C3. Literature Review

8/19/20
Chapter 3
Critically reviewing the literature
Part 2, Patten and Newhart,
Chapter 3, Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill.
Slide 3.2
Learning outcomes
} By the end of this chapter you should:
} Understand the importance and purpose of the critical
literature review to your research project;
} To be able to adopt a critical perspective in your reading;
} Know what you need to include when writing your critical
review;
} Be aware of the range of primary, secondary and tertiary
literature sources available;
} Be able to identify key words and to undertake a literature
search using a range of methods;
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
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Slide 3.3
Learning outcomes
} Be able to evaluate the relevance, value and sufficiency of the
literature found;
} Be able to reference the literature found accurately;
} Understand what is meant by plagiarism;
} Be able to apply the knowledge, skills and understanding
gained to your own research project.
Slide 3.4
Reasons for reviewing the literature
} To conduct a ‘preliminary’ search of existing

material
} To organise valuable ideas and findings
} To identify other research that may be in progress
} To generate research ideas
} To develop a critical perspective
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Slide 3.5
The literature review process
Source: Saunders et al. (2003)

Figure 3.1 The literature review process
Slide 3.6
The Critical Review (1)
Approaches used
Deductive -
Develops a conceptual framework from the
literature which is then tested using the data
Inductive -
Explores the data to develop theories which are
then tested against the literature
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Slide 3.7
The Critical Review (2)

Key purposes
} To further refine research questions and objectives
} To discover recommendations for further research
} To avoid repeating work already undertaken
} To provide insights into strategies and techniques

appropriate to your research objectives
Based on Gall et al. (2006)
Slide 3.8
Adopting a critical perspective (1)

Skills for effective reading
} Previewing which is looking around the text before you start

reading in order to establish precisely its purpose and how it may
inform you literature search
} Annotating that is conducting a dialogue with yourself, the
author and the issues and the ideas at stake
} Summarising the best way to determine that you’ve really got
the point is to be able to state it in your words. Outlining the
argument of text is a version of annotating, and can be done
quite informally in the margins of the text
} Comparing and contrasting: ask your self how you thinking has
been altered by this reading or how has it affected your response
to the issue and themes your research
Harvard College Library (2006)
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Slide 3.9

The most important skills are
} The capacity to evaluate what you read
} The capacity to relate what you read to other

information
Wallace and Wray (2006)
Slide 3.10
Questions to ask yourself
Why am I reading this?
What is the author trying to do in writing this?
How convincing is this?
What use can I make of this reading?
Adapted from Wallace and Wray (2006)
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Slide 3.11
Content of the critical review

You will need to
} Include key academic theories
} Demonstrate current knowledge of the area
} Use clear referencing for the reader to find the

original cited publications
} Acknowledge the research of others
Slide 3.12
Is your literature review critical?
Checklists Box 3.2 and Box 3.3
Complete the checklists to evaluate your

literature review
Saunders et al. (2009)
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Slide 3.13
Structure of the literature review
Three common structures
} A single chapter
} A series of chapters
} Throughout the report
Slide 3.14
The key to a critical literature review
} Demonstrate that you have read, understood and

evaluated your material
} Link the different ideas to form a cohesive and

coherent argument
} Make clear connections to your research

objectives and the subsequent empirical material
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Slide 3.15
Categories of Literature Sources
} Primary (published and unpublished)
} Secondary
} Tertiary
Detailed in Tables 3.1 and 3.2 Saunders et al. (2009)
Slide 3.16
Literature sources available

Literature sources available

Figure 3.2 Literature sources available
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Slide 3.17
Journals
} Journals are also known as ‘periodical’ ‘serials’ and
‘magazines’ and are published on a regular basis. Journals
are a vital literature source for any research. They are well
covered by tertiary literature, and good selection can be
accessed from most university libraries (printed or
online)
Slide 3.18
Refereed academic Journals

} Articles in refereed academic journals (such as Journal of
management studies)are evaluated by peers academic prior to
publication, to assess their quality and suitability, they are
usually written by experts in the field. There will be usually be
detailed footnotes, an extensive bibliography , rigorous
attention to detail and verification of information.
} Such articles are written for a more narrow audience of
scholars with a particular interest in the field. The language
used may be technical or highly specialized as a prior
knowledge of the topic will be assumed.
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Slide 3.19
Professional Journals
} Professional Journals (such as People Management) they
are produced for their members by organization such as
the chartered Institute of personal and development
(CIPD). They contain a mix of news related items and
articles that are more detailed. However you have to
exercise caution
Slide 3.20
Trade Journals
} They fulfill a similar function to professional journals.
They are published by trade organizations or aimed
at particular industries or trades such as carting or
mining. Often they focus in new products or services
and news items, they rarely contain articles based on
empirical research, although some provide summaries
of research,You should therefore use these with
consideration caution for you research project.
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Slide 3.21
Books
} Books and monographs are written for specific audiences.
Some are aimed at the academic, with a theoretical slant.
Others, aimed at practicing professionals, may be more applied
in their content. The material in books is usually presented in a
more ordered and accessible manner than in journals, polling
together a wider range of topics, they are therefore,
practically useful as introductory sources to help clarify your
research question(s) and objectives or research methods you
intend to use. Some academic textbooks such as this one are
now supported by web pages providing additional information.
Slide 3.22
Newspaper
} Newspaper are good source of topical events, developments
within business and government, as well as recent statistical
information such as share prices, they also sometimes review
recent research report.
} Again you should be careful when you use newspaper in your
research project as newspaper may contain bias in their
coverage, be it political geographical or personal.
} Reporting can also be inaccurate and you may not pick up any
subsequent amendments
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Slide 3.23
Reports
} Reports include market research reports such as those
produced by Mintel and keynote government reports and
academic reports. It is not easy to get access for these
reports as they are not as widely available as books. It is
important to try to assess the authority of the author, and
to beware of personal bias
Slide 3.24
Conference proceedings
} Conference proceedings sometimes referred to as
symposia, as often published as unique titles within
journals or as books. Most conferences have a theme that
is very specific, but some have a wide-range overview.
Many conferences have associated web pages providing
abstract and occasionally the full papers presented at the
conference .
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Slide 3.25
Theses
} Theses are unique and so far a major research project
can be a good source of further references. Unfortunately,
they can be difficult to locate and, when found, difficult to
access as there may be only one copy at the awarding
institution.
Slide 3.26
Planning your search strategy

} All our students have found their literature search a time
consuming process, which take far longer than expected.
Fortunately, time spent planning will be rapid in time saved
when searching the literature. As you start to plan your search,
you need to beware of information overload!
} One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to start the main
search for your critical review with a clearly defined research
question (s), objectives and outline proposal.
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Slide 3.27
The literature search strategy (1)

Write down
} parameters of your search

} key words and search terms to be used
} databases and search engines to be used
} criteria for selection of relevant and useful studies
And
Discuss these with a tutor (if possible)
Slide 3.28
The literature search strategy (2)

} Define the research parameters
} Generate key words
} Discuss your research
} Brainstorm ideas
} Construct Relevance trees - use computer software
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Slide 3.29
Defining the parameters of your

search
} For most research questions and objectives you will have a good
idea of which subject matter is going to be relevant. You will,
however, be less clear about the parameters within which you
need to search. In particular, you need to be clear about the
following (Bell 2005):
} Language of publication (e.g. English);
} Subject area (e.g. accountancy);
} Business sector (e.g. manufacturing);
} Geographical area (e.g. Europe);
} Publication period (e.g. the last 10 years);
} Literature type (e.g. refereed journals and books).
Slide 3.30
Generating your keywords
} It is important at this stage to read both articles by key

authors and recent review articles in area of your research.
This will help you to define your subject matter and to
suggest appropriate key words. Recent review articles in
your research area are often helpful here as they discuss
the current state of research for a particular topic and can
help you to refine your keywords. In addition ,they will
probably contain reference s to other work that is
pertinent to your research question(s) and objectives.
(Box 3.8) If you are unsure about review articles, your
project tutor should be able to point you in the right
direction. Another potentially useful source of references
is dissertations and theses in your university's library.
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Slide 3.31
Generating your keywords
} After re-reading your lecture notes and textbooks and

undertaking this limited reading you will have a list of subjects
that appear relevant to your research project. You now need to
define precisely what is relevant to your research in terms of
key words. The identification of keywords or ‘research’ terms is
the most important part of planning your search for relevant
literature (Bell 2005). Key words are the basic terms that
describe your research questions(s) and objectives, and will be
used to search the tertiary literature. Keywords (which can
include authors’ surnames identified in the examination of your
lecture notes and course textbooks) can be identified using one
or a number of different techniques in combination.
Slide 3.32
Discussion
} We believe you should be taking every opportunity
to discuss your research. In discussing you work with
others, whether face to face, by email or by letter, you
will be sharing your ideas, getting feedback and
obtaining new ideas and approaches. This process will
help you to refine and clarify your topic.
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Slide 3.33
Initial reading, dictionaries, encyclopedias,

handbooks and thesauruses
} To produce the most relevant keywords you may need to build
on your brainstorming sessions with support materials such as
dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and thesauruses, both
general and subject specific. These are also good starting
points for new topics which may be unfamiliar and for related
subject area. Initial reading, particularly of recent review article,
may also be of help here. Project tutors, colleagues and
librarians can also be useful sources of ideas.
Slide 3.34
Initial reading, dictionaries, encyclopedias,

handbooks and thesauruses
} It is also possible to obtain definitions via the Internet. The
online search engine Google offers a ‘define’(by typing
‘define:[enter term ]’) that provides links to websites providing
definitions. Definitions are also offered in free online
encyclopedias such as Wikipedia(see box 3.9).These are often
available in multiple language and, although anyone is allowed to
edit the entries, inappropriate changes are usually removed
quickly [Wikipedia 2008]. However, whilst these websites may
be useful for a quick reference or in helping to define keywords,
your university will almost certainly expect you to justify the
definitions in your research project using refereed journal
articles or textbooks.
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Slide 3.35
Conducting a literature search (1)
Approaches can include
} Searching tertiary literature sources
} Obtaining relevant literature
} Scanning and browsing secondary literature
} Searching using the Internet
Slide 3.36
Searching using tertiary literature
} Ensure key words match controlled index language
} Search appropriate printed and database sources
} Note precise details used – including search strings
} Note the FULL reference of each search found
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Slide 3.37
} Printed sources
} Databases – use of Boolean logic and free

text searching (Table 3.3)
} Scanning and browsing
} Searching the Internet (Tables 3.4 and 3.5)
Slide 3.38

Searching the Internet
Figure 3.3 Searching the Internet

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Slide 3.39

Searching the Internet
Figure 3.3 Searching the Internet (Continued)

Slide 3.40
Evaluating the literature
} Define the scope of your review
} Assess relevance and value
} Assess sufficiency
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Slide 3.41
Recording the literature
Make notes for each item you read
Record –
} Biographic details
} Brief summary of content
} Supplementary information
Sharp et al. (2002)
Slide 3.42
Recording the literature
} Bibliographic details (Table 3.6)
} Brief summary
} Supplementary information (Table 3.7)
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Slide 3.43
Plagiarism
Four common forms
} Stealing material from another source
} Submitting material written by another
} Copying material without quotation marks
} Paraphrasing material without documentation
Adapted from Park (2003), cited in Easterby-Smith et al. (2008)

Slide 3.44
Summary: Chapter 3
The critical literature review
} Sets the research in context
} Leads the reader into later sections of the report
} Begins at a general level and narrows to specific

topics
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Slide 3.45
Summary: Chapter 3
A literature search requires
} Three main categories of sources

} Clearly defined research questions and
objectives
} Defined parameters
} Use of techniques – ( brainstorming and
relevance trees)
Slide 3.46
Additional reading
} Introduction to style guides, Appendix E and F.
} Patten and Newhart.
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Slide 3.47
APA style
} In text citation:
} New data suggest that the influence of the mass media on
social norms and customs is growing very rapidly (Doe, 2013).
} The influence of peer group pressure on bullying behavior by
girls needs more largescale investigations (Edwards & Jones,
2013).
} Large-scale research on gender-role socialization is relatively
rare (Washington et al., 2013).
} In three recent surveys, a majority of parents expressed strong
support for the XYZ program (Black-stone, 2012; Brown et al.,
2011; White & Bright, 2013).
} Or Washington et al. (2013) point out that large-scale research
on gender-role socialization is relatively rare.
Slide 3.48
APA style
} References
} Adams, E. S. (2014). Review of the origins of social sports
theories. Journal of Hypothetical Social Studies in Sports, 34,
119–121.
} Suresh, G., & Tewksbury, R. (2013). Locations of motor vehicle
theft and recovery. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 38,
200–215.
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Slide 3.49
ASA style
} In text citation
} New data suggest that the influence of the mass media on
social norms and customs is growing very rapidly (Doe 2013).
} Large-scale research on gender-role socialization is relatively
rare (Washington et al. 2013).
} In three recent surveys, a majority of parents expressed strong
support for the XYZ program (Black 2012; Brown et al. 2011;
White and Bright 2013).
Slide 3.50
ASA style
} Reference
} Adams, Eric S. 2014. “Review of the Origins of Social Sports
Theories.” Journal of Hypothetical Social Studies in Sports,
34(2):119–21.
} Suresh, Geetha and Richard Tewksbury. 2013. “Locations of
Motor Vehicle Theft and Recovery.” American Journal of
Criminal Justice, 38(2):200–15. doi 10.1007/ s12103-012-9161-
7.
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C3. Literature Review

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8/19/20

Reasons for reviewing the literature

} To conduct a ‘preliminary’ search of existing

} To organise valuable ideas and findings

} To identify other research that may be in progress

} To generate research ideas

} To develop a critical perspective

The literature review process

Source: Saunders et al. (2003)

The Critical Review (1)

The Critical Review (2)

} To further refine research questions and objectives

} To discover recommendations for further research

} To avoid repeating work already undertaken

} To provide insights into strategies and techniques

Based on Gall et al. (2006)

Adopting a critical perspective (1)

} Previewing which is looking around the text before you start

Harvard College Library (2006)

Adopting a critical perspective (2)

} The capacity to evaluate what you read

} The capacity to relate what you read to other

Wallace and Wray (2006)

Adopting a critical perspective (3)

Questions to ask yourself

Why am I reading this?

What is the author trying to do in writing this?

How convincing is this?

What use can I make of this reading?

Adapted from Wallace and Wray (2006)

Content of the critical review

} Include key academic theories

} Demonstrate current knowledge of the area

} Use clear referencing for the reader to find the

} Acknowledge the research of others

Is your literature review critical?

Checklists Box 3.2 and Box 3.3

Complete the checklists to evaluate your

Saunders et al. (2009)

Structure of the literature review

Three common structures

} Throughout the report

The key to a critical literature review

} Demonstrate that you have read, understood and

} Link the different ideas to form a cohesive and

} Make clear connections to your research

Saunders et al. (2009)

Categories of Literature Sources

} Primary (published and unpublished)

Detailed in Tables 3.1 and 3.2 Saunders et al. (2009)

Literature sources available

Saunders et al. (2009)

Refereed academic Journals

Planning your search strategy

The literature search strategy (1)

} parameters of your search

Discuss these with a tutor (if possible)

The literature search strategy (2)

} Generate key words

} Discuss your research

} Construct Relevance trees - use computer software

Defining the parameters of your

Generating your keywords

} It is important at this stage to read both articles by key