A literature review is a comprehensive overview of the existing research on a specific topic, providing critical analysis and synthesis of the key concepts, theories, methodologies, and findings in the field.
The key steps to writing a literature review include:
- Searching for relevant literature
- Evaluating sources
- Identifying themes, debates, and gaps
- Outlining the structure
- Writing your literature review
Purpose of a Literature Review
Understanding the role of a literature review is crucial when embarking on your thesis or dissertation. It is the foundation that supports your research, critically evaluating existing scholarship within your selected study area.
- Summarize Existing Knowledge:
Your literature review should succinctly summarize the current state of knowledge on your topic. This requires identifying relevant research, theories, and findings. Then, you’ll synthesize them to establish a clear understanding of the field. - Objectives of a Literature Review:
- Establish a theoretical framework for your study.
- Identify any gaps or inconsistencies in existing knowledge.
- Highlight the significance of your research in the context of what is already known.
- Provide a benchmark for comparing your study’s outcomes with existing findings.
- Synthesis over Summaries:
Your literature review should go beyond merely summarizing studies; it should synthesize the information. This means you’ll weave together various perspectives to offer a new viewpoint or identify new ways to approach a problem. - Critically Evaluate Scholarship:
It’s not just about gathering sources but assessing their credibility. You must critically evaluate each piece of scholarship, distinguishing between high-quality research and lesser sources. - State of Knowledge:
Ultimately, your literature review sets the stage by illustrating the state of knowledge and scholarship in your area of research. It anchors your work in what has been studied before and directs where your research will contribute.
Searching and Selecting Literature
In the pursuit of constructing a comprehensive literature review for your dissertation, the ability to strategically search for and meticulously select relevant literature forms the bedrock of your research. This process entails utilizing precise keywords, assessing source credibility, and effectively integrating these findings into your theoretical framework.
List and Use Keywords
To commence your exploration, you’ll need to list relevant keywords that are central to your research topic. Synthesize these terms from your abstract, research questions, and theoretical framework.
Afterward, prioritize databases like EBSCO, Google Scholar, and your institution’s catalog to organize and sift through the plethora of scholarly material.
Employ variations of your keywords and combine them with Boolean operators to broaden or narrow your search as required.
- Example of keyword combination: “climate change” AND “policy measures”
- Use quotation marks for exact phrases: “renewable energy”
Tips for maximizing search results:
- Utilize advanced search options to filter results by publication date, subject area, or methodology.
- Keep track of search terms in an annotated bibliography to facilitate easy reference.
Evaluating Sources
Once you have a list of potential sources, your next step is critically evaluating their relevance and credibility. Evaluate the abstracts to determine whether these studies align with your theoretical framework and research objectives.
Next, look for credible sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, which cross-referencing citations can verify.
Then, synthesize, summarize, interpret, and analyze the literature. While doing so, assess the methodology, examine the findings, and scrutinize the bibliography to ensure the sources are relevant.
Finally, critically evaluate each source by asking if it adds to your understanding of the topic if the author is an expert in the field, and how frequently the work is cited in other literature.
Themes, Debates, and Gaps
In your dissertation literature review, you must systematically explore key themes, rigorously discuss ongoing debates, and astutely identify gaps in the current state of research.
Identifying Trends and Patterns
Your literature review should commence by identifying trends and patterns present in your research field. This involves examining developments over time, how research groups have approached certain topics, and changes in methodological practices.
It’s imperative to examine how variables have been studied and the relationships that have emerged across different studies.
Analyzing Themes
Delve into the key themes that surface within your research sphere. These are often tied to the methodologies utilized and can point to the dominant discourse or prevailing theoretical orientations.
When you analyze themes, consider how they contribute to the broader landscape of your research subject.
Discussing Debates and Contradictions
A thorough literature review will not shy away from discussing debates, contradictions, and conflicts within the literature. Highlighting these disagreements showcases a robust understanding of your subject and provides a context for where your research may contribute to resolving or further probing these issues.
Spotting Gaps and Pivotal Publications
As you survey the literature, pinpoint the gaps that may indicate opportunities for your study. Gaps can include a lack of research on a particular subgroup or insufficient evidence supporting a widespread claim.
Equally, look for pivotal publications that have shaped current understanding or are frequently cited in your area of research. These can serve as key points in your literature map.
Structuring the Literature Review
As you develop the literature review for your dissertation, the organization is pivotal. A well-structured literature review establishes the foundation and direction of your research. Selecting the most suitable structure is essential, whether based on timelines, themes, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks.
Chronological Structure
In a chronological structure, you order the literature by publication date, mapping out a timeline of the scholarly dialogue. This approach can be beneficial when tracing the development of a theory or the progression of research over time.
Your table of contents will follow a linear path, reflecting the evolution of academic thought in chronological blocks.
Thematic Structure
Opting for a thematic structure means you’ll organize the literature around specific themes or categories. This involves grouping studies that address similar topics or issues, regardless of publication date.
Effective use of this structure can help highlight recurring topics and demonstrate how various researchers approached the same concept.
Methodological Structure
With a methodological structure, you categorize the literature based on the methods used in the research. Organizing by methodology allows you to critically compare the efficacy of different research strategies and their results on your topic.
This structure can also reveal the evolution of methodologies within your field.
Theoretical Structure
When you use a theoretical structure, the literature is arranged around various theories or conceptual frameworks relevant to your research.
It lets you dissect your topic through different theoretical lenses, providing a more multidimensional critique. Your writing should delineate how each theory or framework has contributed to the existing body of knowledge.
Remember to maintain a professional tone when crafting each subsection, ensuring clarity and integrity in your writing. A coherent template and consistent formatting can significantly enhance the readability and impact of your literature review.
Writing and Refining the Review
As you embark on your journey to craft the dissertation literature review, know that it entails more than summarizing sources. You are weaving complex research threads into a tapestry that presents your scholarly narrative.
Focus on articulating the purpose of your research and the rationale behind it, highlighting the dialogues within the existing literature, and framing how your work fills the identified gaps.
Drafting the Introduction
- Begin your introduction by setting the stage for your readers. Clearly define the scope of your research paper with succinct definitions and establish the context.
- Outline the central research questions your thesis will address. What you introduce here will lay the groundwork for the themes to be explored in the body of your literature review.
Developing the Body
In the body, organize the existing journal articles, theses, and dissertations thematically or chronologically, as appropriate.
As you synthesize, don’t merely list findings—critically analyze the debates and gaps within the field. Highlight key conclusions and how they intertwine to support your research project.
Use the following structure to help synthesize the literature:
- Theme/Subtopic 1:
- Study A: Major finding or argument
- Study B: Contrasting perspective or complementary point
- Theme/Subtopic 2:
- Research C: Key methodologies and results
- Research D: How this pushes the conversation forward
Crafting the Conclusion
In concluding your literature review, recapitulate the major strands of your synthesis, state how your research paper fills the gaps you’ve found, and enumerate the main conclusions derived from the literature. Instead of terminating abruptly, summarize the significance of your findings in relation to the broader context. Then, indicate directions for future research.