purpose of a literature review

purpose of a literature review

The Importance of Literature Reviews in Research

1. Introduction

In today’s complex society, change is inevitable. This change is the same for the society that still believes in traditional ways and today’s modern society. Change in information can be due to new facts or events that would shape the occurrence of the event that is described. By looking at the literature review, a person can analyze the information of the past and compare it to the new information that has emerged. This is often known as historical analysis, and this would surely help in comparing the evolution of ideas or events.

Research is the process of going up the knowledge ladder step by step. The information that is gathered by our own ideas and the theories that were made prehistorically can give a roof for new information that we might miss or overlook. The information can be seen in the literature review. If we want to be sure that the information we gathered is correct, then we compare it to others’ ideas or research. This is why looking at the literature review and comparing it to the current information would assist in making sure that the information we are trying to process would be correct and accurate.

The value of knowledge is immeasurable. Knowledge is the information that a person gains through reading and researching the information that is thought to be throughout the world. Literature review is knowledge that is published by accredited scholars and researchers. The ways of transmitting knowledge may be in the form of a book, research article, or information that is posted on the internet. The term literature review is often interchangeable with knowledge assimilation at the master’s degree.

2. Purpose of a Literature Review

By conducting a literature review, we can avoid pointless duplications, which waste a lot of time and often yield the same results. The key element is to solve the problem, right? The second purpose is to identify the learning problems through the existing knowledge. By using the literature review to solve the root of the problem, we can gain a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved. This is a good approach to problem-solving.

The goal of creating this empirical research is to present different points of view from different sources, which are often conflicting with one another. By collecting data on what has been done, and using a persuasive tone, we aim to suggest finding the most convincing idea and the best way to resolve a particular problem.

3. Benefits of Conducting a Literature Review

Benefits of doing a literature review: – Clarifies understanding of the field: A research that is initiated without knowing what has already been explored in the field is like reinventing the wheel (Hart, 1998). Understanding the field is a necessary step in the continued progress of any research and can answer many questions like what has been investigated earlier, what the current issues are, and also suggest what the future will be provided the different trends are understood. – Time saving: Understanding the field can also lead us to say that either the research is not relevant or it has already been done. This can save a lot of time which can be utilized in different areas. This might save a research from going in the wrong direction or proving an already known fact. Time saving is also accrued from the lesser number of books that need to be referred. – Identify the gap: Identifying the gap in the field is considered to be the most important aspect of doing a literature review. By understanding the current trends in different areas and associated methodology, the research can identify the areas that have not been explored till now or have fewer tools to work on and the problems that are of utmost importance. Identification of the gap is important as it can lead to actual contributions to society and mankind. This can also help in defining research problems for a specific study.

A literature review is a significant and extensive overview of published studies in a chosen field. It not only summarizes the knowledge existing in a field but also how, when, and by whom the work is done. It might comprise a few or several studies and can consist of new or old studies.

A literature review is a mandatory part of present-day research and is a verbal report about previous work. It frequently comprises a list of research and provides a theoretical basis for the research. A literature review could be a part of a dissertation or research article and can also be a stand-alone article. In the present global scenario, it is important to increase knowledge in every field, and at the same time, the literature is increasing at a very fast pace. One cannot read everything that is published in a field of interest. On the other hand, limited time and an overabundance of published information render some research obsolete relatively quickly.

4. Steps to Conducting an Effective Literature Review

Identify who will write an argument paper, set up a topic, and recruit probable sources. The first step to conducting a successful literature review is to define the research problem. In doing this, the researcher should set solid parameters about what he or she will be researching. For example, if the topic is on the effectiveness of a certain drug in the treatment of lung cancer, the research problem would be identifying whether the drug is or is not effective in the treatment of lung cancer. After setting a problem, the researcher should then begin to conduct research to further understand what has already been done on the topic in order to formulate a coherent argument. This can be done by discussing background information on the topic, studying previous studies done on the topic, and gathering general information on the topic. This may be done on the internet, in books, or by talking to experts and individuals in the field of study. At this point, the research should begin to take form by being able to answer the research problem based on the information that has been gathered. List adequate resources. The second step in conducting a literature review is to search for literature resources. At this point, the research should already have a firm understanding of the topic and an idea of what the argument might be. The researcher should now begin to gather as much information as possible on the argument. This can be done using internet databases, in specific areas pertaining to the topic, based on keywords that are related to the topic. The idea here is to gather an abundance of information on the topic in order to later evaluate it. It is better to have too much information than not enough. This information then needs to be stored in a logical manner. One way to do this would be to use word processing programs to file the information into folders based on the information that is being collected. This information will then be evaluated and put into an argument based on its relevance to the topic.

5. Conclusion

At the beginning, the ideas or terms may not be clear. It will only start to make sense to you when you have written about it. This can result in the re-evaluation of ideas and reorganization of the information until the review really stands for what is to be done. The research questions will be sharpened and the understanding re-focused. The result is a temporary direction of the research. This may lead to an entire re-working of the research concept. This is not wasted time but a part of the research process. A literature review should always be for the purpose of the research. Any general information that does not relate to the research questions should be excluded.

Literature review is a crucial part of any study. It helps in refining the research problem. Literature review deals with a unique area of research that will add substantially to the body of knowledge and provides evidence of the significance. It allows the author to determine what has already been done in the area, where the potential weak spots might be, and it can provide the first clues as to how the new study might fit into the existing body of knowledge. Thus, literature review allows for the later development of a more concrete research hypothesis and design. Done well, it can lead to a more efficient and effective research process. By summarizing what is known combined with what is to be known, the research process can be focused onto the important questions.