literature review generator

literature review generator

The Importance of Literature Review in Research

1. Introduction

Literature review provides a theoretical framework designed to find which influences hampered the development of information technology adoption in small firms. This framework is also considered in empirical testing conducted in the next two papers. This first paper tests the framework in a developing country, China. The second paper tests it in a developed country, the United States. In the Chinese paper, the influences are assessed using a qualitative methodology and case studies. It provides exploratory research, the results of which the author suggests could be used to analyze influences in other settings or areas. The United States study goes on to use both parts of the framework and the results from the Chinese study to develop a model and a measurement instrument, upon assessing all influences for an aggregated score in a particular technology. The results from these studies should take researchers a step towards isolating and understanding influences on IT adoption with the view to one day unrestricted its potential in SMEs and giving back to the economy at large. With consideration of the broad context and general nature of the work, the following introductory research question is posed:

2. Benefits of Conducting a Literature Review

Literature reviews can serve as a proving ground for new methodologies. By critiquing the work of others, a researcher can find possible errors in their own work or develop new ways of thinking about a topic. It is written that through the process of evaluation and re-evaluation of the literature, the researcher can discover new ways to interpret data, new frameworks of analysis, and more compare and contrast the ideas of other researchers with more directness, as the exact meaning of the research being critiqued becomes clearer. It is through this process that a form of intellectual and educational progression can be achieved and it is seen to be of significant importance in the researcher’s personal development (Boote and Beile, 2005).

Identifying what has gone before has been identified as the most significant objective of literature reviewing (Main, 1989). It is argued that a research which is unable to show a progression of ideas from previous work or clear indications of influences of earlier work may be seen as a research which fails to be grounded; one which may repeat mistakes of the past or one which reinvents the wheel. By reviewing the existing research on a specific topic, a researcher may summarise and categorise the current state of understanding and the areas in which further research is needed, as research which is no longer considered necessary can be seen as a wasted effort. A well-executed review of existing published and unpublished work provides the researcher with a useful framework with which to compare their own findings.

3. Steps to Conduct an Effective Literature Review

According to Caulley (1992) of La Trobe University, the literature review should: 1. Compare and contrast different authors’ views on an issue 2. Define the ‘big picture’ of the subject area and the general consensus and trend. This provides the reader with context as to why the subsequent research is worthy of this particular method or approach. 3. Suggest the theoretical framework that will be the foundation of the research and justify this choice.

An effective literature review is a necessary part of any research project. As it provides the researcher with a better understanding of the subject area. The researcher will read up on past work on the topic and may be able to establish why the project that he/she will carry out is worth the time, effort, and resources. This, in the end, will provide validated reasoning for the research question or aim. It also allows the research a foundation to build the argument or construct the method in which he/she wishes to carry out the research.

A literature review feature is a critical and detailed assessment of prior research. It is a summary and synopsis of a particular area of research, allowing anyone reading the paper to establish why you are pursuing this particular research program. A good literature review, quite obviously, is crucial. This means the review needs to offer a detailed overview of what various authors have already stated about the subject question or argument.

4. Common Challenges in Literature Review Process

Web-based searching is often seen as a panacea for these problems, but it has a different set of requirements for success. In order to cut down the potentially overwhelming number of hits on a given topic, the researcher needs to have the skills to construct a focused search using specific keywords and logical operators. Unfortunately, even experienced researchers are typically poor at doing this and students can find it difficult to transition from one or two word searches on popular internet search engines to the use of library database interfaces, which can differ substantially in usability.

Speaking of academic skills, the ability of traditional and web-based literature search to help or hinder an investigator is often overlooked. Traditional literature searching relies on the researcher knowing which resources to access in order to find relevant material. This can be problematic if the investigator is new to the field, working across disciplines, or simply trying to address a novel research question.

Language barriers are one common challenge encountered by reviewers. While English has become the de facto language for publication of scientific results, there are still a large number of papers published in other languages. Reviewers seeking to fully understand the implications of a study might therefore need to be fluent in the language of the source or obtain a translation – skills which may be rare in older researchers and students.

5. Conclusion

In summary, the literature review is a key part of research in all fields of study. It is a way of enabling a researcher to gain knowledge of what has already been done regarding a particular topic by providing a critical analysis of the resources. Although it is often easy to find a plethora of resources on a particular topic, the practical usefulness of the material may be limited as many of the resources will be outdated, non-academic (such as a news report or government website), biased or irrelevant to the research. The main goal of the literature review is to aid your research, to prove that you have a firm grasp of your topic and that you understand where your own research fits into and adds to the current body of knowledge. By critically evaluating the existing research you use it as a platform on which to build the rest of your project. As a literature review is a key part of any research, it is essential to do it well. This sometimes means devoting a large amount of time and resources to it. However, as research informs evidence-based practice, it is critical that as practitioners we attempt to use the most up-to-date and relevant information in order to provide the best possible care to patients. In order to assess the quality of our literature review and ensure that we are indeed using the most current and relevant research, there are a series of questions we can use to give our research a critical appraisal.