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A literature review is a survey of existing research on a given topic. It is used to identify debates, trends, and gaps in the research so that you can determine where your work will fit into a broader field.
Literature reviews are an essential part of any research project and often one of the most challenging parts of writing. But never fear— we're here to help! You will understand everything about how to create a literature review from this step-by-step manual.
Purpose of literature review
To place your research in the existing body of knowledge, you'll probably need to do a literature review while writing a dissertation, thesis, or research paper. Using the literature review, you can:
- Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and the academic background.
- Create a theoretical framework and a research technique.
- Consider how your work compares to those of other scholars and theorists.
- Show how your study fills a gap or advances a discussion.
- Analyze the research's present condition and show that you are knowledgeable about the academic discussions surrounding your chosen issue.
If you want to enrol in graduate school or pursue a career in research, being able to write literature reviews is a skill that you should develop.
Different ways to outline your literature review
1. Thematic Outline
A thematic outline is a great way to organize your literature review if you know what themes or topics you want to focus on. To create a thematic outline, list all the themes or issues you wish to include in your literature review. Once you have your list of themes, you can begin looking for sources that discuss those themes.
2. Chronological Outline
You can create a chronological outline if you want to organize your literature review chronologically. List all the different sources in the order in which they were published. It can be a great way to see how other scholars have approached the same topic over time.
3. Methodological Outline
A methodological outline is a great way to organize your literature review if you want to focus on the different methods used to study a specific topic. To create a methodological outline, include all the other methods used to analyze your topic. Once you have your list of techniques, you can begin looking for sources that discuss those methods.
4. Conceptual Outline
You can create a conceptual outline focusing on the different concepts used to study a particular topic. You will need to list all the concepts used for the topic's research. Once you have your list of concepts, you can begin looking for sources discussing those concepts.
Get a Dissertation Proposal – Get Going!
Dissertation Proposal Lays Down the Outline of Your Final Dissertation
Get a Dissertation Proposal that matches your requirements, which includes the topic title, research aim and objective, research questions, research gap, literature review, methodology and list of reference papers.
The Dissertation Proposal will be foundation of your final dissertation. It is very important to get this done perfectly to avoid any problems!
Key steps to focus on for an effective literature review
A literature review is written in five stages, which are as follows:
- Look up relevant writings
- Analyze the sources
- Determine the topics, arguments, and gaps.
- Explain the architecture
- Write a review of the literature.
To give a comprehensive picture of the state of knowledge on the topic, a good literature review does more than simply describe the sources; it also analyses, synthesizes, and critically assesses them.
Narrow down your focus
The initial step is to decide what your focus is going to be. You'll need to narrow your topic down so that it's manageable, and you'll want to choose a focus with enough existing research to draw from that isn't so well-researched that you'll have trouble saying something new. Once you've settled on a direction, it's time to start your literature search.
There are various strategies for this. The first is to do a keyword search in a database such as JSTOR or Google Scholar. Another way is simply to do a Google search, but use advanced search operators like "AND" NOT " to ensure you're getting relevant results for your topic.
Once you've found some sources, it's time to start reading! But don't just read — you must take diligent notes as you go along. For each source, make sure to note the main arguments or ideas, any influential authors or studies, and anything else that strikes you as being important or notable.
Evaluate the sources for your research
Since it's unlikely that you'll have time to read everything that has been written on your subject, you'll need to decide which sources are most important to your research issue.
- For each publication, ponder the following:
- What problem or concern is the author trying to solve?
- What are the main ideas, and what do they mean?
- What are the major concepts, theories, and techniques?
- Does the study employ tried-and-true paradigms or adopt a novel strategy?
- What are the research's findings and recommendations?
- How does the journal compare to other works in the field? Does it support, bolster, or contradict previously held beliefs?
- What are the research's advantages and disadvantages?
Ensure that the sources you rely on are reliable, and read any seminal works and important theories in your field of study.
Organize and explain your findings
Now that you've gathered all your sources and taken detailed notes, it's time to write up your findings! There are a few different ways to organize your literature review.
- One common approach is known as the "Literature Tree." This approach starts with a general overview of the topic and then moves on to more specific studies, narrowing your focus as you go along.
- Another common approach is known as the "Funnel Model." In this approach, you start with specific studies and broaden your focus towards more general concepts.
Whatever approach you take, there are a few things that every good literature review should have:
A clear sense of organization
Your readers should be able to follow your argument from start to finish without getting lost along the way. Make sure every paragraph flows smoothly into the next one.
An engaging introduction and conclusion
Like any other piece of writing, your literature review needs an introduction and conclusion that bookend the main body of the text. Your introduction should overview the topic and introduce your thesis statement (more on that later). At the same time, your conclusion should summarize your main findings and tie them back into your thesis statement.
A critical perspective
A literature review isn't just a list of all the existing knowledge on a given topic; it's also an opportunity to offer your analysis and interpretation of those sources.
- What do all these sources have in common?
- How do they differ?
- What gaps do you notice in the research?
These are just some of the questions you should be thinking about as you read through your sources.
Now that we've gone over what a literature review is and how to write one let's look at how they're used in real life. Literature reviews are commonly used in two situations:
- Either as stand-alone papers in which case their purpose is primarily informative), or
- As part of a significant research project (in which case their goal is mainly analytical).
In either case, though, their goal is always the same:
- To provide new insight into a given topic by synthesizing existing research.
Conclusion
A literature review is essential to any research project, but writing one can be daunting if you've never done it before. This article will show you exactly how to write one—from choosing a focus and conducting your search to taking notes and writing up your findings. By following these simple steps, you'll be well on your way towards producing high-quality literature reviews that will contribute new insights into existing fields of study!
