Tips for Writing a Literature Review:

Steps to conduct a literature Review: 1. Clarify research questions and objectives 2. Locate and evaluate sources of information 3. Start collecting the literature 4. Review and make a record of the information 5. Start writing the initial literature review 6. Identify gaps in the literature 7. Examine your research questions and objectives again 8. Collect additional literature to fill gaps 9. Prepare final literature review Please note that a common error in literature reviews is for writers to present material from one author followed by information from another and then another You SHOULD NOT do this when writing your literature review. A good literature review should meet the following requirements (Caulley, 1992): 1. Compare and contrast authors views on an issue 2. Group authors who draw similar conclusions 3. Critique aspects of methodology 4. Note areas in which authors are in disagreement 5. Highlight exemplary studies 6. Highlight gaps in research 7. Show how your study relates to previous studies 8. Show how your study relates to literature in general 9. Conclude by summarizing what the literature says

A literature review can also identify methodologies used by previous researchers to study a problem. Questionnaires, measurement scales, statistical techniques and research designs from other studies should be examined and adapted to meet the needs of the new study.

Here are some suggestions on how to structure the first draft of your literature review: Start by introducing your primary variable of interest (Dependent Variable, e.g., customer satisfaction) o Give definition (Are there agreements/disagreements in the literature in terms of definitions provided) Why is it important to research this topic in general and in specific (in relation to your chosen organization)? What different factors does it influence? Briefly discuss some of them (e.g., loyalty, sales, profitability) What factors lead to an increase in customer satisfaction? (e.g., Price, SQ) Which of these variables are you interested in researching and why? (e.g., independent variables, moderators, intervening). The above discussion should lead you to introduce your research question(s) in a logical manner.

Discuss findings of authors that have investigated the relationships you are interested in testing (i.e., variables included in your framework). Here, make sure you follow the requirements mentioned above.