LITERATURE REVIEW

by
Rose lesagaram
 DEFINATION OF LITERATURE REVIEW
• Literature reviews are a collection of the most relevant and
significant publications regarding that topic in order to provide a
comprehensive look at what has been said on the topic and by
whom
• A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources that provides an
overview of a particular topic.Key to a good Literature Review is
to document your process.
• Literature reviews are designed to identify and critique the existing
literature on a topic to justify your research by exposing gaps in
current research
• According to Martens (2010) a good literature review is the basis of
both theoretical and methodological sophistication, thereby
improving the quality and usefulness of subsequent research.
 The purpose of a literature review

• justifying your research that is Identify need for additional research vividly
explains the need of the research ,Martens (2010 say Researchers use the
literature review to identify a rationale for the need for their own study.
• provide basis of knowledge on topic literature review provide foundation of the
research topic
• provide the prior knowledge of the topic Identify areas of prior scholarship to
prevent duplication and give credit to other researchers
• Identify gaps in research-it identifies the missing area of the prior research or the
area in which the prior researcher gave insufficient or limited information.
• Identify conflicts in previous studies-state the areas in which previous pose some
information which bring out the element of confusion or contradiction
• Identify open questions left from other research
• Identify the relationship of works in context of its contribution to the topic and to
other works.
• Identify new way of interpreting prior research
Elements in a Literature Review
 Essential categories of literature
review
• Simple - A simple literature review is a brief overview of the
topic not necessarily purely academic in scope and often
uses popular sources ,this review is often just the start of
the research process.
• Applied - Used mostly in business, government and other
professional environments applied literature reviews are
more fact finding exorcizes. Used to look at marketability
and profitability they look at change and value objectivity
and accuracy in similar projects and programs.
• Academic - Whether stand alone or part of a paper, study,
or project the Academic Literature Review requires
accuracy, quality resources , objectivity thoroughness and
quality analysis but unlike the other two styles the
Academic Review requires a depth the others do not.
 Types of literature review
1. Argumentative literature review, This form
examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an
argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical
problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to
develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian
viewpoint.
2. Theoretical literature review ,help establish what theories already
exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing
theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses
to be tested.
3. Narrative literature review its also called traditional literature
review it is a comprehensive, critical and objective analysis of the
current knowledge on a topic.
4. Systematic literature review is comprehensive and details the
timeframe within which the literature was selected.
 cont
Systematic review consists of an overview of existing
evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research
question, which uses pre-specified and standardized
methods to identify and critically appraise relevant
research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the
studies that are included in the review.
5.Integrative literature review . is a distinctive form of
research that generates new knowledge about the
topic reviewed. It reviews, critiques, and synthesizes
representative literature on a topic in an integrated way
such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic
are generated.
A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as
primary research
 Sources of literature review
There two major source literature review
1. Primary source ,it provide first hand data of the information. Examples
of primary sources of literature review
• letters,
• diaries,
• autobiographies,
• interviews,
• official reports,
• court records,
• artifacts,
• Poem
• Treaty
• vedio
• photographs, and drawings.
 2.Secondary source of literature
review
source that provides non-original or secondhand
data or information.
Its writing about primary source. Examples of
secondary source includes
• textbooks,
• magazines,
• newspapers
• Biographies
• Essay
• Articles.
Stages of developing literature review
1. Define your subject and the scope of the
review.
2. Search for literature
3. Evaluate the sources
4. Make analysis of the source selected
 Format of literature review
Sections of literature review includes
Introduction
• definition of topic and provision of an appropriate context for reviewing the
literature,
• established the reasons for the reviewing literature,
• state the scope of reviewing
Body
The theme of the literature review, provide insight into the relation between your
chosen topic and the wider subject area and move from a general, wider view of
the literature being reviewed to the specific focus of your research
The body includes paragraphs on historical background
• methodologies
• previous studies on the topic
• mainstream versus alternative viewpoints
• principal questions being asked
• general conclusions that are being draw
 Cont

Conclusion
• summaries the important aspects of the existing body
of literature
• evaluate the current state of the literature reviewed
• the main agreements and disagreements in the
literature
• identify significant flaws or gaps in existing knowledge
• outline areas for future study
• link your research to existing knowledge.
 cont
Reference list of the studies used.
Sources in which the writing refer to.