Chapter 4

The Critical Literature

Review

Slide 4-2
 Critical Literature Review
 A literature review is “the selection of
available documents (both published and
unpublished) on the topic, which contain
information, ideas, data and evidence
written from a particular standpoint to
fulfill certain aims or express certain
views on the nature of the topic and how it
is to be investigated, and the effective
evaluation of these documents in relation
to the research being proposed” (Hart,
1998, p. 13).
Slide 4-3
 Functions Literature Review

In general, a literature review ensures that:

1. The research effort is positioned relative to existing
knowledge and builds on this knowledge.
2. You can look at a problem from a specific angle.
3. You do not run the risk of “reinventing the wheel”;
4. You are able to introduce relevant terminology and
to define key terms used in your writing.
5. You obtain useful insights of the research methods
others have used to provide an answer to similar
research questions.
6. The research effort can be contextualized in a wider
academic debate.
Slide 4-4
 Functions Literature Review
Some of the functions of a critical literature review
depend on the type of study and the specific research
approach that is taken.
 In a descriptive study it may help you to come up
with a comprehensive overview of the relevant
perspectives on the topic, a guiding definition, and
an in-depth overview of frameworks, instruments,
and analytical tools that will help you to describe
something.
  In a project that is inductive and exploratory in
nature, it may help you to develop a theoretical
background, which provides an overview of the key
literature pertinent to your specific topic
Slide 4-5
 Functions Literature Review
 In a deductive study, a review of the literature
will allow you to develop a theoretical
background. This may help you to obtain a clear
idea as to what variables will be important to
consider in his theoretical framework, why they
are considered important, how they are related
to each other, and how they should be measured
to solve the problem. A critical review of the
literature may also help you to provide
arguments for the relationships between the
variables in your conceptual causal model and
to develop hypotheses.
Slide 4-6
 Data Sources

 Textbooks
 Academic and professional journals
 Theses
 Conference proceedings
 Unpublished manuscripts
 Reports of government departments and
corporations
 Newspapers
 The Internet
Slide 4-7
 Searching for Literature

 Most libraries have the following

electronic resources at their disposal:
 Electronic journals
 Full-text databases
 Bibliographic databases
 Abstract databases

Slide 4-8
 Evaluating the Literature

 Titles
 Abstract
 Table of contents/first chapter book
 Number of citations

Slide 4-9
 Documenting the Literature Review

 Literature review introduces

 Subject study
 Highlights the problem
 Summarizes work done so far

Slide 4-10
 Writing a Literature Review
 Student A:

Smith (2000) concludes that personal privacy in their living quarters is

the most important factor in nursing home residents' perception of
their autonomy. He suggests that the physical environment in the
more public spaces of the building did not have much impact on their
perceptions. Neither the layout of the building, nor the activities
available seem to make much difference. Jones and Johnstone make
the claim that the need to control one's environment is a fundamental
need of life (2001), and suggest that the approach of most institutions,
which is to provide total care, may be as bad as no care at all. If
people have no choices or think that they have none, they become
depressed.

Slide 4-11
 Writing a Literature Review
 Student B:

After studying residents and staff from two intermediate care facilities in
Calgary, Alberta, Smith (2000) came to the conclusion that except for the
amount of personal privacy available to residents, the physical environment of
these institutions had minimal if any effect on their perceptions of control
(autonomy). However, French (1998) and Haroon (2000) found that availability of
private areas is not the only aspect of the physical environment that determines
residents' autonomy. Haroon interviewed 115 residents from 32 different
nursing homes known to have different levels of autonomy (2000). It was found
that physical structures, such as standardized furniture, heating that could not
be individually regulated, and no possession of a house key for residents
limited their feelings of independence. Moreover, Hope (2002), who interviewed
225 residents from various nursing homes, substantiates the claim that
characteristics of the institutional environment such as the extent of resources
in the facility, as well as its location, are features which residents have
indicated as being of great importance to their independence.

Slide 4-12
 Writing a Literature Review
 Look at the following two passages and note that Student A is
merely describing the literature and Student B takes a more
analytical and evaluative approach, by comparing and
contrasting.

 You can also see that this evaluative approach is well signalled
by linguistic markers indicating logical connections (words
such as "however," "moreover") and phrases such as
"substantiates the claim that," which indicate supporting
evidence and Student B's ability to synthesize knowledge.

Slide 4-13
 Common Forms of Plagiarism
Sources not cited
1. “The Ghost Writer”
2. “The Photocopy”
3. “The Potluck Paper”
4. “The Poor Disguise”
5. “The Labor of Laziness”
6. “The Self-Stealer”
Reprinted with permission from: What is Plagiarism? (n.d.), retrieved
June 22, 2011, from http://
www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html.
Slide 4-14
 Common Forms of Plagiarism

Sources cited (but still plagiarized)

1.“The Forgotten Footnote”
2.“The Misinformer”
3.“The Too-Perfect Paraphrase”
4.“The Resourceful Citer”
5.“The Perfect Crime”
Reprinted with permission from: What is Plagiarism? (n.d.), retrieved
June 22, 2011, from
http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html.

Slide 4-15