Research Methodology: Literature Review: March 2020

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Research Methodology: Literature Review
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Thursday, March 5, 2020
Literature
Review
Vijayamohanan Pillai N.
2020
Literature review: A Concept Map

https://vizibiz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/lit
erature-review-cmap.jpg
Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 2

2020
1
Literature reviews
take two major forms:
(i) The usual “literature review” or “background” section

within a journal paper or
a chapter in a doctorate/graduate thesis.
This section
synthesizes the extant literature and
usually identifies the gaps in knowledge
that the empirical study addresses
(Sylvester, Tate, & Johnstone, 2013).
Our focus here.

2020
Literature reviews
(i) The usual “literature review” or “background” section

within a journal paper or
a chapter in a doctorate/graduate thesis.
It may also provide

a theoretical foundation for the proposed study,
substantiate the presence of the research problem,
justify the research as one that contributes something new
to the accumulated knowledge,
or validate the methods and approaches for the proposed study
(Hart, 1998; Levy & Ellis, 2006).

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Literature reviews can take two major forms.
(ii) “Stand-alone literature review”/“Review article”:

a journal-length paper which has an overarching purpose to
synthesize the literature in a field,
without collecting or analyzing any primary data
(Green, Johnson, & Adams, 2006).
Rather than providing a base for a researcher’s own work,

it creates a solid starting point for all members of the community,
interested in a particular area or topic (Mulrow, 1987).
Not our focus.

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Annotated Bibliography
In pure form, lists studies, perhaps in alphabetical order,

and provides a brief summary of each,
with or without an evaluation of
their strengths and weaknesses,
the validity of their findings, and so forth.
There is, however,

a spectrum between this and the traditional literature review,
in terms of how far the discussion is subordinated
to an overall narrative line.

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Literature Survey
Vs.
Literature Review

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Literature Survey Vs. Literature Review
Literature survey is something when you look at

a literature [publications] in a surface level
or a bird's eye view,
or an aerial view.
It is the first phase where you try to know of all the literatures
related to your area of interest.
And the relevant literatures are short-listed.
Literature survey helps you

find out/identify/define a problem.

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Literature Survey Vs. Literature Review
A literature review is going into the depth of

the literatures surveyed.
It is a process of re-examining, evaluating or assessing

the short-listed literatures [literature survey phase].
Review of literatures gives a clarity and

better understanding of the research/project.
Literature review helps you

identify research gap
formulate your theoretical and conceptual frameworks.

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Find out what

Identify main information
methodologies already exists Find out
and research in your field other people
techniques of research working in
your field
Purposes of Identify
Identify
a Literature the seminal
gaps in
Review works in your
literature
field
Show
Identify main
relationships Provide a ideas, theories
between context for and conclusions
previous your and establish
studies and research similarities and
theories
differences
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Benefits of a Good
Literature Review:
“What?”
“How?” Identification of key
Determination of questions about a
methodologies topic
based on those (“Research Gaps”)
used in past that need further
studies of similar research (justifying
topics. your research)
“Why?”
Lending a
theoretical/conceptual
framework for research and
placing your own research
within the context of existing
literature making a case for
why further study is needed.
2020 Vijayamohanan Pillai N
https://www.editage.com/i
nsights/tips-for-effective-
literature-searching-and-
keeping-up-with-new-
publications

2020
6
Literature Review: Identifying Research Gap

A quality literature review is a synthesis of the materials
in a coherent and purposeful way so that
it reports the story of the topic to the readers
and identifies the potential gaps
in the current body of knowledge on the topic.
Must show both

what is known and what is missing
about the topic in the literature review.
Identifying the gap(s) in the literature

provides the rationale
for initiating the new research project.

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A Quality Literature Review
Some criteria of a quality literature review include

“focus”, “coverage”, “organisation”, and “up-to-date” sources.
The literature review section be linked to the

other parts of the research report in different ways.
For example,
it provides a theoretical framework
for posing research questions, building up conceptual model
and collecting required data
to verify the model and answer the research questions.
It must also be linked to the discussion section of the reports

where the researcher interprets findings and
compares and contrasts them with findings of other studies
as reviewed and reported in the literature review.
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Comprehensive
—the main Relevant
sources relevant
—the review should at
to the topic or
the same time be
question should
discriminating and
be included.
exclude sources that
have little or no direct
bearing on the topic.
Criteria for
a Literature
Review: Up-to-date
—sources should
represent
Unbiased contemporary thinking
or research in the area
—sources should not concerned, though it is
be included in a important to note that
tendentious way so some literature written
as to advance one many years ago are
particular viewpoint still relevant.
to the exclusion of
others.
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Literature Review
There has increasingly been a move

from traditional reviews to more systematic reviews,
including such features as
inclusion/exclusion criteria,
an explicit and reproducible search strategy,
specific means of assessing the quality of
included items, and clear mechanisms to reduce bias.
Different types:
Narrative Review Systematic Review

Realist Review Critical Review
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(Traditional) Narrative review

Overarching Aims to summarize or synthesize what has been
goal written on a particular topic but does not seek
generalization or cumulative knowledge from what is
reviewed.
Search Selective in nature. Authors usually select studies that
strategy support their own view.
Appraisal of No formal quality or risk of bias assessment of
included included primary studies is required.
studies
Analysis and Narrative using thematic analysis, chronological
synthesis order, conceptual frameworks, content analysis or
other classification criteria.
Key Cronin et al., 2008; Green et al., 2006;
references Levy & Ellis, 2006; Webster & Watson, 2002.
From “Synthesizing information systems knowledge: A typology of literature reviews,” by G.

Paré, M. C. Trudel, M. Jaana, and S. Kitsiou, 2015, Information & Management, 52(2), p. 187.
Systematic review
Overarching Aims to aggregate, critically appraise, and synthesize in a
goal single source all empirical evidence that meet a set of pre-
specified eligibility criteria in order to answer in depth a
clearly formulated research question to support evidence-
based decision-making
Search Exhaustive literature search of multiple sources and
strategy databases using highly sensitive and structured strategies to
identify all available studies (published and unpublished)
within resource limits that are eligible for inclusion. Uses a
priori inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Appraisal of Two different quality assessments : (a) risk of bias in included
included studies, and (b) quality of evidence by outcome of interest.
studies Both assessments require the use of validated instruments
(e.g., Cochrane criteria and GRADE system).
Analysis and Two different types: 1. Meta-analysis (statistical pooling of
synthesis study results), and 2. qualitative/ narrative: use of vote
counting, content analysis, frameworks,
classification schemes, and/or tabulations.
Key Borenstein et al., 2009; Higgins & Green, 2008;
references Liberati et al., 2009.
9
Realist review
Overarching Theory-driven interpretative review. Aims to inform, enhance,
goal extend, or supplement conventional systematic reviews by
including evidence from both quantitative and qualitative
studies of complex interventions applied in diverse contexts
to inform policy decision-making.
Search Can be systematic and comprehensive based on “a priori”
strategy criteria or iterative and purposive, aiming to provide a holistic
interpretation of a phenomenon
through theoretical saturation.
Appraisal of Quality or risk of bias assessment must be addressed using
included different instruments and/or frameworks for quantitative and
studies qualitative studies. Questions about “quality” and “bias” are
very different in the context of qualitative research.
Analysis and Qualitative evidence synthesis. Can be aggregative or
synthesis interpretive. Requires transparency. Can use content analysis,
conceptual frameworks, as well as interpretive and mixed
methods approaches.
Key Pawson, 2006; Pawson et al., 2005; Whitlock et al., 2008.
references
Critical review
Overarching Aims to provide a critical evaluation and interpretive analysis
goal of existing literature on a particular topic of interest to reveal
strengths, weaknesses, contradictions, controversies,
inconsistencies, and/or other important issues with respect to
theories, hypotheses, research methods or results.
Search Seeks to identify a representative number of articles that
strategy make the sample illustrative of the larger group of works in
the field of study. May or may not include
comprehensive searching.
Appraisal of No formal quality or risk of bias assessment of included
included primary studies is required.
studies
Analysis and Can apply a variety of analysis methods that can be grouped
synthesis as either positivist (e.g., content analysis and frequencies) or
interpretivist (e.g., meta-ethnography, critical interpretive
synthesis) according to the authors’ epistemological
positions.
Key Kirkevold, 1997; Paré et al., 2015.
references
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Structure of Literature Review
(i) Never “Author-wise Review”.

A common mistake in a literature review is
to provide separate summaries of the studies
with almost no connection among them.
A quality literature review, on the other hand,

is a synthesis of the materials in a coherent and purposeful way
so that it reports the story of the topic to the readers
and identifies the potential gaps
in the current body of knowledge on the topic.
It is therefore important to show

both what is known and what is missing
about the topic in the literature review.

2020
(ii) Theme-based
Such a synthesis of the materials

in a coherent and purposeful way is achieved by following
a theme-based structure
in which the related studies are categorised and presented
according to significant themes.
Thus, you can organize your literature review into subsections

that address different aspects (themes) of the topic.

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(ii) Theme-based
For example,
if you are reviewing literature about
inequalities in migrant health outcomes,
key themes might include
healthcare policy,
language barriers,
cultural attitudes,
legal status, and
economic access.

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Theme-based Literature Review
To find appropriate themes, the reviewer may ask questions,

as presented in Figure:
What are
the Key
What are Concepts?
What are
the Major
the Key
Issues and
Theories?
Debates?
Research
Topic
What are What are
the Key the Key
Methods? Sources?
What are
the Main
Contexts?
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(iii) Chronological Literature Review
The simplest approach is to trace the development

of the topic over time –
Chronological.
However, avoid simply listing and

summarizing sources in order.
Try to analyze patterns,

turning points and key debates
that have shaped the direction of the field.
Give your interpretation of

how and why certain developments occurred.

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(iii) Chronological Theme-based Literature Review
The reviews are organised and presented chronologically,

in an organically linked, coherent, way
if the purpose is to show
the development of the topic over time.
Also, you can combine several of these strategies

(for example,
your overall structure might be thematic,
but each theme is discussed chronologically).

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(iv) Theoretical
One among the themes.
A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical

framework.
You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and
definitions of key concepts.
You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical
approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a
framework for your research.

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(vi) Methodological
One among the themes.
If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that

use a variety of research methods, you might want to compare
the results and conclusions that emerge from different
approaches.
For example:
(i) Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus
quantitative research.
(ii) Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical
versus theoretical scholarship.
(iii) Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and
cultural sources.

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Literature Review Process and Steps
Steps are given in sequential order.

But one must keep in mind that
the review process can be iterative and
many activities can be initiated during the planning stage
and later refined during subsequent phases
(Finfgeld-Connett & Johnson, 2013;

Kitchenham & Charters, 2007).

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The Literature Review

Process
Mark Saunders,
Philip Lewis,
Adrian
Thornhill
(2012)
Research
methods for
business
students
6th ed., Essex:
Pearson
Education
Limited

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15
Review the APA guidelines
Decide on a topic.
Identify the literature that you will

review:
Analyze the literature
Summarize the literature in table or

concept map format
Literature
Synthesize the literature prior to
Review: writing your review
Steps
Write the review
Develop a coherent essay

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Literature Review: Steps
Step 1: Review the APA guidelines
APA Style: the writing style and format for

Academic documents such as PhD Thesis,
journal articles and books,
described in the style guide of
the American Psychological Association (APA), titled
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
in particular, pay attention to general document guidelines

(e.g. font, margins, spacing), title page, abstract, body,
text citations, quotations.

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APA Style Essentials

General Document Guidelines
https://www.vanguard.edu/uploaded/research/apa_style_guide/apastyleessentials.pdf
A. Margins: One inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right)
B. Font Size and Type: 12-pt. Times New Roman font
C. Line Spacing: Double-space throughout the paper, including

the title page, abstract, body of the document, references,
appendixes, footnotes, tables, and figures.
D. Spacing after Punctuation: Space once after commas, colons,

and semicolons within sentences. Insert two spaces after
punctuation marks that end sentences.
E. Alignment: Flush left (creating uneven right margin)

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F. Paragraph Indentation: 5-7 spaces
G. Pagination: The page number appears one inch from the right
edge of the paper on the first line of every page, beginning with
the title page
H. Running Head: The running head is a short title that appears

at the top of the pages of a paper or published article. The
running head is typed flush left (all uppercase) at the top of all
pages (including the title page). The running head should not
exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing. Using
most word processors,
the running head and page number can be inserted into a
header, which then automatically appears on all pages.
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I. Active voice: As a general rule, use the active voice rather

than the passive voice. For example, use "We predicted that
..." rather than "It was predicted that ...”
J. Order of Pages: Title Page, Abstract, Body, References,

Footnotes, Tables, Figures, Appendixes

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Step 2: Decide on a topic.
Step 3: Identify the literature that you will review:
Familiarize yourself with online databases,

identifying relevant databases in your field of study.
Search for literature sources

using Google Scholar, Research Gate and Furl
(Furl: from File Uniform Resource Locators:
a free social bookmarking website that allows members
to store searchable copies of webpages
and share them with others.).

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Step 3: Identify the literature that you will review:
Some tips for identifying suitable literature and

narrowing your search :
(i) Start with a general descriptor from

the database thesaurus or
one that you know is already a well defined descriptor based
on past work that you have done in this field.
You will need to experiment with different searches, such as
limiting your search to descriptors that appear only in the
document titles, or
in both the document title and in the abstract.

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Sources for Searching
https://www.editage.com/insights/tips-for-effective-literature-searching-and-
keeping-up-with-new-publications

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Some tips for identifying suitable literature and

narrowing your search :
(ii) Redefine your topic if needed:

as you search you will quickly find out
if the topic that you are reviewing is too broad.
Try to narrow it to a specific area of interest
within the broad area that you have chosen.
It is a good idea, as part of your literature search,
to look for existing literature reviews
that have already been written on this topic.
Be sure to identify landmark or classic studies and theorists
as these provide you with a framework/context
for your study.
Import your references into your RefWorks account.

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RefWorks
“allows users to create personal databases and
use them for a variety of research activities.
References are quickly and easily imported
from text files or online databases.
The databases can then be used to
manage, store, and share the information.
Users can automatically insert references
from their database into their papers and
generate formatted bibliographies
and manuscripts in seconds.”
https://www.refworks.com/individual/index.html

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Step 4: Analyze the literature
Once you have identified and located

the articles for your review,
you need to analyze them and
organize them before you begin writing:
(i) Overview the articles: to get an idea of the general purpose

and content of the article (focus your reading here on the
abstract, introduction and first few paragraphs,
the conclusion of each article.
(ii) Group the articles into categories (e.g. into topics and
subtopics and chronologically within each subtopic).

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(iii) Take notes:

Take notes onto ‘old-fashioned’ note cards or
into a word processing document (WP),
in an Excel spreadsheet,
or into RefWorks.
Define key terms: look for differences in the way

keys terms are defined (note these differences).
Note key statistics that you may want to use
in the introduction to your review.
Select useful quotes that you may want to
include in your review.
Important: Direct quotes must always be accompanied

by page references.
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Collect a large number of quotes during

the note taking phase of your review;
but, when you write the review, use quotes very sparingly.
Note emphases, strengths & weaknesses:

Since different research studies focus on different aspects of
the issue being studied, each article will have different
emphases, strengths. and weaknesses.
Your role as a reviewer is to evaluate what you read, so that
your review is not a mere description of different articles, but
rather a critical analysis that makes sense of the collection of
articles that you are reviewing.
Critique the research methodologies used in the studies, and
distinguish between assertions (the author's opinion) and
actual research findings (derived from empirical evidence).
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Identify trends and patterns over time as reported in the literature.

Your analysis can make generalizations across a majority of studies,
but should also note inconsistencies across studies and over time.
Identify gaps in the literature, and reflect on why these might exist
(based on the understandings that you have gained by reading
literature in this field of study). These gaps will be important for
you to build up your research problem and conceptual model.
Identify relationships among studies, such as which studies were

landmark ones that led to subsequent studies in the same area. You
may also note that studies fall into different categories (categories
that you see emerging or ones that are already discussed in the
literature). When you write your review, you should address these
relationships and different categories and discuss relevant studies
using this as a framework.
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Keep your review focused on your topic: make sure that the
articles you find are relevant and directly related to your topic.
As you take notes, record which specific aspects of the article
you are reading are relevant to your topic.
Evaluate your references for currency and coverage: Before you

begin writing, you must evaluate your reference list to ensure
that it is up to date and has reported the most current work.
Typically a review will cover the last five years, but should also
refer to any landmark studies prior to this time if they have
significance in shaping the direction of the field.
If you include studies prior to the past five years that are not
landmark studies, you should defend why you have chosen these
rather than more current ones.

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Critical reading:
How to read in a ‘thinking-intensive’ way?
First,
throw away the highlighter in favour of a pen or pencil.
Highlighting can actually distract from the business of learning

and dilute your comprehension.
It only seems like an active reading strategy;

in actual fact,
it can lull you into a dangerous passivity.
Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill (2012) Research methods for
business students 6th ed., Essex: Pearson Education Limited

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Critical reading:
2. Mark up the margins of your text with words:

ideas that occur to you,
notes about things that seem important to you,
reminders of how issues in a text may connect with your
research questions and objectives.
If you are reading a pdf copy on screen,

use the ‘sticky notes’ feature of Adobe Reader®.
This kind of interaction keeps you conscious

of the reason you are reading.
Throughout your research these annotations will be
useful memory triggers.

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Critical reading:
3. Develop your own symbol system:

asterisk a key idea, for example,
or use an exclamation point
for the surprising, absurd, bizarre, etc.
Like your margin words,

your hieroglyphs can help you reconstruct
the important observations that you made at an earlier time.
And they will be indispensable

when you return to a text later in the term,
in search of a particular passage that you may want
to include in your project report.

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Critical reading:
4. Get in the habit of hearing yourself ask questions –

‘what does this mean?’;
‘why is he/she drawing that conclusion?’
Write the questions down

(in your margins, at the beginning or end of the reading,
in a notebook, or elsewhere).
They are reminders of the unfinished business

you still have with a text:
to come to terms with on your own,
once you’ve had a chance to
digest the material further, or have done further reading.

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Critical reading:
Five critical questions to employ in critical reading:
Why am I reading this?
What is the author trying to do in writing this?
What is the writer saying that is relevant to

what I want to find out?
How convincing is what the author is saying?

(In particular, is the argument based on a conclusion
which is justified by the evidence?)
What use can I make of the reading?
Wallace, M. and Wray, A. (2011) Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates
(2nd edn). London: Sage
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The content of the critical review
In considering the content of your critical review,

you will therefore need:
to include the key academic theories within your

chosen area of research that are pertinent to or
contextualise your research question;
to demonstrate that your knowledge of your chosen

area is up to date;
to enable those reading your project report to find

the original publications which you cite, through
clear complete referencing

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The content of the critical review

Evaluating the content of your critical literature review:
Have you ensured that the literature covered

relates clearly to your research question and
objectives?
Have you covered the most relevant and

significant theories of recognised experts in
the area?
Have you covered the most relevant and
significant literature or at least a
representative sample?
Have you included up-to-date relevant

literature?
Have you referenced all the literature used in

the format prescribed in the assessment
criteria?
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Evaluating whether your literature review is critical
Have you contextualised your own research

showing how your research question relates
to previous research reviewed?
Have you assessed the strengths and

weaknesses of the previous research
reviewed?
Have you been objective in your discussion

and assessment of other people’s research?
Have you included references to research

that is counter to, as well as supports, your
own opinions?

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Have you distinguished clearly between facts

and opinions?
Have you made reasoned judgements about

the value and relevance of others’ research to
your own?
Have you justified clearly your own ideas?
Have you justified your arguments by

referencing correctly published research?

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Have you highlighted those areas where new

research (yours!) is needed to provide fresh
insights and taken these into account in your
arguments? In particular, those areas
where there are inconsistencies in current

knowledge and understanding?
where there are omissions or bias in

published research?
where research findings need to be tested

further?
where evidence is lacking, inconclusive,

contradictory or limited?
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Step 5: Summarize the literature in table or concept map
format:
Galvan (2006) recommends building tables as a key way to help you
overview, organize, and summarize your findings, and suggests that
including one or more of the tables that you create may be helpful in
your literature review. If you do include tables as part of your review
each must be accompanied by an analysis that summarizes, interprets
and synthesizes the literature that you have charted in the table. You
can plan your table or do the entire summary chart of your literature
using a concept map.
Sort your findings according to a variety of factors:

(e.g. sort by methodology and then date):
examples of tables that may be relevant to your review;
definitions of key terms and concepts;
research methods, summary of research results

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Step 6: Synthesize the literature prior to writing your review:
Using the notes that you have taken and summary tables,
develop an outline of your final review.
The following are the key steps as outlined by

Galvan (2006: 71-79)
(i) Consider your purpose and voice before beginning to write.

Your initial purpose is to provide an overview of the topic that is
of interest to you, demonstrating your understanding of key
works and concepts within your chosen area of focus. You are
also developing skills in reviewing and writing; your literature
review should demonstrate your command of your field of study
and/or establishing context for a study that you have done.

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Step 6: Synthesize the literature prior to writing your review
The following are the key steps as outlined by

Galvan (2006: 71-79)
(ii) Consider how you reassemble your notes: plan how you will
organize your findings into a unique analysis of the picture that
you have captured in your notes.
Important: A literature review is not series of annotations (like
an annotated bibliography). Galvan (2006:72) captures the
difference between an annotated bibliography and a literature
review very well: "...in essence, like describing trees when you
really should be describing a forest. In the case of a literature
review, you are really creating a new forest, which you will build
by using the trees you found in the literature you read.”

2020
Step 6:
Create a topic outline that traces your argument:
first explain to the reader your line or argument (or thesis);

then your narrative that follows should explain and justify your
line of argument.
Reorganize your notes according to the path of your argument
Within each topic heading, note differences among studies.
Within each topic heading, look for obvious gaps or areas
needing more research.
Plan to describe relevant theories.

Plan to discuss how individual studies relate to and advance
theory Plan to summarize periodically and, again near the end
of the review Plan to present conclusions and implications
Plan to suggest specific directions for future research near the
end of the review Flesh out your outline with details from your
Thursday, March 5, analysis
Vijayamohanan Pillai N 60
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Step 7: Writing the review (Galvan, 2006: 81-90)
Identify the broad problem area, but avoid global statements.
Early in the review,

indicate why the topic being reviewed is important.
Distinguish between research finding and

other sources of information.
Indicate why certain studies are important.
If you are commenting on the timeliness of a topic,

be specific in describing the time frame.
If citing a classic or landmark study, identify it as such.
If a landmark study was replicated,

mention
Thursday, March 5,that and indicate thePillai
Vijayamohanan results
N of the replication. 61
2020

Step 7: Writing the review (Galvan, 2006: 81-90)
Discuss other literature reviews on your topic.
Refer the reader to other reviews on issues

that you are not discussing in detail.
Justify comments such as, "no studies were found."
Avoid long lists of nonspecific references.
If the results of previous studies are inconsistent or

widely varying, cite them separately.
Cite all relevant references in the review section of thesis,

dissertation, or journal article.

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31
Step 8: Developing a coherent essay (Galvan, 2006: 91-96)
If your review is long, provide an overview near the beginning of

the review.
Near the beginning of a review, state explicitly what will and
will not be covered.
Specify your point of view early in the review: this serves as the
thesis statement of the review.
Aim for a clear and cohesive essay that integrates the key
details of the literature and communicates your point of view
(a literature is not a series of annotated articles).
Use subheadings, especially in long reviews.
Use transitions to help trace your argument.
If your topic teaches across disciplines, consider reviewing
studies from each discipline separately.

2020
Step 8: Developing a coherent essay (Galvan, 2006: 91-96)
Write a conclusion for the end of the review: Provide closure so

that the path of the argument ends with a conclusion of some
kind. How you end the review, however, will depend on your
reason for writing it. If the review was written to stand alone, as
is the case of a term paper or a review article for publication, the
conclusion needs to make clear how the material in the body of
the review has supported the assertion or proposition presented
in the introduction. On the other hand, a review in a thesis,
dissertation, or journal article presenting original research
usually leads to the research questions that will be addressed.
Check the flow of your argument for coherence.
Galvan, J. (2006). Writing literature reviews: a guide for

students of the behavioral sciences ( 3rd ed.). Glendale, CA:
Pyrczak Publishing.
2020
32
Write your literature review
Like any other academic text,

your literature review should have
an introduction,
a main body, and
a conclusion.
What you include in each depends on
the objective of your literature review.
Introduction
The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose

of the literature review.
The last paragraph of Introduction must detail

the structure of what follows (literature review).

2020
Dissertation literature review
If you are writing the literature review

as part of your dissertation or thesis,
reiterate your central problem or research question and
give a brief summary of the scholarly context.
You can emphasize the timeliness of the topic

(“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or
highlight a gap in the literature
(“while there has been much research on x,
few researchers have taken y into consideration”).

2020
33
Stand-alone literature review/Review article
If you are writing a review article,

give some background on the topic and its importance,
discuss the scope of the literature you will review
(for example, the time period of your sources), and
state your objective.
What new insight will you draw from the literature?

2020
Body
Depending on the length of your literature review,
you might want to divide the body into subsections.
You can use a subheading for each theme,
time period, or methodological approach.
As you write, you can follow these tips:
(i) Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main

points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
(ii) Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other

researchers—add your own interpretations where possible,
discussing the significance of findings
in relation to the literature as a whole.

2020
34
Body
(iii) Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses
of your sources.
(iv) Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and

topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.
The first or second sentence of each paragraph is

typically the paragraph's topic sentence.
Transitions are words and/or phrases used to indicate movement or
show change throughout a piece of writing.
Signpost: Transition + Topic Sentence + New Topic
“Example: In contrast to [transition phrase] F.D.R., who maintained an

ever-vigilant watchfulness over the Manhattan project [previous topic +
reference to overall thesis], Truman took over the presidency without
any knowledge of the atomic bomb or its potential power [new topic].”
(https://research.ewu.edu/c.php?g=525372&p=3591228)

2020
Conclusion
In the conclusion,
you should summarize the key findings you have taken
from the literature and
emphasize their significance.

2020
35
Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N gIFT 71

2020
36
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Research Methodology: Literature Review

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Literature review: A Concept Map

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 2

take two major forms:

(i) The usual “literature review” or “background” section

Our focus here.

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 3

(i) The usual “literature review” or “background” section

It may also provide

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 4

Literature reviews can take two major forms.

(ii) “Stand-alone literature review”/“Review article”:

Rather than providing a base for a researcher’s own work,

Not our focus.

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 5

In pure form, lists studies, perhaps in alphabetical order,

There is, however,

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 6

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 7

Literature Survey Vs. Literature Review

Literature survey is something when you look at

And the relevant literatures are short-listed.

Literature survey helps you

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 8

Literature Survey Vs. Literature Review

A literature review is going into the depth of

It is a process of re-examining, evaluating or assessing

Review of literatures gives a clarity and

Literature review helps you

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 9

Find out what

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 12

Literature Review: Identifying Research Gap

Must show both

Identifying the gap(s) in the literature

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 13

A Quality Literature Review

Some criteria of a quality literature review include

The literature review section be linked to the

It must also be linked to the discussion section of the reports

There has increasingly been a move

Narrative Review Systematic Review

(Traditional) Narrative review

From “Synthesizing information systems knowledge: A typology of literature reviews,” by G.

Structure of Literature Review

(i) Never “Author-wise Review”.

A quality literature review, on the other hand,

It is therefore important to show

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 21

Structure of Literature Review

Such a synthesis of the materials

Thus, you can organize your literature review into subsections

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 22

Structure of Literature Review

Thursday, March 5, Vijayamohanan Pillai N 23

Theme-based Literature Review

To find appropriate themes, the reviewer may ask questions,