literature review in research paper

literature review in research paper

The Importance of Literature Review in Research Paper

1. Introduction

This is how a literature review is a self-contained piece of writing. It is to clarify the work of previous researchers and, at the same time, it is to state the present relevance of the work with that of previous ones. The intended work may range from the exploratory. It might have a set objective or aim, that is, it would try to prove some work or disprove some works, so the literature would give a clear idea to the researcher what were the relevant studies conducted in the past to the current work. This would help the researcher define the scope of his work and set a platform for the empirical work.

The literature review is a part of a research paper with its unique significance. The review leads to the research topic, its importance, essential understanding of the subject, theories, concepts, and different ideas. It also provides the theoretical base for the research and helps the researcher to move to the next stages. The literature review provides a chance for a researcher to demonstrate their academic abilities through identifying, analyzing, and synthesizing information from different sources on a set topic. In other words, it is a process of searching and evaluating the available knowledge of an area. This review helps to prove what is already known about the topic and what the author’s research will add to it. It takes the study conducted by a researcher in a logical progression in an easy and direct way.

2. Significance of Literature Review

The literature review helps any researcher to extract its activity from the predecessors and can reduce its time-consuming energy for that activity. We can take the same example of “Globalization.” If one is researching on this topic, he can find each and every step of globalization made by any country. Now we all know that globalization is based on economic consumerism to reach a higher standard of living, and today the effect of globalization is known as cultural changes. The researcher can find out how globalization has brought changes in economic infrastructure, steps to reach today’s position, and because of that, there are lots of effects on cost and standard of living, as well as some negative or positive effects on society.

The main reason to include literature is to know about endurance and through endurance, we can find the proper strategies and enlightening methodology for research. As a researcher, we can find the new systems emerging in our research area. Today, in the global system, there are lots of new technologies which our ancient system needed. To compare those technologies with old ones also makes it fruitful for the literature. Sometimes, we can find the solution in the old system for new problems. All this has been proved with the example of “Globalization,” one of the hot topics today. If we look into the history of globalization, we could find how our ancestors did that.

3. Process of Conducting a Literature Review

The process of conducting a literature review can be a succinct and efficient process if the following steps are followed. First, the relevant data needed to conduct the literature review must be collected. This begins with understanding the material that has already been provided in the area of interest. The next step is to understand the material that has been prepared on the topic. This can be done in many different ways such as visiting libraries, using computerized databases, and by contacting local experts on the topic. The aim is to gather as much data as possible while minimizing the amount of time spent sifting through unnecessary or repetitive data. Once all of the data is obtained, the review process should begin. One way of doing this is to open a spreadsheet and mark down a brief description of the article and then list the strengths and weaknesses of the article. A more organized approach would be to make a rubric that contains the pre-stated goals of the lit review preparation. Then one would go through each article one by one and complete the rubric. No matter the approach, the key point is to make the review a systematic one so that key points do not get missed. This will allow for the data from each article to be more easily compared because similar points will have been addressed with similar organization.

4. Key Elements to Include in a Literature Review

Searching for this article is specifically about literature review. This article aims to highlight the importance of literature review in a research work. According to me, this topic will be useful for the people who are pursuing their research works, especially for MS and PhD students. An initial phase of research is very tough and is always challenging. The hardest part is beginning a research work. One has to formulate a problem and then start searching for the available materials related to the formulated problem. Well, to be exact here, the first thing that one has to look for is research articles or journals. These research articles and journals are always the best materials to look for. This is because research articles and journals are always focusing on a specific issue or trying to solve a problem, thus it is relevant and will be the best materials for literature. Then review these research articles and journals, and this will be the starting point in doing a successful research. By reviewing these research articles and journals, then only one can start to compile and write the literature review. A literature review is a text of a scholarly paper, which includes the current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. And it is the most important document of a research work. Usually, literature review will be done before a research work is started as it will give guidance to the scholars on what are the specific problems that they want to solve and also to identify the methods or techniques used by researchers in solving the same problems. The importance of literature review can be seen in two ways. First is the contribution of a specific issue in research towards the information technology development. In a literature review, there will be a discussion based on research articles or journals on how the development of a specific issue can solve some problems and what are the effects arising from the development of the solution. Then it will be identified what the limitations are on the past methods or techniques used by the researchers in solving the problems. This will be a guide for a new method or technique researcher to solve the same problems where from the identified limitations, it will give a contribution to the development of that specific issue. Usually, a new method or technique to solve a problem will give an impact on an implementation part in developing software tools for the solutions. This is the second way, where the literature review can be used as a guideline for a concrete research by developing software tools. According to a real case, this can be said to be the most important part. Next is the second and impressionable work for a student. It may be on a beginning or an advanced level in research. This student can do a literature review of a specific issue using research articles or journals and next compare it with his own research work. He will find lots of information and it is possible that his issue and the issue in the research articles or journals are related. Then this will be a guidance for the student to solve a problem and giving a contribution by following the methods in that research articles or journals. Summarize articles. Then it will give an impression to the student that the study done with some method will give the same result as the research articles or journals. This is the comparison and it will give a use of the studied method. This student can also find what the good and bad methods are from research articles or journals and he can apply a new method to solve the same problem. From data collected by the student, it will be an easy task to try the new method and compare it with the previous method. This is the same case with a powerful method from research articles or journals and the student has to try it to get the same result. This way, the literature review will give a big impact to the student and it will also give the student’s research a new direction.

5. Conclusion

Research is an interpretive process. Its many and complex methods require continual use of inductive and deductive reasoning. What’s important with conducting a literature review during research is that the review is not done for its own sake, but is conducted before and during the various stages of the research cycle. Literature reviewed at the early stages is used to construe the problem explored in the research and to understand its relevance. Literature should then be looked at again during the data collection stage, to fine-tune the methods used and to compare with similar research. Lastly, at the analysis and interpretation stages of the research, the review will help better understand the findings and will provide support to discuss the implications and contribution made by the research.

A reliable literature review lays the foundation for solid research. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential. In order to perform quality research in the field, the knowledge of the existing pool of literature is an important ingredient. The literature review helps any researcher to sharpen the focus of the research question. Often times, inadequate review of the literature is a failure to clearly identify the problem or research question, which then leads to an inappropriate research methodology and therefore poor findings. A clear understanding of the problems or questions in a particular field is essential to creating new knowledge. This understanding comes from the immersion of the researcher in the pool of knowledge encompassing the field and the problems.