Literature Review M2X8629

A Literature Review is…. much more than a list of separate reviews of articles and books a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic a comparison of different theories, findings, and so on, rather than just a summary of them individually an organised review of a particular focus or theme a discussion on the more significant academic literature important for that focus a relatively brief but thorough exploration of past and current work on a topic usually organised thematically, such as different theoretical approaches, methodologies, or specific issues or concepts involved in the topic— rather than a chronological listing of previous work. A thematic organisation makes it easier to examine contrasting perspectives, approaches, methodologies, findings, etc., and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of, and point out any gaps in previous research. This is the heart of what a literature review is all about. above all, a critical overview of the current state of research efforts

Critical Review of Literature The aim of a literature review is to provide the conceptual background to your particular research topic. The literature review shows what other people asking similar questions have discovered: ‘There is little point in reinventing the wheel…the work that you do is not done in a vacuum, but builds on the ideas of other people who have studied the field before you. This requires you to describe what has been published, and to marshal the information in a relevant and critical way.’ Jankowicz (2005, p. 161) The review helps you understand the topic under consideration, but also provides you with a point of evaluation for your conclusions.

Figure 2 The literature review process Source: © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill and Martin Jenkins 2003

Some of the questions the review of the literature can answer Epistemological – the branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge Ontological – examines the nature of existence or being Ontological - Adapted from Hart, C. (1998) Doing a literature review. London, Sage, p14

Literature sources The literature review is not a summary, or annotated bibliography and must not drive the reader to ask, "Why am I reading this?" The review should build up an argument for your particular research and not simply stop when you feel sufficient literature has been reviewed. There is a mass of secondary literature available and you should begin with general texts before moving to more specific material (macro and micro). Use a range of sources & viewpoints (e.g. academic, governmental, industrial sources)

Figure 3 Literature sources available (Saunders et al 2007)

Figure 4 Types of secondary data Source: © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 2007

Figure 5 Evaluating potential secondary data sources Source: © Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods in Business, 4th Edition © Pearson Education Limited 2007

Figure 6 Searching the Internet Source: © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill and Martin Jenkins, 2003

Using references The steps to avoid mistakes and hours spent chasing references at the end of the dissertation are simple and obvious, yet often ignored. Always keep notes tidy and file them systematically. Understand what information you need to include in a bibliography and always put a full bibliographical reference, in the correct form, on every note taken. Include the page numbers of the reference. Keep a card index of all references. If you copy a quotation into your notes for later use in your dissertation be sure to do so fully and without abbreviations, you can always abbreviate later. Check the quote thoroughly to make sure that you have not misrepresented the author's views. Remember to record the specific page number the quote comes from.

Using references Be particularly careful when you copy statistical tables. Set them out neatly in the notes and check every figure. If you are doing any statistical calculations, be particularly careful to set out the worksheets tidily and with plenty of spaces. Check all calculations when you first make them. Do not over-use direct quotes from authors and always discuss quotes that you do use. Take time to clearly structure your review with a coherent and logical sequence of sub headings and summaries.

Critical analysis Students often fail to be sufficiently analytical or evaluative and try to compensate with a greater amount of information instead. Quantity cannot substitute for the quality of analysis. The review should not be a simple recitation or list of what other authors have written; it is essential that you link ideas, compare and contrast the material and look for any trends or themes. Literature cited must be up-to-date

Analysis and evaluation Avoid a biased review. Try to cite references for and against your argument (it also makes for more interesting reading). Be analytical. Don’t just LIST the different arguments. Pick the RELEVANT views and discuss them. Link ideas together. Try to compare and contrast views, and interpret what they mean.

Writing style Write in the third person. For example, rather than ‘ I found…’ you should say something like ‘It was evident…’. Use a formal style of writing. For example: no contractions – ‘it’s’ should be ‘it is’, ‘don’t’ = ‘do not’. Avoid slang – ‘if you pay peanuts you get monkeys’ Always, always, always: SPELLCHECK your work. Also grammar check. Get somebody to proof-read your work where possible.

Software to aid referencing Free reference managers Zotero,Mendeley, BibDesk Other reference managers EndNote (web-based EndNote Basic is free) These allow you to build a store of references that can be sorted, searched and automatically inserted into documents It takes a little time to set up but can save you a lot of time if you use the same references regularly

Writing the Literature Review Keep these points in mind as you are writing your literature review: What is the purpose for the literature review and make sure your review specifically addresses your purpose(s). Write as you read, and revise as you read more. Rather than wait until you have read everything you are planning to review, start writing as soon as you start reading. You will need to reorganize and revise it all later. But writing a summary of an article when you read it helps you to think more carefully about the article. Having drafts and annotations to work with will also make writing the full review easier since you won’t have to rely completely on your memory or have to keep thumbing back through all the articles. The first draft is for you, so you can tell yourself what you are thinking. Later you can rewrite it for others to tell them what you think.

Some points to address when writing about works you are reviewing Be specific and be succinct. Briefly state specific findings listed in an article, specific methodologies used in a study, or other important points. Literature reviews are not the place for long quotes or in-depth analysis of each point. Be selective. You are trying to boil down a lot of information into a small space. Mention just the most important points in each work you review. Is it a current article? How old is it? Have its claims, evidence, or arguments been superseded by more recent work? If it is not current, is it important for historical background? What specific claims are made? Are they stated clearly? What support is given for those claims? What evidence, and what type (experimental, statistical, anecdotal, etc) is offered? Is the evidence relevant? Sufficient? What arguments are given? What assumptions are made and are they warranted? What is the source of the evidence or other information? The author's own experiments, surveys, etc? Government documents? How reliable are the sources? Does the author take into account contrary or conflicting evidence and arguments? How does the author address disagreements with other researchers? What specific conclusions are drawn? Are they warranted by the evidence? How does this article, argument, theory, etc, relate to other work?