Category: Literature Review

1. In a qualitative study, use the literature sparring in the beginning in order to convey an inductive design unless the design type requires a substantial literature orientation at the outset.
2. Consider the most appropriate place for the literature in a qualitative study, and base the decision on the audience on the project. Keep in mind the options: placing it at the beginning to frame the problem, placing it in a separate section, and using it at the end to compare and contrast with the findings.
3. Use the literature in a quantitative study deductively-as a basis for advancing research questions or hypotheses.
4. In a quantitative study plan, use the literature to introduce the study,describe related literature in a separate section, and compare findings.
5. In a mixed methods study, use the literature in a way that is consistent with the major type of strategy and the qualitative or quantitative approach most prevalent in the design.
6. Regardless of the type of the study, consider the type of literature review to conduct, such as an integrative, critical, building bridges among topics or the identification of central issues.

Writing a Literature Review is by far the most daunting part of writing the thesis. The available content is huge and if the writer does not follow a systematic approach in creating the Literature Review, it can become an extremely herculean job to complete. You must work towards creating the Literature Review in the following sequence:

1) Narrow down your research area: The internet and libraries are flooded with content and so much material can actually boggle you down and leave you all perplexed. The way out is to know exactly what to look for. Before searching for literature, you must know the specific area you are going to look for. This will help you to find more focused material and not get loaded with the plethora of content available online.

2) Collect all the relevant content: Once you are sure of your research area, you must conduct a comprehensive search and save or print all relevant articles and abstracts that fall in your zone of study. In this time window, you must only strive towards compiling the content at one place. Skimming and extraction should be taken care of in the subsequent stages.

3) Skim the content for excerpts: Read thoroughly the content of each article/paper or book that you have put aside as relevant matter. You must necessarily find out the follows details from each article:
Objectives of the study
Literature gaps
Methodology of research
Conclusions and findings of the research

You must extract out this information for each article and book that you have put aside for the Literature Review.

4) Create a structure of your Literature Review: Sequence the different excerpts that you have created in the way that the entire Literature Review is developed in a flow and the ideas that you put down, go forward with each other. Make sure that you don’t put two contradicting ideas together. Leave the connectivity and paraphrasing as the last stage.

5) Paraphrase and connect: Never use the language that is already used by the original author. You must paraphrase the content in your own language to avoid plagiarism. Further on, use connectors to develop the logical flow and link within the content so that the reader can feel that he is graduating in understanding the concept and ideas in a flow and in the process the gaps are getting surfaced out in a way that the objectives of your own research have their base ready by this time.

According to Cresswell (2008) , “A literature review is a written summary of journal articles, books, and other documents  that describe the past and current state of information; organizes the literature into topics; and documents a need for a proposed study”.

Reviewing the literature involves locating, analyzing, synthesizing, organizing previous research and documents (periodicals, books, abstracts, etc.)  related to your study area. The goal is to obtain a detailed, cutting-edge knowledge of your particular topic. To do this, you must immerse yourself in your subject by reading extensively and voraciously. A solid and comprehensive review of the literature accomplishes several important purposes. It helps you to do the following:

1. Focus the purpose of your study more precisely.
2. Develop a conceptual or theoretical framework that might be used to guide your research.
3. Identify key variables for study and suggest relationship among them if you are completing a quantitative study; if you are conducting a qualitative study, identify and concepts or topics  you plan to study
4. Provide a historical background for your study 
5. Uncover previous research similar to your own that can be meaningfully extended                                     
6. Determine the relationship of your topic relative to current and past studies
7. Identify scholars and theorists in your area of study
8. From a basis for determining the significance of your study
9. Uncover questionnaires or tests previously validated
10. Link your findings to previous studies (Do your findings support or contradict them?)

After writing the first draft of the literature review, use the following checklist to assess the thoroughness and quality of what you wrote. Before sending it to your supervisor, ask a critical friend to read and comment on your literature review. A well-thought-out,well-written, and an interesting review of the literature is a joy to read.

Please note that the items in this checklist comprise a generic set of “to dos” when writing a literature review for your PhD research. Not all the items are relevant for all reviews. Select only those  that fit your particular situation, and use them as a guide.     

1. The literature review is comprehensive (covers the major points of the topic.)
2. There is balanced coverage of all variables in the study.
3. The review is well organized. It flows logically. It is not fragmented.
4. The writer critically analyzes the literature rather than stringing together a series of citations.
5. There is a logical correspondence between the Introduction chapter and the Literature Review.
6. At least three-fourths of the review focuses on the variables or concepts identified in the purpose statement and research questions. The remaining one-fourth sets the stage and gives the big picture and background to the study.
7. For each variable or concept, there is some historical and cur- rent coverage; the emphasis is on current coverage.
8. The review relies on empirical research studies, not opinion articles in “ pop “ journals.
9. The review contains opposing points of view (especially if the researcher has a strong bias.)
10. There is a summary at the end of each major section as well as at the end of the chapter.
11. The bibliography contains at least 40 to 60 references.
12. The majority of references were published within the past 5 years.
13. Primary sources are used in the  majority of citations.
14. There is an appropriate amount of paraphrasing and direct quotation.
15.  The direct  quotations do not detract from the readability of the chapter.
16. Authors who make the same points are combined in the citation.
17.  The view synthesizes and integrates meaning to the litera- ture; it is not just a catalog of sources.