1

Literature Review Hart (1998) defined the literature review as “the use of ideas in the literature to justify the particular approach to the topic, the selection of methods, and demonstration that this research contributes something new” (p. 1). J. Shaw (1995) noted that the process of the review should “explain how one piece of research builds on another” (p. 326). 3

What is literature review ? An account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. A critical and in depth evaluation of previous research. It is a summary and synopsis of a particular area of research A good literature review expands upon the reasons behind selecting a particular research question. 4

Why do a literature review - 1 To increase your breadth of knowledge of your subject area To place your work into perspective To provide a context for the research To carry on from where others have already reached To guide your methodology (clarifies issues, identifies what still needs research To identify opposing views 5

Why do a literature review - 2 To avoid making the same mistakes as others Enable the researcher to learn from previous theory on the subject Illustrate how the subject has been studied previously Outline gap in previous research Show that the work is adding to the understanding and knowledge of the field Help refine, refocus or even change the topic 6

WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW NOT? It is not a chronological catalogue but an evaluation, integrating the previous research together. It is not a collection of quotes and paraphrasing. 7

Novice researchers tend to approach the literature review as nothing more than a collection of summaries of papers or an elaborated annotated bibliography of multiple research manuscripts (Webster & Watson, 2002). 8 WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW NOT?

An effective literature review should include the following characteristics Methodologically analyze and synthesize quality literature, Provide a firm foundation to a research topic, Provide a firm foundation to the selection of research methodology, and Demonstrate that the proposed research contributes something new to the overall body of knowledge or advances the research field’s knowledge-base. 9

10

Looking at information sources Informal Contact with Peers, Colleagues, other Researchers, or librarian. Formal Books, journals, research papers, thesis, www, bibliographies, encyclopedias, handbooks, maps, newspapers, government legislation, standard, statistics, conference proceedings and specific documents (government documents) 11

When do you do it? When the research problem is identified At every step of the research process 12

In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. 13

Strategies Literature search Use appropriate keywords Try combining different keywords Read whole article and evaluate Relevance and applicability Quality (critical appraisal) Identify issues by relating them to problem chart Identify possible methods others used 14

Source of Literature Journal articles Monographs Databases Conference proceedings Dissertations/Thesis Reports 15

16 Useful Online Resources for Literature Reviews

17

18

19

20

21

22

23 Evaluating the credibility of sources is one of the most difficult aspects. Check into the credentials of any source for the literature review. Remember !!

Organized your literature 24