How to conduct a literature review ?

A literature review is a comprehensive study and interpretation of the works of various authors and researchers in a particular field of study. It provides an overview of the existing research and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the existing knowledge on a particular topic.

To write a good literature review, you should follow these steps:

Choose a topic: Start by choosing a topic that you are interested in and that is relevant to your field of study.

Conduct a thorough search: Search for relevant academic articles, books, and other sources using databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, and other academic databases.

Evaluate the sources: Read the articles and other sources that you have found, and evaluate their quality and relevance to your topic.

Organize the information: Organize the information that you have gathered into a logical structure, such as chronologically or thematically.

Write the review: Start by introducing your topic, then provide an overview of the existing research, and finally, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the existing knowledge on your topic.

Use proper citation: Make sure to properly cite the sources that you have used in your literature review.

Proofread and edit: Finally, proofread and edit your literature review for clarity, accuracy, and coherence.

It is important to keep in mind that a literature review is not simply a summary of existing research, but rather a critical evaluation of it. You should aim to provide a balanced and comprehensive overview of the existing research on your topic, and to identify any gaps or areas for future research.

Ayesha Farooq

Conducting a literature review involves a systematic and comprehensive search and evaluation of existing literature on a specific topic. Here are the general steps to conduct a literature review:

Define the research question: The first step in conducting a literature review is to define the research question or topic that will guide your search. This will help you to narrow down your search and focus on the most relevant literature.

Search for literature: Once you have defined your research question, you can start searching for relevant literature. You can use a variety of sources, including online databases, academic journals, books, and conference proceedings. It is important to use multiple sources to ensure that you have a comprehensive view of the literature on your topic.

Evaluate the literature: After collecting the literature, you will need to evaluate it for relevance, quality, and bias. This can be done by reading the abstracts and summaries of the literature, as well as the full text of the most relevant articles. You may also want to evaluate the methodology used in the studies, the sample size, and the statistical analysis.

Analyze the literature: Once you have evaluated the literature, you can start analyzing it by identifying patterns, trends, and gaps in the research. This will help you to synthesize the information and draw conclusions about the current state of knowledge on your topic.

Organize and write the literature review: Finally, you will need to organize the literature and write the literature review. This can be done by creating an outline that summarizes the main findings of the literature and provides a clear and concise narrative of the research on your topic. Make sure to cite all sources used in your review and follow any guidelines or formatting requirements set by your instructor or publisher.

Overall, conducting a literature review requires careful planning, thorough research, and critical evaluation of the existing literature. It is an important step in the research process and can help you to identify gaps in the literature and areas for future research.

Kenneth Lui-ming Ngie

The guidance / illustrations as per the following publications may further help:

Baker, M. J. (2000) Writing a Literature Review, The Marketing Review, 1, 2, pp. 219-247.
Callahan, J. L. (2014) Editorial: Writing Literature Reviews: A Reprise and Update, Human Resource Development Review, 13, 3, pp. 271-275.
Denney, A. S. and Tewksbury, R. (2013) How to write a literature review, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 24, 2, pp. 218-234.
Feak, C. B. and Swales, J. M. (2009) Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
Galvan, J. L. (2017) Writing Literature Reviews : A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Sixth edn. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hart, C. (2007) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination.London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Maier, H. R. (2013) What constitutes a good literature review and why does its quality matter?, Environmental Modelling and Software, 43, 1, pp. 3-4.
Oxman, A. D. and Guyatt, G. H. (1988) Guidelines for reading literature reviews, Canadian Medical Association journal, 138, 8, pp. 697-703.
Pautasso, M. (2013) Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Literature Review, PLoS Computational Biology, 9, 7, pp. 1-4.
Randolph, J. J. (2009) A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review, Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 14, 13, pp. 1-12.
Rowley, J. and Slack, F. (2004) Conducting a literature review, Management research news, 17, 6, pp. 31-39.
Sümer, B. (2011) The Importance of Literature Review in Research Design, in Tomanić-Trivundža, I., Carpentier, N., Nieminen, H., Pruulmann-Venerfeldt, P., Kilborn, R., Sundin, E. and Olsson, T. (eds.) Critical Perspectives on the European Mediasphere. Ljubljana: Faculty of Social Sciences: Založba FDV, pp. 219-227.
Snyder, H. (2019) Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines, Journal of Business Research, 104, 1, pp. 333-339.
Webster, J. and Watson, R. T. (2002) Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review, MIS quarterly, 26, 2, pp. xiii-xxiii.

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