I find that many definitions of a literature review are unsatisfactory, descriptive and normative. Hardly any of the available definitions discuss the actual process. The descriptive set of steps does not answer the question. What are your views as researchers? How do you define a literature review?
The review of the literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem.
Functions of a literature review
- Determine what has been done already
- Provide insight necessary to develop a logical framework into which the topic fits
- Provides the rationale for the hypotheses being investigated and the justification of the significance of the study
- Identifies potentially useful methodological strategies
- Facilitates the interpretation of the results
Literature review steps:
1. Think and plan the review process
2. Read preliminary material
3. Record the bibliographical information
4. Identify broad themes, conceptual frameworks, repeated points, etc.
5. Organize the categories logically
6. Review the work completed so far
7. Thorough reading of the material under the new categories as identified earlier
8. Review the content outline and refine
9. Prepare a first draft of review
10. Finalize the report
http://faculty.mwsu.edu/psychology/Laura.Spiller/Experimental/sample_apa_style_litreview.pdf
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.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2625&context=misq&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.co.in%2Fscholar%3Fq%3Ddefinition%2Bof%2Bliterature%2Breview%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%26as_vis%3D1%26oi%3Dscholart%26sa%3DX%26ei%3DuC3RU4bLEcu3uATRnIHgAg%26ved%3D0CBkQgQMwAA#search=%22definition%20literature%20review%22
You mean a review of previous literature on a given scientific problem. I am a humanist, researching in comparative letter with a heavy emphasis on Spanish culture. A review of the literature comes after the identification of a problem to be researched. First, state the problem in as trenchant a fashion as possible. Then explain how that problem has been attacked so far by other critics, and identify their strengths and their weaknesses in their approaches. In sum, a review of the literature includes the survey of how others have attacked the problem and the advances and deficiencies of these others. If I say in a thesis that music orients a poet´s composition process, then I previously have to state that there is a problem, because no one has studied that musical orientation with any rigor. Next, I summarize as many other scholarly opinions on this orientation as I can find, while stating what is acceptable and what is inacceptable about these opinions.
The review of the literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem.
Functions of a literature review
- Determine what has been done already
- Provide insight necessary to develop a logical framework into which the topic fits
- Provides the rationale for the hypotheses being investigated and the justification of the significance of the study
- Identifies potentially useful methodological strategies
- Facilitates the interpretation of the results
Literature review steps:
1. Think and plan the review process
2. Read preliminary material
3. Record the bibliographical information
4. Identify broad themes, conceptual frameworks, repeated points, etc.
5. Organize the categories logically
6. Review the work completed so far
7. Thorough reading of the material under the new categories as identified earlier
8. Review the content outline and refine
9. Prepare a first draft of review
10. Finalize the report
http://faculty.mwsu.edu/psychology/Laura.Spiller/Experimental/sample_apa_style_litreview.pdf
I agree that often people do bad literature review in their Ph.D dissertation. What often they do is just state what someone has has observed or found in relation to some aspects of the subject that the researcher is investigating. Ironically, they do not draw any trends from that litertaure. That is what literature review actually mean. As a Ph.D examiner, I have seen this to be the most significant problem with thesis writers. I would also blame the guides who allow such theses to be approved and allow the scholar concerned to submit such a thesis.
I agree with the contributions of dears @Lala, @Nelson, @Nageswara, and @Debi and add that sometimes the student needs to compare his results with the existing methods in the literature and show that his results outperform existing methods.
My understanding is, literature review is aimed at identifying a research gap. @Debi is right to mention, purpose should be trend mapping. And of course, this is fallout of poor guidance.
I acknowledge very informative and valuable remarks from respected @Dr. Rao. It has added to my knowledge.
"Research literature reviews can be contrasted with more subjective examinations of recorded information. When doing a research review, you systematically examine all sources and describe and justify what you have done. This enables someone else to reproduce your methods and to determine objectively whether to accept the results of the review.
"In contrast, subjective reviews tend to be idiosyncratic. Subjective reviewers choose articles without justifying why they are selected, and they may give equal credence to good and poor studies. The results of subjective reviews are often based on a partial examination of the available literature, and their findings may be inaccurate or even false."
(Arlene Fink, Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. Sage, 2009)
"There should be clear links between the aims of your research and the literature review, the choice of research designs and means used to collect data, your discussion of the issues, and your conclusions and recommendations. To summarize, we can say that the research should:
focus on a specific problem, issue or debate;
relate to that problem, issue or debate in terms that show a balance between the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of the topic;
include a clearly stated research methodology based on the existing literature;
provide an analytical and critically evaluative stance to the existing literature on the topic.
A master's thesis is therefore a demonstration in research thinking and doing."
(Chris Hart, Doing a Literature Review. Sage, 1998)
http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/literaturereviewterm.htm#
I agree with Nageswara. The review of the literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem.
Create a logical framework to the identified topic with suitable methodology ; strategize the research process implementation and work towards the delivery and interpretation of the results
An insightful as well as practical resume of a literature review is given by @Nageswara. For a beginner, it may be helpful to add more detail concerning step 4 in @Nageswara's summary. This detail is given, starting on page 15, in
M.A. Freitag, How to write a good (maths) Ph.D. thesis, University of Bath, 2012:
http://people.bath.ac.uk/mamamf/talks/awayday2012.pdf
Although Freitag focuses on a mathematics-oriented thesis, the structure for a literature review given by Freitag carries over into other Ph.D. theses.
a literature review is the way you can use it to introduce your scientific problem , and how you can describe its important
The view of Sekaran (2003) is given below.
Literature Review: The documentation of a comprehensive review of the published work from secondary sources of data in the areas of specific interest to the researcher.
References
Sekaran, U., 2003. Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley & Sons.
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