Name : Umi Fatkurohmah

NIM : 932206319

Related literature is composed of discussions of facts and principles to which the present study
is related. The materials are usually printed and found in books, encyclopedias, professional
journals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications. Related literature clarify vague points
about the research problem thus it helps the researcher understand his topic better. It also helps
and guides the researchers in making comparisons between his findings with another findings of
similar studies. Thus, related literature should have true value.

There are two types of sources : Primary Sources and Secondary Sources. Primary sources are
fundamental documents related to the research that's conducted and the origin of information of
the study. It's often the original written by the researchers at the time of an discovery. The
example of primary sources are published books, magazines, news, journals, encyclopedias,
almanacs and etc. Secondary sources are documents or recordings that relate to information that
originally presented elsewhere. The example of secondary sources are information from the
internet, unpublished thesis and dissertations.

Steps In Literature Search

1. Develop a well-defined question

Starting off a literature review without an clear and focussed research question will mean that
you will dig up a lot of literature not relevant to what you actually want. So, develop a research
question that is:

Focussed

Not too broad and not too narrow in scope

Complex enough to allow for research and analysis

2. Choose the right keywords

Overlooking the importance of using the right keywords and phrases relevant to the topic means
that you could miss important information due to a weak search query.
Read papers from different publications to familiarize yourself with the writing style and
keywords.

Build a concept map of related keywords and phrases that might be related to your research (for
example, the related keywords to ‘literature search’ are ‘secondary research’ and ‘systematic
review’)

3. Do not ignore non-obvious sources

Many researchers tend to do a literature search taking into account published literature: journals
and books. However, there are other sources that are invaluable, but often overlooked. Look into
conference proceedings, ongoing research at university labs (mentioned on university websites),
online discussion forums, databases of high-quality pre-print material, and postdoctoral theses. 

Evaluate literature for quality

You’ve got all the literature in place, but how do you know if it’s reliable? Since you’re going to
be building your research on this information you need to have some quality control and make
sure that sources are credible. Evaluate the credibility of the source by asking these questions:

Where was the research published?

When was it published?

Has it been peer-reviewed?

Does the author have good credentials?

Is the article free from bias?

5. Redefine your question

Now that the literature search is completely, you might be raring to go. But wait! It’s not over
yet. At the end of your search, you have to go back to square one: the research question. Is it still
relevant and valid? Does it have to be revised?

While doing the literature search, make notes from the “Suggestions for Future Work” in the
papers you find relevant and interesting. This will help you formulate your research question
better and make the focus of your research clearer.