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 WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?
A comprehensive classification and evaluation of what other
researchers have written about a topic.
An exciting literature review presents conflicting or contradictory
results of previous studies, which could then be a research gap
that will be filled by a study.
It identifies areas that could be studied when one can establish that
there seems to be a lack of attention on a given topic.
It gives justification as to how your research will fit into the
existing body of knowledge.
SELECTING THE TOPIC AND THE LITERATURE REVIEW
How to Pick a Topic?
Research topics can come from a myriad of sources: an interest in a
particular field, discussions with peers and academics, and
existing literature.
 HOW TO PICK A TOPIC?
1. Look at the basic types of sources first:
1. General (articles, monographs, books, and other documents)
2. Primary
3. Secondary (textbooks)
2. Think about past discussions in class and list which of these you
found to be interesting.
3. Do a library search about your topic by visiting academic
journals your school has a subscription of/books, theses,
government documents, statistics, and newspapers.
 HOW TO PICK A TOPIC?
4. Give all topics that are considered a preliminary title and provide
a brief description of the content and the plan of how the topic
could be developed.
5. Consider the implications of your choice in selecting and
finalizing a topic.
What problems does it intend to explain?
Is it significant enough to contribute new knowledge in
the field?
Can data be gathered locally?
If the topic involves the use of technology, will this be
readily available?
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED SO FAR?
1. What sources are needed in the selection of a
relevant research topic?
2. Can observations be a good starting point in the
selection of a topic? Why or why not?
3. Should topics be given preliminary titles? How
important are these?
 REFLECT UPON:

What research area are you most interested in? Think

about your interests in both social and natural
sciences. Are you into economic, psychological,
political, social, or sociological research? How about
in the natural sciences? Are you into applied or life
sciences? What issues would you like to work on?
GO ONLINE:
Visit http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/topic.html
(accessed 8 October 2015). Which topic gets your
interest most and why?
HOW TO SELECT RELEVANT LITERATURE
A literature review is your critical analysis of available
resources and not just a summary of what is available so
far about your chosen topic.
Careful selection and review of these materials are
therefore significant in establishing what has been
pointed out as research gaps.
HOW TO SELECT RELEVANT LITERATURE
It is best to find literature which was published in the last
five years.
 Undergraduate should review about 20 to 50 materials
 Master’s thesis should be over 50
 Doctoral dissertation should use over 75
 WHEN IS LITERATURE CONSIDERED RELATED
OR RELEVANT?
DATA EVALUATION – ask the following about the materials you
are to include your review:
1. What issue or problem has the author formulated? Is it clearly
defined? Is it significant enough? How was the problem
approached? What are the variables of the study?
2. What do you think is the orientation of the researcher? How
about the theoretical framework used? How are the research
perspective and theoretical perspective related as seen in the
paper?
 WHEN IS LITERATURE CONSIDERED RELATED
OR RELEVANT?
3. Does the author provide contrasting results from previous
researches in the literature section of the paper? What is the
author’s stand on this? Does the author present that there is a
lack of research in the topic considered?
4. What research design did the author use in the paper? How
accurate is the sampling, the intervention, or the outcome? Are
the measurements used valid and reliable? Is the data analysis
accurate? How relevant is this to the problems asked? How
valid or logical are the conclusions?
 WHEN IS LITERATURE CONSIDERED RELATED
OR RELEVANT?
5. How does the author structure the arguments in the paper? And how
related are these arguments and the corresponding results to your research
topic? In what ways does this contribute to your understanding of your
own problem. Are there limitations? Strengths? As you go through
literature selection, keep in mind the following, too:
What do other researches or literatures say about this material you are
reviewing?
Do you find them contrasting as to the arguments and results?
Do they support or affirm each other’s results and collections, and to
what extent?
 WHAT HAVE I LEARNED SO FAR?

1.What is the purpose of a literature

review?
2.When is a literature considered
relevant?