Review of Related Literature

Introduction

Most of the time, aspiring researchers are taking for granted the literature review part of
the research study. Perhaps, they tend to do it because it takes a lot of effort and time in searching
the net, books or journals to be included in their literature research. Because of its tedious
process, some of the researchers are just copying it to the net and paste it to their work sheet
because there are readily available documents in the internet resulting to a plagiarized work. With
the given scenario, the literature review is a neglected part of the research in which this should
be regarded as the soul of the paper.

The Review of Related Literature is the well defines body of knowledge that is related to
your study. This is an essential element of the research paper because it gives the author an idea
about the topic identifies, it gives an information on the things to be done and the things that are
not to be considered as part of the paper. This part of the paper is considered essential because
it synthesizes all the existing literatures that may help and guide the researchers in doing their
manuscript. This concept therefore will try to inculcate on you the very essence of doing the
literature review for the study.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this concept, the following will be attained by the learners:

1. To identify the function of literature review to research.

2. To appreciate the thigs needed in carrying out a literature review.
3. Understand the steps in doing the review.
4. Understand the connection of the literature review to the conceptualization of
frameworks for the study.

Concept of Review of Related Literature

• The literature review is collecting research publications, books, journal, magazines and
other publications that are related to the problem that is defined.
• This aims to familiarize the researchers on the existing body of knowledge to the topic
under investigation.
• It give the researchers an idea of the concept of the study, it also clarifies the idea for the
research and it help formulate the methodology needed for the study.
• On the later part of the process, literature review is essential to support the result of the
study during the write up the research paper. In this note, the review of related literature
pays an extremely important role because you are going to integrate the result of your
study to the finding of the existing body of knowledge- to support or to contradict.
• The higher the level of your research paper, the more vital literature review is because
integration of the literature to the result of the study is also more thorough.

25
• The literature review can also be conceptual or empirical literature review. The
conceptual review is related to the concept and theories related to the study while
empirical pertains to the previous studies conducted along the area of interest.
• In general, Review of related literature serves the following functions:
o Sharpen the problem, reformulate it or even leads to defining other closely related
problems.
o Get proper understanding of the problem chosen.
o Acquire proper theoretical and practical knowledge to investigate the problem.
o Show how the problem under study relates to the previous research studies and
o Know whether the proposed problem had already been solved.
o Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
o Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
o Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
o Locate your own research within the context of existing literature.
• In your study, the literature review can help you do the following:
o Clarity and focus to the problem
o Understanding and improving your research methodology
o Gives you a wider understanding of the topic or research area
o Contextualize you findings

A. Clarity and focus to the Problem

• The review of related literature helps you understand the subject matter or the topic
of your study which help you to conceptualize a clear and more focus research
problem. It can also make the problem statement more relevant to the field of
inquiry.
• It establishes the gaps in the literature thus giving you more suggestions to be
included in the problem of your study.

B. Improving the Research Methodology

• The literature can give you about the methods used in the related studies to answer
their problems.
• It will show you also the methods that works well to the study you are proposing. By
knowing and being aware of the pitfalls committed by the previous research studies,
you are in a best position to select methodology that is suited to your study.

C. Gives you a wider understanding of the topic or research area

• The basic function of the literature review is for you to read a wide range of subject
are in which you want to conduct your study. It is important for you to be well versed
with the finding of the other studies for you to be knowledgeable to the existing
gaps in the literature.

26
 • The literature review will urge you to read an extensive literature related to your
study to get information about your topic and be knowledgeable in your how you
go about your study.

D. Contextualize your Findings

• It is important for the result of your study to put into context what is already
establish as based and what is already existing in the body of knowledge.
• The review of literature will enable you to compare your finding with the result of
the previous studies so that you can give context to the result of your investigation.

Doing the Literature Review

If you are a novice researcher and you don’t have any topic yet in your mind, be sure to
do the literature review on the subject which you are interested with for you to pick information
and grasp concept for you to formulate for problem. After having your topic or problem, your
literature should focus now around your identified research problem so that you can understand
specifically your research area. Is easy to tell to everyone to do literature review but the thing is it
is hard to start without knowledge of doing it. This portion will give you the understanding on how
to do the literature review.

1. Searching for the Existing Literature.

• You can search literature review through the books, journals, internet and other
published materials.
• Preparation collection and documentation of the sources of literature should be
kept.
• References collection should be kept systematically.

2. Reviewing the Selected Literature

• Carefully read all those selected literature and pull together themes and issues
that are related to your study.
• While reading the literatures please note in mind the following:
i. If the knowledge or information reviewed is credible
ii. Methodologies, framework, criticism and their basis
iii. Scrutinize if the finding of their study can be used to other situations
iv. Notice if there are differences in the ideas and opinions of the researches
v. Ascertain the gaps existing among the literatures.

3. Developing Framework
• As you go on with your readings, you will try to understand and see that the study
you want to investigate has its theoretical foundations. You will also understand
the agreement and disagreement of the different authors thus you can now identify
gaps in the literatures. You will try to elicit also that literatures do have direct or
indirect bearing into your study. Use these aspect in developing your framework.

27
Critical Evaluation of each Literature Review

The following should be considered in evaluating the literature review gathered. Consider
the different questions to carefully assess each literature.

1. Provenance
• What are the author's credentials?
• Are the author's arguments supported by evidence
2. Methodology
• Were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to
addressing the research problem?
• Was the sample size appropriate?
• Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
3. Objectivity
• Is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial?
• Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the
author's point?
4. Persuasiveness
• Which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
5. Value
• Are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing?
• Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of
the subject?

Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each
section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.

1. Use Evidence. A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic
research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with
evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid.

2. Be Selective. Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the
review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the
research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items
that provide additional information but that are not key to understanding the research
problem can be included in a list of further readings.

3. Use Quotes Sparingly. Some short quotes are okay if you want to emphasize a point, or
if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote
certain terminology that was coined by the author, not common knowledge, or taken

28
 directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for your own summary
and interpretation of the literature.

4. Summarize and Synthesize. Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources

within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important
features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance
and relating it to your own work.

5. Keep Your Own Voice. While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the
writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources
into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph
with your own ideas and wording.

6. Use Caution When Paraphrasing. When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be
sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words.
Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research
literature.

• Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use
in the literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant
primary research studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather
than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to
review;
• Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi -squared or
meta-analytic methods; and,
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary
findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature .

Source: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview

29
Writing Tips
Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinary about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying

new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural
anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might
geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities
than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough
review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of
study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from
multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new
perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other
disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to
indexing its research literature.

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part
of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating.
Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to
ask:

• How are they organizing their ideas?

• What methods have they used to study the problem?
• What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research
problem?
• What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
• How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to
illustrate key points?
When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into
how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for
developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed
the literature:

• Look for repeating patterns in the research findings. If the same thing is being said,
just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a
conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current
research? Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing
being said?

30
• Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same
researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have
been generated to address the research problem.
• Search the Web of Science Citation database and Google Scholar to identify who
has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review.
This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you
identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here
again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new
literature has been written on the topic.
Source: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview

31