Methods of Literature Review

DEFINITION

A literature review is reading surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and that provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrates how research fits within a larger field of study.

PHASES/ METHODS OF LITERATURE REVIEW

PLANNING/ STRUCTURING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

• Do an overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review
• Divide the work under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches]
• Explain how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF LITERATURE REVIEW

• Source: 
  • what are the author's credentials?
  • Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
• Methods/ Techniques: 
  • Are the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to address the research problem?
  • Was the sample size appropriate?
  • Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
• Objectivity:
  • The author's perspective impartial or prejudicial?
  • Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point
• Persuasive:
  • Whether the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
• Value: 
  • Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

DEVELOPING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

• Seek Clarification:
  • How many sources to include?
  • What types of sources to be reviewed (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)?
  • is there a need to summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue?
  • What Sources to Evaluate?
  • Whether to provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history?
• Examine the theories & Models:
  • Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors have composed their literature review sections based on the discipline of study or area of Interest
  • Read and get a sense of the types of models/ Theories used in their research or identify ways to organize the research.
  • The bibliography or reference section of sources read also serve as an excellent entry points in conducting research.
• Narrowing the Topic: 
  • The narrower the topic, the easier it is to limit the number of sources need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources.
  • Limit the scope of the research problem.
  • A good strategy is to begin by searching for books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues related to the research.
  • Also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus for research.
• Look for Current Sources: 
  • Some disciplines require information that is as current as possible like in disciplines of medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made.
  • However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time.
  • Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what is to be researched & explore what is considered by scholars to be a important topic for review based on the research problem.

WAYS TO ORGANIZE THE LITERATURE REVIEW

• Chronological Order: 
  • In chronological method, write about the materials according to time when they were published. This approach should be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. chronological review would have subsections of issues for each vital time period.
• Publication Order:
  • Arrange the sources by publication order, then it demonstrates the trends related to the Issue. For instance, when review of literature is done based on the publication order it’s easy to Identify the sequence of events occurred related to the discipline/ area of Interest in a organized manner.
• Thematic Order:
  • Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. But the "thematic" approach emphasizes the content of study. Thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue of Study.
• Methodological Order
  • A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed by the researcher.

WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

• Use Evidence: A literature review section just like any other academic research paper the interpretation of the available sources must be presented with evidence that demonstrates that what is written is valid.
• Be Selective: Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information mentioned should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information but that are not key to understanding the research problem can be included in further Readings/ Appendix.
• Use Quotes Sparingly: Some short quotes are okay & can be used to emphasize a point, or paraphrasing can be done about the author’s statement. Sometimes quotes on certain unusual terminologies that was coined by the author can be taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for the summary and interpretation of the literature
• Summarize & Synthesize: Remember to summarize and synthesize the sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it the present study
• Use Own Statement: While the literature review presents others' ideas, the writer should remain front and center. For example, take references from other sources while writing but maintain own statement (voice) by starting and ending the paragraph with the researcher own ideas and wording.
• Be careful when Paraphrasing: When paraphrasing a source that is not the researchers own work, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, it’s still important to provide a citation to that work.

MISTAKES TO AVOID IN LITERATURE REVIEW

• Sources in literature review that do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• Do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
• Report the isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them.
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.