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KENYA SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT

SENIOR MANAGEMENT COURSE

RESEARCH METHODS
Literature Review
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Session Outline
a) Definitions
b) Literature Review as part of the paper
c) Role of literature Re view
d) Importance of literature Review
e) Attributes of Literature Review
f) The task of writing literature Review
g) Organizing Literature Review that you find
h) Possible organizing principles for your chart
i) Planning and organizing your literature Review
j) Making Citations and References
k) Summary

2
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Specific Objective

 By the end of the topic, you should be able to :

a) Explain the importance of literature review
b) Outline the sources of literature
c) Explain the attributes of a good literature
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Definitions
What is a Literature Review?
The term “the literature” is the body of scholarly work on a particular
topic.
A literature review is a formal analysis and critique. It surveys, highlights,
summarizes, synthesizes, interprets, and critiques this body of work.
Types of Literature Reviews
1)Literature review – a key part of proposals, theses, dissertations, and
reports
2)Review paper – a published article that synthesizes the work that has been
done on a particular topic.
3)Mini-literature review – an assignment that asks you to explore a restricted number of
publications in answering a particular question.
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Placement of the Literature Review

 The literature review appears near the beginning of a paper or proposal.
 Often the introduction contains a brief overview of the literature.
 This overview is typically elaborated on in a special section of the paper, which
contains a more thorough literature review.
Note: One of the essential preliminary tasks when undertaking a research study is
to go through the existing literature in order to acquaint with the available body of
knowledge in your area of interest
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

The Literature Review as Part of a Paper

 It is an integral part of the entire research process and makes available
contribution to almost every operational steps.
 Literature review is a report that should describe, summarize, evaluate and
clarify information related to selected area of study
 The purpose of most academic writing is to argue for the merits of a particular
position or conclusion.
 The literature review is the foundation and the rationale for your argument.
 The literature review reveals what is known about your topic.
 It exposes gaps, shortcomings, inconsistencies, and debates in this knowledge.
 The literature review shows how these shortcomings led to your own research
questions. In this way, you build a case for your own study.
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The Role of a Literature Review

 To explain how and why you chose your research question.

 To identify the problem from which your research emerges.
 To identify a gap or problem in the literature.
 To explain why you chose the proposed study and research
method.
 To demonstrate how the literature supports and explains the
choices you have made about your study.
 To synthesize and critique this literature.
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Importance of Literature Review

 Literature review should give a theoretical base for the research

and help you (author) determine the nature of your research. It is
important that:
a) It demonstrates familiarity with a body of knowledge and to
establish credibility
b) It shows the path of prior research and how a current project is
linked to it
c) It integrate and summarize what is known in an area.
d) One learns from others and it stimulates new ideas
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Importance of Literature Review

a) It is a review that tells the reader that the researcher knows the
research in the area
b) It is a review that increases a reader’s confidence in the
researcher’s professional competence, ability and background
c) It is review that laces a research project in a context and
demonstrates its relevance by making connections to a body of
knowledge
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

A good Review Points Outlines the following:

a) Areas where prior studies agree or where they disagree

or where major questions remain
b) It collects what is known up to a point in time and
indicates the direction of future research
c) A good review identifies research gaps
d) It divulges procedures, techniques and research designs
worthy copying so that a researcher can have better
focus on their work
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Sources of Literature

 This can be obtained from :

a) Scholarly journals,
b) Books,
c) Dissertations and thesis,
d) Government documents and policy reports
e) Published papers
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Characteristics or Attributes of Literature Review

 It is important that the literature review in your research a
accomplishes the following:
a) Review the empirical Literature: this is compiled from
publications that are not necessarily a product of empirical
research e.g. World Bank Reports, relevant to the problem being
investigated
b) Review theoretical framework: this is an analysis of the theories
applicable to your study. It indicates what has been done by other
researchers including the methodologies used and identifies the
research gaps
c) Developing a conceptual framework: this demonstrates an
understanding of what variable influences what the conceptual
framework should be diagrammatically present and self
explanatory
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The Task of Writing a Literature Review

 The task of writing a literature review consists of three main parts:

 identifying relevant literature,
 organizing the literature, and
 organizing and writing the review itself.
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Organizing the Literature that you Find

 Use a system that allows you to reorder your ideas.

 Consider colour coding to help separate ideas and evidence and
to show relationships among studies.
 To avoid plagiarism, use a system to identify direct quotations and
sentences and paragraphs that you have paraphrased.
 Organize information in a way that makes sense for your purpose,
research questions and objectives.
 Use a chart to reveal connections between studies and your
questions.
 Find an organizing principle for the chart that works for your
purpose.
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Possible Organizing Principles for your Chart

 Research findings
 Theoretical approach
 Causes of or reasons for something
 Effects of something
 Type of study
 Methodology
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Planning and Organizing your Literature Review

Starting with a thematic organization
 The best way to organize your literature review is by theme or topic.
 Start with large themes and ideas, inside which are nested sub-ideas
and components.
 The sub-themes may emerge as you write your first draft.
Creating a consistent heading structure
 Before you begin to write your literature review, consider the
heading scheme you plan to use.
 I suggest that you use use a numbered system like the one on the
next slide.
 This system will help you keep track of your themes and sub-themes
as you write your drafts.
 SMC: RESEARCH METHODS: LITERATURE REVIEW Home

Organizing your Heading Structure

1. Introduction to Literature Review
2. Main Heading (First theme)
2.1 Second-level heading (First sub-theme)
2.2 Second-level heading (Second sub-theme)
2.2.1 Third-level heading (Point about second sub-theme)
2.2.1.1 Fourth-level heading
3. Main Heading (and sub-headings)
4. Main Heading (and sub-headings)
5. Conclusion to Literature Review
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Making Citations and References

a) Citations makes sure that everything is referred including

full authors names, years of publication, publisher, titles,
chapter titles and page numbers
b) In text citations (Quoting Literature) –A good example is :
i) According to Wood et al (2006), the rate of fuel wood
consumption has increased by 4.7% in the last ten years.
ii) The rate of fuel wood consumption has increased by
4.7% in the last ten years (Wood et al, 2006)
c) References- A good examples is : Wood A.J; Milks B.C and
Fish N.M. (2006). Rural Fuel wood Demand in Kenya, Herpin
Publishers Nairobi. (Note the indented second line).
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Making Citations and References

Synthesizing approach
 Synthesizing is key to a literature review.
 A synthesis identifies and interprets themes, trends and relationships.
 It reveals similarities and differences and shows how the literature advances
the research area.
 A thematic organization can make synthesizing easier.
The silo approach
 Students new to writing literature reviews often use a “silo approach”
instead of a synthesis.
 They organize their literature reviews by study instead of by theme or trend.
 The purpose of a literature review is not to analyze each study separately,
but to show how the studies relate to one another and to your own study.
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Silo Approach Versus Synthesis

Silo Approach Example
According to Whyte (2012), the funding provided for First Nations
education is insufficient and not equal to the funding received by
provincial schools. A report on education on reserve found large
gaps in services (National Panel, 2011). The Joint Task force (2013)
reported large funding disparities between reserve and provincial
schools. Pelletier et al. (2013) stated that provincial schools have
considerably more funding than reserve schools. …
Synthesis Example
According to expert reports, reserve schools receive less funding than
their provincial counterparts in provision of services to meet the
needs of their students (Joint Task Force, 2013; National Panel,
2011; Pelletier et al., 2013; Whyte, 2012). …
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Silo Approach Versus Synthesis
SILO  SYNTHESIS 
Each study discussed separately.  No study  is discussed in isolation. 
Comparisons not made and  Study findings and/or methods 
relationships not drawn. compared, and relationships 
drawn.
No relationship drawn between the  The student’s own research at the 
student’s own research and the  centre of the discussion, analysis 
research discussed in the lit.  and comparison of all studies. 
review. 
Literature review organized  Literature review organized by the 
chronologically or even randomly.  themes most relevant for the study. 
Individual studies referred to only  Individual studies referred to 
once. several times under different 
themes.
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Summary
 A literature review synthesizes and critiques a body of
work in order to support and explain the choices you
have made about your study.
 Use a thematic or topical approach when writing
literature review
 Avoid dealing with the literature in silos. Synthesize
instead.
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Assignment
a) Discuss the importance of literature review
b) List four indicators of a good literature review
c) Discuss the difference between empirical and
theoretical Literature