eseLiterature review meaning
A literature review is a written summary of the main writings on a specific topic. It helps in providing an overview of the current information about the topic. Furthermore, this information helps in the identification of related theories and methods, as well as the gaps in the existing research.
The literature review is an important part of the research process. Because it indicates the knowledge and awareness of the researcher about a specific area. Furthermore, it helps in the identification of research gaps related to specific topics. In this way, the researcher highlights the existing knowledge about the specific area of research. So there is a need to properly organize the related literature. In case, the literature is poorly organized, it may have dire consequences. Consequently, the researcher will fail to highlight the importance and reliability of a specific research topic. On the other hand, a systematic literature review can outline vital research trends, assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, and identify gaps in current knowledge. Furthermore, it identifies the importance of future research projects.
So in this article, we will discuss the various tips that can be used to answer the question of how to write a literature review in 2024. This is because a literature review is a process in which the researcher highlights a summary of existing information regarding a topic.
Basic components of literature review
To write a correct literature review, it is important to have these essential components. These components are:
The first component of the literature review is a description of the main objective(s) of writing a literature review.
The second component consists of giving an overview of the topic under consideration for the literature review.
The third component of the literature review is that there is a need to classify the relevant sources of the topic.
The fourth component consists of a literature review to classify the sources that oppose the topic being researched.
The fifth component is to discuss the uniqueness of the review of each source along with similarities with other sources on specific topics.
Types of literature review
Various types of literature reviews are suggested by the researchers. These types of literature review depends on the research and design. The following types are discussed in detail:
i. Narrative literature review
This type of review is also called traditional literature review or critique literature, which summarizes the literature. It also concludes the topic and highlights the research gaps or inconsistencies in knowledge. So there is a focused research question for conducting the literature review.
ii. Systematic literature review
It is a systematic research review strategy that attempts to highlight all the research that meets the eligibility criteria. For this purpose, this type of review has clear and pre-determined objectives. Hence, it assesses the quality of research studies. Also, it synthesizes the findings of research studies. There are two categories of systematic literature review.
a. Meta-analysis
This method is part of the deductive research approach. On this ground, research findings of several researchers on the same subject/topic are collected and analyzed, and conclusions are drawn.
b. Meta-synthesis
In this method, an inductive research approach is followed. This type of systematic literature review is based on non-statistical methods. In this method, the findings of different qualitative research studies are integrated, and evaluated and their findings are interpreted.
iii. Scoping literature review
This method is used for the identification of the scope of literature on a given topic. Here, instead of finding the answer to the specific research question, an effort is made to explore the answer to the general research question.
iv. Argumentative literature review
This type of review is conducted with the prime objective of determining whether to approve or support an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem established in literature or disapprove of them. From here, we can deduce that when the researcher either supports or disapproves an argument, he or she becomes biased, which is a deficiency of this research.
v. Integrative literature review
When the researcher needs secondary data; he or she has to rely on this method of review. In this way, the secondary information about a research topic is critically analyzed and synthesized.
vi. Theoretical literature review
In this type of review, it is investigated how many theories are accumulated regarding a concept, issue, theory, or phenomenon. What is the relationship between them; to what extent these theories have been investigated? In this way, new hypotheses are developed and tested.
10 amazing tips to write literature review
After a successful decision about the research topic, and research questions, there is a need to conduct a literature review. The literature review is the presentation of the critical summary of the entire work which is published on that topic. There are certain tips that, if followed, can greatly help in collecting the relevant information.
i. Understanding the concept of literature review
First of all, the researcher has to be clear about the concept of literature review. He or she has to understand that the review of literature is the process adopted to identify, locate, and analyze the documents related to a specific research problem.
ii. Writing a draft of a statement of the problem
The process of review involves a critical analysis of the major concepts or variables of the specific research problem. These major research concepts or variables are usually written in the problem statement. This can help the researcher align his or her literature review with the research topic.
iii. Creation of outline of literature review
There is a need on the part of the researcher to prepare an outline of the topics that he or she will search for during the process of conducting the review. If we take the home environment as a literature review example, the researcher will create an outline of all the potential aspects of the home environment. He or she will then review these aspects during the process of conducting research. For that purpose, he or she will create the subheadings of this topic.
iv. Using an outline for searching
The use of an outline is a very important tip for writing a comprehensive literature review. The lit review outline can then be used to search for relevant literature. It also helps the researcher to present the studies in a way that indicates what he or she has found after analyzing and summarizing the opinions of other authors.
v. Collecting the relevant research articles
The other tip for conducting the literature review is to collect the relevant research articles. For this purpose, books, reference materials, electronic research journals, conference papers, Government documents, theses, and dissertations can be consulted.
vi. Using annotation table for documenting relevant information
Document annotation is the process of accumulating helping material for a document and, after analysis, giving one thought and making suggestions. So for an effective literature review, there is a need on the part of the researcher to collect the relevant information from research articles and analyze it in the form of a table.
vii. Analyzing the annotation table
The next tip is to properly analyze the annotation table. This analysis helps the researcher present the patterns and gaps in the literature. This pattern can be about the similarity of findings in many research studies in terms of participants or methodology.
viii. Writing clear and brief synthesis statements
After identification of the patterns and gaps in the literature, the next tip is to mention the findings in the form of a synthesis statement. For example, much of the research about the home environment has a focus on the emotional support provided by parents to their children and the availability of facilities at home.
ix. Placing the synthesis statements in front of the writing
Synthesis statements amalgamate the information collected from various sources. The purpose is to support the researcher’s opinion regarding the statements. So the researcher places the synthesis statements in front of the writing. Furthermore, the researcher uses evidence collected from the research studies to support the main idea.
x. Revise the collected materials
There is a need for revision of the collected material. For this purpose, the researcher may schedule the time for the revision of the material. One thing has to be kept in mind: This revision process should be slow where there is no revision at once.
Conclusion
On the whole, a literature review is the cornerstone of every research process. Because it provides a comprehension of the already present piece of information, identifies research gaps, and helps guide future investigations. Through the process of following specific tips, the researcher can easily navigate the vast relevant material. Hence, these tips help in the proper analysis and synthesis of the collected information. In this way, the researcher summarizes the already-existing literature and critically evaluates it. He or she provides noteworthy awareness about how to advance research in the specifically selected area of research.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are there any limitations to the literature review?
Yes, the literature review has certain limitations. For example, it may be more focused. Consequently, it may not be able to explain the bigger picture. Furthermore, the literature review may not be comprehensive. Sometimes the researcher may be biased when presenting relevant literature.
What should be the page limit of the literature review?
There is no specific limit to the number of pages to be included in conducting research. Yet typically, it comprises 20–40 percent of the whole thesis.
Why do we conduct a literature review?
The reason researchers conduct a literature review is that it helps in the collection of relevant research on the selected topic. Furthermore, it helps the researcher synthesize the literature into a comprehensive summary of the already present information relevant to the topic.