments about what questions need to still be answered may be included.

4) References: List the studies used on a separate page according to APA style
format.

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Book Review/ Book Report

A book review (or book report) is a form of literary criticism in which a book is
analyzed based on content, style, and merit. It is often carried out in periodicals,
as school work, or on the internet. Its length may vary from a single paragraph to a
substantial essay. Such a review often contains evaluations of the book on the
basis of personal taste. Reviewers, in literary periodicals, often use the occasion of
a book review for a display of learning or to promulgate their own ideas on the
topic of a fiction or non-fiction work. At the other end of the spectrum, some book
reviews resemble simple plot summaries.

o As a Teaching Tool

The book review is assigned to secondary and post-secondary students to help

them to develop analytical skills. First, the reviewer has to summarize the content,
regardless of the type of novel, a historical or critical book. In the subsequent
narration, the goal of the book reviewer is to discuss the content of the book and
provide analysis of what he/she had read, and deduce if the author managed to
reveal the core, whether he/she kept to the thesis or properly achieved the
purpose of the book. The last thing the reviewer has to do is to speculate on the
topic him/herself. The book reviewer should also undertake through their own
research to discuss the theme, assess the author’s ability to express and explore
this theme, and provide an opinion of the novel.

The determination of the book review is to communicate to the reader's mind the
ideas and sensations the reviewer experienced while researching the content. In
this way, the reader knows what the author sought to transmit, or what the
reviewer experienced while reading. The reviewer, then, takes three
roles: reporter, in informing the third party of the events; analyst, in making
judgments based on experience; and sideline observer, in pretending to act as the
reader should by expressing their own opinion, desires and expectations.

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o Textbooks
In reviewing a textbook, the reviewer has a different set of considerations. Unlike
the language in a monograph, that in a textbook must not be technical and jargon
must be avoided. The reader will be a student, not a peer of the scientist who
wrote the book. Technical terms will be used, of course, but each should be
carefully defined at first use. The function of the book reviewer is to determine
whether the subject of the text is treated clearly, in a way that is likely to enable
students to grasp and to appreciate the knowledge presented. The textbook
reviewer has one additional responsibility. If other texts on the same subject
exist, which is usually the case; the reviewer should provide appropriate
comparisons.

o As Professional Work

Book reviews require special skills and oblige the reviewer with precise
responsibilities. The professional reviewer does not just have to read and
scrutinize the text, but to realize concealed, implied meaning the author obviously
had dropped hints about. Skilled book reviewers' explanations make the reader
feel confident in their perception of the book or change it entirely. The reviewer
must also state the main points of the reviewed book. While some aspects are less
meaningful, others have to be marked out as prerogative issues. The task is even
more complicated as the writer could unintentionally imply the idea the reviewer of
the book can notice.

Then, the book reviewer has to decide upon author’s point’s validity. The reviewer
has to be the judge and say “did the writer persuade the audience, or were his/her
evidences not sufficient and weak.” The reviewer here makes a judgment on the
adequacy of the book topic to the content. The book review is also the expertise of
the contents authenticity. By comparing the reviewed book to other materials in
the given category the reviewer work implies potential danger for those writers,
who admit plagiarism. If the reviewer finds the book authentic and, perhaps,
unique, the points and attitudes of the reviewer are discussed.

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Writing Literature Reviews

 

The importance of literature review can not be denied because it is a review of

writing on a subject. The under-mentioned reasons the importance of literature
review:
 
a. Literature review helps to find new ways to figure out any ambiguity or flaws
in earlier researches.
b. A literature review portrays the link of each work to the others.
c. Literature review resolves any contradictory findings, or gaps in previous
studies.
d. Most importantly, literature review leads the way forward for further
research.
e. It adds the understanding and knowledge of the particular field.
 
 A Literature Review Should Cover These 4 Points
 
1. The literature review discovers the areas of controversy in the literature.
2. The literature review explains how each work is similar to and how it varies
from the others.
3. Literature review should be well-structured around and directly linked to
the research question you are developing.
4. The literature review should present an overview of the subject, issue or
theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature
review.

Development of Literature Review

A literature review involves the four stages to advance:

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1. Problem Formulation:

First of all, the component issues of topic of literature review to examine or

research are determined. 

2. Literature Search:

Finding materials are collected relevant to the subject being explored to write the
literature review. 

3. Data Appraisal:

It is determined that which literature makes a worth mentioning contribution to

the understanding of the topic of literature review. 

4. Analysis:

Finally, the findings of relevant literature are analyzed to conclude and include in
literature review.

6 Crucial Tips on “How to Write a Literature Review?”

Apply these tips to write a good literature review:

 
i. You need to keep entire and exact records and references of what you read
and find during research.
ii. Learn the required citation style.
iii. Make notes or summaries of the articles, books journals, papers whatever
you read.
iv. You must infer and read between the lines when go through any written
work.
v. Broaden your vision and develop your own ideas without worrying that it
might not be accepted. Just don’t be relaxed with copying previous work.

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vi. Divide the literature review into different thematic parts which will help you
to focus.
vii. Read the leading published material and search for the current issues for
the latest information.
 
Resources to Develop Review of Literature

There is a wide range of sources to develop your literature review. These

resources include:
 
 Books
 Scholarly journals
 Previous Research papers  Conference proceedings
 World wide web  Thesis
 Bibliographies  Unpublished papers
 Encyclopedias  Empirical studies
 Newspapers  Historical records
 Statistics  Commercial reports
handbooks/information  Government reports and
reports from other bodies
 

Literature Review Guidelines for Organization

The following pattern is a very reasonable one to organize a literature review. 

Introduction:

Define the topic, together with your reason for selecting the topic. You could also
point out overall trends, gaps, particular themes etc.

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1. Body:
In body, you discuss your sources. There is some way to in which you could
organize your discussion: 

a. Chronologically:
For example: If writers' views have a tendency to change over time.
There is little point in doing the review by order of publication unless
this demonstrates a clear style.

b. Thematically:
Here you can decide particular themes in the literature. For example
in the literature review of poverty and disability, the writer can take
the themes of the prevalence and structure of disability, education,
employment, income and poverty, causes of disability, the path from
poverty to disability and vice versa, and finally, policies for disabled
people.

c. Methodologically
In this way, the focus is on the methods of the researcher. For
example, qualitative versus quantitative approaches.

2. Conclusion:
Summarize the major contributions, evaluating the current position, and
pointing out flaws in methodology, gaps in the research, contradictions, and
areas for further study.

 
Literature Review Revision

To revise and check of any flaw or lack in literature review, answer to these
questions: 

 What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my

literature review helps to define?

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 How good was my information seeking?

 Was my search wide enough to ensure the availability of relevant material?
 Did I narrow enough the literature review to leave out irrelevant material?
 Have I used suitable number of sources for the length?
 Have I critically analyzed the literature I use?
 Hive I just summarized the material I read?
 Does it have my own thoughts and insight?
 Have I used the citation properly?
 Will the reader find my literature review appropriate, and useful?

Literature Review Example

There are many ways for you to get a literature review example. But before you
learn how to retrieve these files, it is important that you first understand what
this chapter of a dissertation is about. Basically a literature review is a chapter
that is integrated into the thesis paper or any research papers. It is required so
that you may present to your audiences the real significance of using a topic for
research.
The literature review is like a proof that what you are going to talk about in your
paper is important and makes sense. Because you are going to review something
related to your topic, it means there are already research papers that were able to
come up with their respective results. You are only trying to improve the sense of
writing about a specific subject. Now, a literature review is a review of a single or
multiple documents. It is a compendium of different articles that will establish the
true importance of the topic. You may use a book article, essay article or another
research paper as the sources of information. These sources should have the same
topic as yours.
When writing a literature review you are simply compressing a lot of ideas from
multiple resources. You will be compressing these data into a singular part of your
research paper. In dissertation writing there are multiple parts and each one of
these parts is important and has a purpose. The literature review’s purpose is to
extend the topic for more horizons of understanding.
Now where do we get a good literature review example? The first good source is
the library. You must have a set of research papers where you will retrieve info
about the same topic. Libraries teem with books that will help you better capture

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your topic’s significance. Then you can summarize the contents of book portions to
help you manage your chapter.
You can also find other research papers that were already published. You may try
looking for them from your friends who have already graduated from school, or
from teachers in your academy. There are some faculties that can lend you some
materials when you are about to write a dissertation paper.
It is also important that you know how to utilize the resources on the Internet.
You have an option to simply retrieve files from any websites. But be careful when
you do this because not all sites are reliable. There are some that will only require
you to pay in exchange of a literature review sample. Others will simply give you
lousy samples and will force you to order some more research paper files and then
you will be charged. These websites are not worth your time and effort.
On the other hand, we can provide you a high quality literature review
example anytime. These materials are for free and you can easily download them
anytime you wish. They are really helpful in writing any types of literature review
pages.

References
1. Article: Literature Review Writing (Uncover the Secrets to Write an
Excellent Literature Review)
2. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. Article: The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success by Lawrence A. Machi,
Brenda T. McEvoy)
4. Online F.D. Bluford Library
5. Adapted from Dr. Hellmann's Family Communication class handout.

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