literature review meaning

literature review meaning

Importance of Literature Review in Research

1. Introduction

In the literature review, the efforts of a significant number of researchers in various fields to identify the role of literature review in research and its methods to obtain evidence that can justify the importance of literature review in research have been described. The argument of its purpose in research has been explained, which was well supported by the way in which it distinguishes the difference between the new findings and the academic work and the efforts required to search and systematize the extant knowledge in a particular area, including specifying how the new research adds to the previous. The ways to assess the significance of literature review and methodological studies to developing a new instrument will contribute to the original research and the ways to measure the new studies along with their potential contributions to the literature were described.

Through this paper, I have tried to critically review the importance of literature review and its relevance with research. The key purpose of this assignment is to make a structured literature that would justify the need of literature review in, in simple terms, its importance in research in different not just rhetorical statements but supported and justified by valid arguments written by various authors in the journals, books, research papers, and conference proceedings. It is also to relate the different types of literature review with the type of research methodologies. Its objective is to present a logical argument for justifying the need for literature review in research. This will be done with the help of certain reliable evidence taken from the work of various authors and other published resources.

2. Purpose of Literature Review

1. The thorough understanding of the research 2. Identify any possible omission and error from the previous research on the similar topic.

Looking back at the purpose of the literature review, it is important to differentiate the purpose from the types of the literature review. Shamil Nauman (2009) said that a poorly conducted literature review can ruin a research paper, and this may result in the person having to do a repeat of the whole research. This statement is very meaningful because the end result of the literature review is always being connected to the research or thesis. This means that the literature review must be connected to the research with the following ways:

After the researcher views the steps, then only he can conclude on what is the best approach to complete the literature review according to the desired end result. This is because each different approach will have a significant impact on the way the review is written. After knowing the different purposes to complete a literature review, it will be much easier to write the literature review itself.

– Summarize the literature – Divide the literature into headings and subheadings – Review the selected articles in depth – Critique and evaluate the literature

It will be helpful for the researcher to know the different purposes of the literature review. A well-conducted literature review will result in a high standard thesis or research paper. The following are the major steps that the researcher must consider before adding the literature review to a thesis:

3. Methods and Strategies for Conducting a Literature Review

2.2 Survey and summarize This is one of the most effective ways. This means you can collect various papers from the research that you have done and compare them with other similar papers that are done on the same topic. This will help you understand the various other studies conducted on the same topic. With this, you will have a brief idea of the topic and will be easily able to identify what you have done in your research and whether your work matches the other research or if it’s totally different from the other one. With this, you can also come to know the shortcomings in your research and the areas on which you need to work more.

2.1 Use an example To understand a topic better, it is always good to see some practical examples which can make you understand the things very easily. Similarly, there are various research papers that are easily available in the market. You can take the help of an example in such papers and can also take the assistance of the paper to learn things. The term “example” here simply depicts a paper which you can understand easily. For example, if you are working on a particular topic, then an example can be a paper related to the topic. See the research that people have done in that paper and also take the views of the readers about what they think about that research. Then, you can compare the work with the work that you have done.

Now, after understanding the reason for literature review, you must be clear about the steps involved in this process to conduct and write it in a better way. Well, there are several great ways to prepare and write a literature review. The following are the most common methods that people follow:

4. Benefits of a Comprehensive Literature Review

You should now ponder how to turn constructively the various advantages that the literature review process confers. The following are some that should be stressed. After providing detailed clarification of the topic or question, the literature review then offers a rationale for the significance of the question. This should not be regarded as a necessary slog prior to getting on with the real research, but a great opportunity to enrich the quality and depth of the study and written thesis that will follow. A comprehensive review of the literature provides the student with a solid background for discussing the results of the study, both by placing the study in the context of what is already known on the topic and by interpreting the results of the study in light of the findings of others. Without this anchor, the student may find him/herself getting overexcited about some new-fangled piece of methodology, when as far as the academic community is concerned, old is gold. This can lead to rather irrelevant research. Finally, the process of review will provide the student with an extensive knowledge of the field in question, be it Shakespeare, particle physics, or dairy farming, and a perspective on how his/her work will contribute to it. This is a fundamental purpose of a postgraduate study and one that should not be forsaken. A PhD should be an expert’s apprenticeship for a well-defined area of research, not years of marking time until the next academic job in something only vaguely related.

5. Conclusion

A literature review is an evaluative report of information found in the literature related to your selected area of study. The review should describe, summarise, evaluate, and clarify this literature. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research. It should demonstrate to those who are assessing your research that you have read and fully understood the topic and have a sound basis for your research. A well-undertaken literature review establishes your research in the context of what has gone before it. A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework. It works to form the foundation of the author’s work and understanding of the topic at hand. Having a strong literature review will provide you with a firm theoretical basis for the rest of your research and help you to make strong and well-grounded conclusions. It is also important in the interpretation stage of your research. The reasons behind the interpretive nature of a literature review are discussed to fully understand the use of this method. The analysis forms the basis for later interpretations, as the author begins relating evidence to the research questions, hypotheses, and ultimately the results drawn. Last, the findings/conclusions stage works to interpret and assemble the raw information produced in the research phase, as Spurling asserts. A literature review has a number of purposes and can help the research in many ways. It is important to clarify the writing of a literature review in order to know its true purpose. A literature review may stand alone or parts of other documents. Although this may be a separate document, it should be thought of as a complete study in its own right. It is an analysis of the whole research project and is presented in such a way that a non-research audience would recognize what the overall study is. A successful literature review can also help the researcher understand the nature of his/her research. It can clarify research designs, definitions, and data collection tools. This sort of review can be used as a tool to help the researcher understand what needs to be done and how to do it.