Why Do a Literature Review?

 

A crucial element of all research degrees is the review of relevant literature. So important is this chapter that its omission represents a void or absence of a major element in research (Afolabi 1992). According to Bourner (1996) there are good reasons for spending time and effort on a review of the literature before embarking on a research project. These reasons include:

• To identify gaps in the literature
• To avoid reinventing the wheel (at the very least this will save time and it can stop you from making the same mistakes as others)
• To carry on from where others have already reached (reviewing the field allows you to build on the platform of existing knowledge and ideas)
• To identify other people working in the same fields (a researcher network is a valuable resource)
• To increase your breadth of knowledge of your subject area
• To identify seminal works in your area
• To provide the intellectual context for your own work, enabling you to position your project relative to other work
• To identify opposing views
• To put your work into perspective
• To demonstrate that you can access previous work in an area
• To identify information and ideas that may be relevant to your project
• To identify methods that could be relevant to your project

 

As far as the literature review process goes, ultimately the goal for students is to complete their review in the allocated time and to ensure they can maintain currency in their field of study for the duration of their research (Bruce 1990).

 

 

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCTION OF THE RESULTS OF YOUR REVIEW

 

Be sure to check with your professor about instructions for class papers, theses, and dissertations that may differ from this guide.

 

I will discuss the processes of analysis, synthesis, reflection, discussion, conclusions and planning. These are processes in which we engage daily prioritising our tasks and deciding what to do next. Business analysis involves identifying the causes and determining the solutions to business problems; for synthesis, compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions; production of a plan, or proposed set of operations. In much of academic business writing, a theoretical or topological model proposes things that should be done to avoid problems in diverse organisations, and provides directions for correction of problems.

Learning how to determine the relevance and authority of a given resource for your research is one of the core skills of the research process. For more assistance with the research process, consult your instructor or a reference librarian.

 

GIVING NAMES TO THE PROCESSES “Synthesis of information is something we do every day” (Drew University On-Line Resources for Writers)   “Whenever you report to a friend the things several other friends have said about a film or CD you engage in synthesis.”   In business, “Whether one is proposing to open a new store or expand a product line, the report that must inevitably be written will synthesize information and arrange it by topic rather than by source.”   For university papers, “Your primary purpose is to show readers that you are familiar with the field and are thus qualified to offer your own opinions. But your larger purpose is to show that in spite of all this wonderful research, no one has addressed the problem in the way that you intend to in your paper. This gives your synthesis a purpose, and even a thesis of sorts.” An excellent source: For a thorough discussion see Drew University On-Line Resources for Writers: http://www.users.drew.edu/sjamieso/synthesis.html The following cut & pasted from: http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/Conflict/analysis.html by Chuck Huff, Professor of Psychology, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, USA Some hints on how to make your analysis paper excellent Students are often frustrated when I mark their papers "please give more detail." I admit the comment doesn't tell you much about what sort of detail I would like to see (but it does fit in the margin nicely). Here is a guide to the kinds of ways one can add "detail" to a paper without simply repeating yourself.   Allan Bloom has posited a "taxonomy of educational objectives" that helps us discriminate different kinds of detail. Underneath each of these sorts of detail, I give an explanation of it and an example. Each single example sentence would never stand by itself in a paper, but represents what might be the topic sentence of a paragraph. Stuff towards the top of this list is detail that is less impressive than stuff towards the bottom. Knowledge: Recognition of a concept and ability to define it. "Conformity is the change in a person's behavior brought about by the real or imagined presence of others." This definition suggests knowledge that the concept "conformity" can be described in a particular way. Giving more than one definition does not add to knowledge, unless comparisons are made between them. Giving a simple example can be a form of definition too. Simple examples suggest knowledge, and some comprehension, complex ones suggest application. Comprehension: Clear evidence that the nuance of knowledge is recognized. The ability to use a concept in a sentence toward some end is also evidence of comprehension. "Persuasion is a kind of social influence with a slightly different approach than that of conformity." Comprehension is more than awareness of a simple definition, it also involves the ability to understand the meaning of a concept and use it appropriately. Application: The use of a concept to understand a complex real-world problem. A simple example is not an application. Application requires the use of the concept in a careful and thoughtful manner, in a manner that takes into account the complexity of both the concept and the situation. "Conformity in the Challenger disaster took on various forms, depending upon the relation of the decision maker to positions of power." Analysis: This involves the ability to understand the internal structure of a concept and to manipulate that structure to show how the concept is put together. "Conformity can take on several different aspects (compliance, identification, internalization) but these aspects are not as easy to separate as the simple list suggests; they flow into each other and even transform each other at times." Just showing the connections or structure is the beginning, but manipulating the structure to show its flexibility or fragility is deeper analysis. Synthesis: Taking two or more concepts and showing their similarities, differences, contrasts, contradictions, or combinations. "Some prejudice is really a form of conformity, or is at least motivated by a desire to fit in." Again, showing the contrast is just the beginning; you can also show why it matters, or how it can be resolved, or why it is interesting (see Analysis). (NOTE from author: Research synthesis is the practice of systematically distilling and integrating data from a variety of sources in order to draw more reliable conclusions about a given question or topic. Evaluation: Is this concept up to the task its designers' set for it? Where does it fall short? What does it leave out? What implications does it have for other concepts or issues? If it is useful for one purpose, might it be useful for other, similar purposes? "Conformity can easily be over-applied to explain almost any social decision; perhaps this is because its definition is too vague."

 

Caution

 

When you’re reading publications other than the original source by the original author, remember this quote from Socrates:

 

“Once a thing is put into writing, the composition, whatever it may be, drifts all over the place, getting into the hands not only of those who understand it, but equally of those who have no business with it; it doesn’t know to address the right people and not to address the wrong. And when it is ill-treated and unfairly abused it always needs the help of its parent [i.e., the author] to come to its help, being unable to defend or help itself.” – Socrates, Phaedrus (275e), trans. Hackforth

 

See also: James G. Hunt, George E. Dodge, Leadership deja vu all over again, The Leadership Quarterly, Volume 11, Issue 4, Winter 2000, Pages 435-458.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W5N-42Y1649-2&_user=860968&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000046400&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=860968&md5=4dcc3ffb139f87f070e5818a4064da29

 

Another useful quote to remember: “Some of the research literature on almost every topic is misleading or trivial.” -- http://www.gwu.edu/~litrev/

Some Sources That May be of Use

Drew University On-Line Resources for Writers: http://www.users.drew.edu/sjamieso/synthesis.html

 

Cooper, Harris; Hedges, Larry V.; Valentine, Jeffrey C. (2009). The Handbook of Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis, Russell Sage Foundation. (Auckland University of Technology Location: City Campus Main Collection, Call Number: 001.42 HAN

Good tutorials concerning literature reviews are available at these websites:

 

http://www.gwu.edu/~litrev/