2. The Subject/Literature Review

3. The Literature Review Questions that hopefully will be answered:
What is a Literature Review?
Why do a Literature Review?
How to do a literature review?

4. The Literature Review What is a Literature Review?
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.

6. The Literature Review
The literature review does not contain any new primary scholarship. Rather, it is a critical description and evaluation, not just a list or résumé, of material that has already been published. It should demonstrate awareness of main theories, issues and debates, and your ability to comment on them in an informed and scholarly way.

7. The Literature Review
Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature review lets you gain and demonstrate skills in two areas:
information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerised methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books
critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.

9. The Literature Review
It can take several forms. Sometimes it stands alone, as a piece of work in its own right. More often, it forms the introduction to a research report, thesis or dissertation.

10. The Literature Review A ‘good’ literature review…..
….. is a synthesis of available research
….. is a critical evaluation
….. has appropriate breadth and depth
….. has clarity and conciseness
….. uses rigorous and consistent methods

11. The Literature Review Why review the literature?
The aim of a literature review is to demonstrate to the reader, who may be your tutor or your examiner, that you have read and understood what has already been published on a topic or subject area and identify gaps in the literature. In illustrating your familiarity with the literature, you are able relate your own research to it, and to place it in this broader context.

12. The Literature Review Why do a literature review?
While the form of the literature review may vary with different types of studies, the basic purposes remain constant.  In general, the literature review should:
provide a context for the research
justify the research
ensure the research hasn't been done before (or if it is repeated, that it is marked as a "replication study")

13. The Literature Review Why do a literature review?
show where the research fits into the existing body of knowledge
enable the researcher to learn from previous theory on the subject
illustrate how the subject has been studied previously

14. The Literature Review Why do a literature review?
highlight flaws in previous research
outline gaps 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

16. The Literature Review A ‘poor’ literature review is…..
…..an annotated bibliography
….. confined to description
….. narrow and shallow
….. confusing and longwinded
….. constructed in an arbitrary way

17. The Literature Review
How to do a literature review?
some or all of the following main types of material on your subject should be identified and examined:
books
journal articles
official publications
reports
dissertations or thesis
conference proceedings
reviews
newspapers
internet sites

18. The main arguments presented by the author(s)
The Literature Review
In examining the material, there are various points you should think about. Consider for example:
The main arguments presented by the author(s)
How the work relates to others published in the field
If the thinking is original, problematic, contentious
If it supports/opposes a particular position
If it offers alternatives to current thinking
If it offers ideas/considerations for future research
If it is based on sound evidence
What has been missed out