A literature review is a written approach to examining published information on a particular topic or field. An author uses this review of literature to create a foundation and justification for his or her research or to demonstrate knowledge on the current state of a field. This review can take the form of a course assignment or a section of a longer capstone project. Read on for more information about writing a strong literature review! students often misinterpret the term literature review to mean a collection of source summaries, similar to annotations or article abstracts.

While summarizing is an element of a literature review, you will want to approach this assignment as a comprehensive representation of your understanding of a topic or field, such as what has already been done or what has been found. then, also using these sources, you can demonstrate the need for future research, specifically, your future research. there is usually no required format or template for a literature review. However, there are some actions to keep in mind when constructing your review:

include an introduction and conclusion.

Provide background information for your reader, such as references to the pioneers in the field, in the beginning, and offer closure in the end by discussing the implications of future research to the field. Just like in an annotated bibliography, you will want to paraphrase all of the material you present in a literature review. This assignment is a chance for you to demonstrate your knowledge on a topic, and putting ideas into your own words will ensure that you are interpreting the found material for your reader. Paraphrasing will also ensure your review of literature is in your authorial voice. organize by topic or theme rather than by author. when compiling multiple sources, our tendency as writers can be to summarize each source and then compare and contrast the sources at the end.

This organization helps demonstrate your synthesis of the material and inhibits you from creating a series of book reports. use headings. apa encourages the use of headings within longer pieces of text to display a shift in topic and create a visual break for the reader. Headings in a literature review can also help you as the writer organize your material by theme and note any layers, or subtopics, within the field. use comparative terms. a literature review can be lengthy and dense, so you will want to make your text appealing to your reader. Transitions and comparison terms will allow you to demonstrate where authors agree or disagree on a topic and highlight your interpretation of the literature.

The introduction is the part of the paper that provides readers with the background information for the research reported in the paper. Its purpose is to establish a framework for the research, so that readers can understand how it is related to other research wilkinson, 1991, p. If a researcher is working within a particular theoretical framework/line of inquiry, the theory or line of inquiry should be introduced and discussed early, preferably in the introduction or literature review. Remember that the theory/line of inquiry selected will inform the statement of the problem, rationale for the study, questions and hypotheses, selection of instruments, and choice of methods. Ultimately, findings will be discussed in terms of how they relate to the theory/line of inquiry that undergirds the study. Theories, theoretical frameworks, and lines of inquiry may be differently handled in quantitative and qualitative endeavors. In quantitative studies, one uses theory deductively and places it toward the beginning of the plan for a study.

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One thus begins the study advancing a theory, collects data to test it, and reflects on whether the theory was confirmed or disconfirmed by the results in the study. The theory becomes a framework for the entire study, an organizing model for the research questions or hypotheses for the data collection procedure creswell, 1994, pp. In qualitative inquiry, the use of theory and of a line of inquiry depends on the nature of the investigation. In studies aiming at grounded theory, for example, theory and theoretical tenets emerge from findings. Much qualitative inquiry, however, also aims to test or verify theory, hence in these cases the theoretical framework, as in quantitative efforts, should be identified and discussed early on. The problem statement describes the context for the study and it also identifies the general analysis approach wiersma, 1995, p.

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A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need for the study creswell, 1994, p. It is important in a proposal that the problem stand out that the reader can easily recognize it. Sometimes, obscure and poorly formulated problems are masked in an extended discussion. In such cases, reviewers and/or committee members will have difficulty recognizing the problem.

A problem statement should be presented within a context, and that context should be provided and briefly explained, including a discussion of the conceptual or theoretical framework in which it is embedded. Clearly and succinctly identify and explain the problem within the framework of the theory or line of inquiry that undergirds the study. This is of major importance in nearly all proposals and requires careful attention. It is a key element that associations such as aera and apa look for in proposals. State the problem in terms intelligible to someone who is generally sophisticated but who is relatively uninformed in the area of your investigation. Effective problem statements answer the question why does this research need to be conducted.

If a researcher is unable to answer this question clearly and succinctly, and without resorting to hyperspeaking i.e. Focusing on problems of macro or global proportions that certainly will not be informed or alleviated by the study , then the statement of the problem will come off as ambiguous and diffuse. For conference proposals, the statement of the problem is generally incorporated into the introduction academic proposals for theses or dissertations should have this as a separate section. The purpose statement should provide a specific and accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the study locke, spirduso, amp silverman, 1987, p.

Foreshadow the hypotheses to be tested or the questions to be raised, as well as the significance of the study. Some committees prefer that the purpose and rationale be provided in separate sections, however. This will clarify your own mind as to the purpose and it will inform the reader directly and explicitly. When defining terms, make a judicious choice between using descriptive or operational definitions. The review of the literature provides the background and context for the research problem. It should establish the need for the research and indicate that the writer is knowledgeable about the area wiersma, 1995, p. It shares with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported fraenkel amp wallen, 1990.

It relates a study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps and extending prior studies marshall amp rossman, 1989. It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study, as well as a benchmark for comparing the results of a study with other findings. Demonstrate to the reader that you have a comprehensive grasp of the field and are aware of important recent substantive and methodological developments.

Avoid statements that imply that little has been done in the area or that what has been done is too extensive to permit easy summary. Statements of this sort are usually taken as indications that the writer is not really familiar with the literature. Be judicious in your choice of exemplars the literature selected should be pertinent and relevant apa, 2001. Committees may want a section outlining your search strategy the procedures you used and sources you investigated e.g. Databases, journals, test banks, experts in the field to compile your literature review. questions are relevant to normative or census type research how many of them are there? is there a relationship between them?. They are most often used in qualitative inquiry, although their use in quantitative inquiry is becoming more prominent.

hypotheses are relevant to theoretical research and are typically used only in quantitative inquiry. When a writer states hypotheses, the reader is entitled to have an exposition of the theory that led to them and of the assumptions underlying the theory. Just as conclusions must be grounded in the data, hypotheses must be grounded in the theoretical framework. A research question poses a relationship between two or more variables but phrases the relationship as a question a hypothesis represents a declarative statement of the relations between two or more variables kerlinger, 1979 krathwohl, 1988. Deciding whether to use questions or hypotheses depends on factors such as the purpose of the study, the nature of the design and methodology, and the audience of the research at times even the taste and preference of committee members, particularly the chair. The practice of using hypotheses was derived from using the scientific method in social science inquiry. They have philosophical advantages in statistical testing, as researchers should be and tend to be conservative and cautious in their statements of conclusions armstrong, 1974.

Elements of Literature Review In Research Text

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