Literature Review
Reviewing of literature is an essential part of your academic research project. The review is a careful examination of a body of literature pointing toward the answer to your research question. A literature review is the effective evaluation of selected documents on a research topic. A review may form an essential part of the research process or may constitute a research project in itself. In the context of a research paper or thesis the literature review is a critical synthesis of previous research. The evaluation of the literature leads logically to the research question. Therefore, a literature review is the process of reading, analyzing, evaluating, and summarizing scholarly materials about a specific topic.
What is the purpose of a Literature Review? The purpose of a literature review is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic and what are the strengths and weaknesses. The literature review also allows the reader to be brought up to date regarding the state of research in the field and familiarizes the reader with any contrasting perspectives and viewpoints on the topic. There are good reasons for beginning a literature review before starting a research paper. These reasons include: To see what has and has not been investigated; To develop general explanation for observed variations in a behaviour or phenomenon; To identify potential relationships between concepts and to identify researchable hypotheses; To learn how others have defined and measured key concepts; To identify data sources that other researches have used; To develop alternative research projects; and also to discover how a research project is related to the work of others.
There are two types of sources for literature that can be included in a review: primary and secondary. Primary sources are direct descriptions of research studies or other events written by an individual who actually conducted the study or witnessed the event (Allyn & Bacon,
What is the purpose of a Literature Review? The purpose of a literature review is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic and what are the strengths and weaknesses. The literature review also allows the reader to be brought up to date regarding the state of research in the field and familiarizes the reader with any contrasting perspectives and viewpoints on the topic. There are good reasons for beginning a literature review before starting a research paper. These reasons include: To see what has and has not been investigated; To develop general explanation for observed variations in a behaviour or phenomenon; To identify potential relationships between concepts and to identify researchable hypotheses; To learn how others have defined and measured key concepts; To identify data sources that other researches have used; To develop alternative research projects; and also to discover how a research project is related to the work of others.
There are two types of sources for literature that can be included in a review: primary and secondary. Primary sources are direct descriptions of research studies or other events written by an individual who actually conducted the study or witnessed the event (Allyn & Bacon,
References: Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2006) How to Research (third edition). Buckingham: Open University Press. Salmon, M Allyn and Bacon (1999) Writing for your portfolio. Date Submitted: October 22, 2013 Id#: 1104k0070