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unpublished) on the topic, which contain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 Unpublished manuscripts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
 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 4-11
 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.

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