RESEARCH SKILLS AND DESIGN

DATE ISSUED 21.02.2022

DUE DATE 22.02.2022

Literature Review Assignment - 1

You will undertake this assignment in view of the topic of your research. Each student should by
now have a topic of research that has in place the following components;

 Title
 Introduction
 Problem Statement
 General Objectives
 Specific Objectives
 Scope
 Significance of the Research

In case you are missing any of the components, it will be important to complete them first before
embarking on this assignment.

Introduction to Assignment

A literature review is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to the work that you
are carrying out. Think of the topic in terms of a conversation.

Although literature reviews share distinctive features across disciplines, your approach to them
will change depending upon where you are in the writing process, upon who your audience is,
and upon whether you are writing one as a standalone essay or as introductory matter for a
larger article.

Purposes of a Literature Review

 Provides background information on the topic in the scholarly conversation

 Establishes importance of topic to the scholarly conversation
 Demonstrates your familiarity with the scholarly conversation
 “Carves out a space” for further work and allows you to position yourself in the scholarly
conversation

Characteristics of an Effective Literature Review

In addition to fulfilling the purposes outlined above, an effective review offers a functional
overview of existing research by:

 Outlining important research trends in the conversation

 Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of existing research
 Identifying potential gaps in knowledge
 Establishing a need for current and/or future research projects
Steps (or Strategies) of the Literature Review Process

a. Planning: identify the focus, type, scope and discipline of the review you intend to write.
b. Reading and Research: collect and read current research on your topic. Select only those
sources that are most relevant to your project.
c. Analyzing: summarize, synthesize, critique, and compare your sources in order to assess
the field of research as a whole.
d. Finding the Big Picture: consider the overall picture that emerges.
e. Organizing: structure the information.
f. Drafting: develop a thesis or claim to make about the existing research and decide how
to organize your material.
g. Revising: revise and finalize the paper’s structural, stylistic, and grammatical issues.

This process is not always linear. Depending on the size and scope of your literature review, you
may find yourself returning to some of these steps repeatedly as you develop your project.

STEP 1: Planning: What Kind of Literature Review Am I Writing?

As you plan to write your review, you’ll need to begin by asking: What kind of review am I
writing? What are the focus, type, scope, and discipline of my review?

 Focus: What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review
is responding to or defining?
 Type: What type of review am I conducting? Will my review emphasize theory,
methodology, policy, or qualitative or quantitative studies?
 Scope: What is the scope of material I will include in terms of date, discipline, forms, etc.?
What type of sources will I be using?
 Discipline: What academic discipline(s) will be included (e.g. Nursing, Psychology,
Sociology, Medicine)? Remember interdisciplinary work has to account for field
differences in acceptable courses of research.

ASSIGNMENT A: PLANNING A LITERATURE REVIEW

Answer the following questions carefully and have them submitted before deadline. In case you
don’t grasp a term, perform some research on them.

Use the topic of choice as you answer the following questions.

1. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review is
defining or responding to?
2. What type of literature review am I conducting (developing applications/software theory;
methodology; policy; quantitative; qualitative)?
3. What is the scope of my literature review (date, discipline, forms, etc)? What types of
sources of literature am I using? (sources include journal, conference proceedings,
technical reports)
4. What field(s) am I working in? (Remember, interdisciplinary work has to account for field
differences in acceptable sources of research.)