Reviewing the Literature 1

One of the essential preliminary tasks when you undertake a research study is to go through the existing literature in order to acquaint yourself with the available body of knowledge in your area of interest. 2

Literature review has the following functions 1.It brings clarity and focus to your research problem 2.It improves your research methodology 3.It broadens your knowledge base in your research area 4.Contextualise your findings 3

Bringing clarity and focus to your research problem the literature review can play an important role in shaping your research problem because reviewing the literature helps you to understand the subject area better and helps you to conceptualise the research problem clearly. Also, by doing that, you learn what aspects of your subject area have been examined by others, what they have found out about these aspects, what gaps they have identified, and what suggestion they have made for further research. 4

Improving your research methodology Going through the literature acquaint you with the methodologies that have been used by others to find answers to research questions similar to the one you are investigating. It tells you if others have used procedures and methods similar to the one that you are proposing, which procedures and methods work well and what problems they have faced. By becoming aware of any problems and pitfalls, you will be better positioned to select a methodology that capable of providing valid answers. 5

Broadening your knowledge base in your research area The most important function of the literature review is to ensure you read widely around the subject area. It is important to know what other researchers have found in regard to the same questions, what theories have been put and what gaps exist in the relevant body of knowledge, 6

Enabling you to contextualise your findings Undertaking a literature review will enable you to compare your findings with those of others by examining how your findings fit into the existing body of knowledge, how do answers to your research questions compare with what others have found?, what contributions have you been able to make? How are your findings different from those of others? It is important to place your findings in the context of what is already known in your field of enquiry. 7

There are four steps in conducting a literature review 1.Searching for the existing literature in your area of study 2.Reviewing the selected literature 3.Developing a theoretical framework 4.Developing a conceptual framework 8

Searching for the existing literature  It is imperative that you have at least some idea of the broad subject area and the problem you wish to investigate  Then you have to compile a bibliography for this broad area.  To prepare the bibliography, you can use books, journals, and the internet 9

Reviewing the selected literature Start reading the selected books and articles critically to pull themes and issues that are relevant to your study. Use separate sheets of paper for each theme or issue you identify. 10

Developing a theoretical framework In writing about such information you should start with the general information, gradually narrowing it down to the specific 11

Developing a conceptual framework The conceptual framework is the basis of your research problem It focuses on the section(s) which become the basis of your study. The conceptual framework grows out of the theoretical framework and relates to the specific research problem 12

13 Structure of literature review Introduction Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern. Body Contains your discussion of sources. Conclusions/Recommendations Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?

Organization of literature review A general organization looks like a funnel – Broader topics – Subtopics – Studies like yours 14

How to organize studies Chronological – By publication date – By trend Thematic – A structure which considers different themes Methodological – Focuses on the methods of the researcher, e.g., qualitative versus quantitative approaches 15

Making links between studies Agreements Similarly, author B points to… Likewise, author C makes the case that… Author D also makes this point… Again, it is possible to see how author E agrees with author D… Disagreements However, author B points to… On the other hand, author C makes the case that… Conversely, Author D argues… Nevertheless, what author E suggests… 16

Citation styles Information prominent citation Example: – For viscoelastic fluids, the behaviour of the time-dependent stresses in the transient shear flows is also very important (Boger et al., 1974). Author prominent citation Examples: – Close (1983) developed a simplified theory using an analogy between heat and mass transfer and the equivalent heat transfer only case. – Several authors have suggested that automated testing should be more readily accepted (Balcer, 1989; Stahl, 1989; Carver & Tai, 1991). 17

Active or passive voice You should use, where appropriate, both active and passive voice As a general rule, use active voice unless there is good reason not to 18

Reporting verbs Argue Assert Assume Challenge Claim Contend Contradict Describe Dispute Emphasize Establish Examine Find Maintain Note Object Observe Persuade Propose Prove Purport Recommend Refute Reject Remark Suggest Support 19

Verb tenses – Present A statement about what the thesis, chapter or section does Examples: – This thesis presents a report of an investigation into ……. – This chapter thus provides a basis for the next. – In this section, the results from the first set of experiments are reported. A statement of a generally accepted scientific fact Examples: – There are three factors that control the concentration of aluminum in seawater. 20

Verb tenses – Present A review of current research work, or research work of immediate relevance to your study. Example: – Schulze (2002) concludes that hydraulic rate has a significant effect on future performance. Comments, explanations and evaluative statements made by you when you are reviewing previous studies. Examples: – Therefore, this sequential approach is impractical in the real world where projects are typically large and the activities from one stage may be carried out in parallel with the activities of another stage. – The reason for this anomalous result is that the tests were done at low hydraulic rates at which the plastic packing was not completely wetted. 21

Verb tenses – Past Report the contents, findings or conclusions of past research Examples: – Haberfield (1998) showed that the velocity of many enzyme reactions was slowed down if the end product had an increased paramagnetism. – Allington (1999) found that the temperatures varied significantly over time. 22

Verb tenses – Present perfect In citations where the focus is on the research area of several authors Examples: – Several studies have provided support for the suggestion that the amount of phonological recoding that is carried out depends on orthographic depth (Frost, 1994; Smart et al, 1997; Katz & Feldman, 2001, 2002). – Joint roughness has been characterized by a number of authors (Renger, 1990; Feker & Rengers, 1997; Wu & Ali, 2000). To generalize about the extent of the previous research Examples: – Many studies have been conducted in this field. – Few researchers have examined this technique. – There has been extensive research into

24 Pitfalls Vagueness due to too much or inappropriate generalizations Limited range Insufficient information Irrelevant material Omission of contrasting view Omission of recent work