SPECIAL TOPIC

Literature Review
The Literature Review

What is literature?

Scholarly literature – body of research about a particular research question, topic or

theme; this may include the definition and discussion of concepts
Not a historical background

The literature review has several purposes:

• Shares the results of other studies closely related to the one being
undertaken
• Relates a study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the literature
• Establishes the importance of study
• Provides a benchmark for comparing the results with other findings
The Literature Review

The literature review of a paper can be helpful in gap-spotting (which can then aid you
in defining/refining the focus of your study; especially when used in conjunction with
the “suggestion for future research” part of a paper)

Neglect spotting
• An overlooked area
• Under-researched
• Lack of empirical support
• New empirical phenomenon

Confusion spotting
• Competing explanations
• Ongoing debates/conflicting findings

Application spotting
• Extending and complementing existing literature
Searching for Literature

What?
Academic/peer-reviewed journals
Books
Theses or dissertations

Secondary
Government reports
Donor agencies reports
Newspaper articles

Where?
Library
Internet
Online libraries/databases (JSTOR, Wiley, etc.)
Academic search engines (Google Scholar)
Literature Mapping

https://libguides.princeton.edu/litmapping
The Literature Map
Developing Your Literature Review
You should write your literature review with an eye toward introducing the
reader to the topic you will address, laying out in a logical manner what has
already been learned on the topic by past researchers

Some guide questions to consider when developing your literature review:

• What research has been done about the topic?
• What have others said about this topic?
• What theories have been applied to the topic (if any) and what do they say?
• Are there ongoing debates or trend about the topic?
• How were the studied concept/s defined or operationalized before?
• What were the data and methodologies used in previous studies?
• Are the findings consistent or inconsistent?
• Are there any mistakes in the previous studies or in the theoretical
reasoning?
• What are the research hypotheses developed from the literature review?

You do not have to answer all these questions – assess what is relevant and important for your study
Developing Your Literature Review

Some tips when developing your literature review:

• Do not include everything – only review works that are highly relevant to
your topic and would help shape your arguments/frame your study
• It should not only be a summary – you must also be able to synthesize or
analyze the literature you read
• Although there is no one way of organizing your literature review, make
sure it is logical
Example: use of section headers; organize by theoretical foundation,
by hypothesis, by variable, etc.
• Always document to save time and to avoid plagiarism
• Always check your sources – make sure they are trustworthy and reliable,
especially those that were obtained online