Define the topic briefly and then the problem you will address. Then refer to other relevant studies and how they interact with yours, keeping your aims forefront. Then state your hypothesises and how you intend to test them. But always your study is paramount. We want to know what you are doing, not previous studies. They have already come and gone hehe :)
A literature survey in a research proposal serves to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing body of knowledge related to your research topic. It helps you identify gaps, establish the context for your research, and demonstrate your familiarity with relevant theories, concepts, and previous studies.
Here's how to conduct a literature survey for a research proposal:
Identify Your Research Area: Clearly define the specific area of research you intend to investigate. This will help you narrow down your literature search.
Research Objectives and Questions: Clearly outline the objectives and research questions that your proposal aims to address. This will guide your literature search and review.
Keyword Identification: Identify keywords and key phrases relevant to your research topic. These keywords will be used in your literature search.
Conduct a Comprehensive Search: Use academic databases, library catalogs, online journals, and other scholarly sources to search for relevant literature. Use your identified keywords and search operators (AND, OR, NOT) to find articles, books, reports, and other relevant materials.
Select Relevant Sources: Evaluate the sources you find to determine their relevance, credibility, and quality. Choose sources that directly contribute to your research objectives and reflect the current state of knowledge.
Thorough Reading and Note-Taking: Read the selected sources carefully and take detailed notes. Summarize key findings, methodologies, theoretical frameworks, and other pertinent information.
Identify Themes and Trends: Analyze the collected information to identify common themes, trends, and gaps in the existing literature. This will help you categorize and organize your literature survey.
Categorize and Organize: Organize the sources and your notes into categories based on the themes and trends you've identified. This will help you structure your literature survey logically.
Write Your Literature Survey: Start with an introduction that provides context for your research area and outlines the purpose of the literature survey. Then, present the main themes and trends, discussing each category of sources in detail and referencing relevant studies.
Critical Analysis: Critically analyze the sources by discussing their strengths, limitations, and contributions to the field. Identify areas of agreement and disagreement among the studies.
Address Gaps: Highlight gaps and limitations in the existing literature. Explain why these gaps are significant and how your proposed research will contribute to filling them.
Connect to Your Research Proposal: Discuss how the findings from your literature survey directly relate to your proposed research objectives and research questions.
Cite Properly: Ensure you cite your sources accurately using the appropriate citation style required by your institution (e.g., APA, MLA).
Revise and Edit: Review your literature survey for clarity, coherence, and logical flow. Make sure your arguments are well-structured and supported by evidence from the sources.
Concluding Remarks: Summarize the key takeaways from the literature survey and emphasize how your proposed research will build upon the existing knowledge and contribute to the field.
A well-executed literature survey in your research proposal demonstrates your expertise in the field and positions your proposed research as a valuable and necessary contribution. It helps reviewers understand the context of your research and the significance of your research objectives.