what is purpose of a literature review?

what is purpose of a literature review?

The Importance of Literature Reviews in Research

1. Introduction to Literature Reviews

To successfully climb Mount Kinabalu, you would need information on the requirements and qualifications needed, the necessary preparations, the vendors or guides available, and details about the route and the destinations at each station. Similarly, in research, you need to find previous information on the methods and solutions that others have used to address the same problem. You may also seek information on whether the problem has already been solved. All of this information provides valuable insights into the most effective ways to solve the problem and helps you avoid wasting time on redundant efforts.

So, why is it necessary to review relevant literature? Let’s use the analogy of taking a trip. Imagine you are planning a journey to a destination you are not familiar with, like climbing Mount Kinabalu. What would be your first step? Most likely, you would seek advice from friends who have been there before or consult experienced trip organizers. By doing so, you would gather information from experts and individuals who are well-informed. This is similar to reviewing literature.

Literature review is a tedious task, but it serves as the cornerstone of every research. Its objective goes beyond simply summarizing existing knowledge on a topic. Instead, it aims to critically evaluate the current state of the field, specifically focusing on the problem of interest. The ultimate goal is to provide valuable and constructive feedback to practitioners and policy makers involved in addressing the problem.

Let’s start the introduction with the concept of literature review.

2. Benefits of Conducting a Literature Review

Secondly, a literature review seeks to describe each source in brief. A summary is a recap and it provides adequate information for the reader to determine at a glance if the source is suitable for a research report. This is useful because a research report is filed for future reference so it is possible that the report may resurface several months after it was filed, at this time the author may have forgotten these sources and an inadequate description may result in the report using unsuitable sources.

The depth of the review has a direct affect on the extent to which it will persuade the reader. Normally a persuasive article or report will further a strong opinion or hypothesis. The stronger the information, the further the reading is persuaded, hence creating a direct correlation. A high quality review of literature is going to be a highly persuasive piece of work. This is why many of the reports stemming from exploratory research often end with the dispensation that more research is needed to definitively test the arguments of the report. This is a perfect example of how an exploratory piece of literature can become persuasive; since it acts as a precursor to the succeeding research providing strong information.

The literature review accomplishes several purposes. First, it provides the opportunity to research the topic in great detail without having to do any of the work involved. Many times a research question may appear feasible when first proposed, but when it is explored in depth the researcher may find that it is not viable due to the lack of sufficient sources or information. Any research done must be filed under the specific topics that it represents; to go beyond that certain topic would be unethical and as a result, not representative of the specific area of research. A literature review is a perfect platform to set up this and it has proven to be beneficial in testing research questions exploratory essays because it sets the foundation for the framework in upcoming research reports.

3. Steps to Conducting an Effective Literature Review

2. Decide on the scope of the review: It is important to define the boundaries of the review so that it is clear what will be included and excluded. It is common to start a review with general statements on what was known about a topic in the past and to then say that the field has not recently been adequately addressed or that knowledge is out-of-date and that it is therefore necessary/relevant to get an up-to-date picture. While this kind of approach is useful, it can make it difficult to decide what to include and exclude. A reader or end user of the review may also find it difficult to understand why some evidence is included and others excluded. A more specific statement of what knowledge is the right type for the document and how decisions will be made about what evidence to include and exclude is likely to be more helpful.

1. Define the question: Formulate an aim or objective for the review. Having a focus will help the researcher to be comprehensive and systematic, and will also make it possible to describe exactly what he or she is looking for to others. It is common for researchers to start by stating that they are looking for information but to be unable to describe exactly what it is. Having a clear aim will help to prevent this from happening and also make it possible to go on to formulate inclusion criteria.

There are a number of steps which a researcher is recommended to follow when undertaking a literature review. By following these steps, the researcher is more likely to produce high-quality output and achieve success more quickly. The main steps to follow include:

4. Common Challenges in Literature Reviews

Analysing the literature may be a burdensome exercise in research. Sifting through all your resources can be time-consuming. Then there’s the literature review. This is usually one of the more difficult sections to tackle. This is because there’s a lot of pressure to it being of high quality. It should add to the whole research. This pressure can be discouraging. Writing a literature review is often an ongoing process. It’s not something you can finish in a single sitting. Be prepared to revisit and revise the literature review as you go along with completing the rest of the dissertation. Reading other students’ dissertations can be a valuable tool in this early stage. Look for one in your field which has a good methodology, a more comprehensive methodology in fact. Then use a highlighter to identify the structure of the literature review. Your research question has to match the scope of the literature review. A common pitfall is regarding the scope to be too wide or too narrow. If the literature in your field is extensive, you could end up writing a mini-dissertation. This is not what is expected of the literature review. On the other spectrum, a narrow scope may mean the more general theories are overlooked. Always seem to be connecting what you’re writing about to the research question. Make some evaluation of the material as you go.

5. Conclusion: The Value of Literature Reviews in Research

Due to its complex nature, the theoretical framework to support the process of literature reviewing is often confused and a number of misconceptions arise. By drawing together ideas from the literature and discussions with colleagues, this paper has produced a systematic framework to guide the process of conducting a literature review. It is intended that the proposed framework is both flexible and iterative and can be applied to the varying types of literature reviews, whether situated within a research study or as a stand alone assessment piece e.g. a review of the evidence for best practice.

This paper has provided an in-depth examination of the concept and process of conducting a good literature review. A review of the literature published in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy is used as a working example to clearly demonstrate the different stages involved in undertaking a systematic review. By acknowledging the confusion and variable views around the definitions and purpose of literature reviewing that were apparent from the preliminary survey, this paper has aimed to provide an understanding of the process of conducting a literature review to ultimately improve confidence and increase its practice amongst occupational therapy colleagues. This is of great importance given the need for building an evidence base to support clinical practice.

Firstly, the work of preparing a literature review is described as a “mundane, monotonous and unrewarding task” (Boote and Beile, 2005, p.3) and is often avoided by nurses. This can be partly due to other demands on the researcher’s time or through a genuine ignorance of the importance and value of a literature review. However, it can also be due to a lack of confidence and understanding of what a literature review is and how to prepare it.