REVIEWING THE

LITERATURE
A literature review involves
researching, reading, analyzing,
evaluating, and summarizing
scholarly literature (typically
journals and articles) about a
specific topic.

Dr. Ajau Danis

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

 TOPICS COVERED

Function of
What is
literature
Plagiarism?
review.

Searching for
How to review
existing
the literature?
literature.

Developing
Reviewing
theoretical and
selected
conceptual
literature.
frameworks.

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

 • Using someone’s script without
quoting.
• Using someone’s script as if your
own.
• Cutting and pasting internet
WHAT IS materials.
PLAGIARISM? • Using someone’s result without
permission.
• Using someone’s figure or table
without quoting.
 DEFINITION
A literature review is a critical analysis of
existing literature on a specific topic or
research question. It involves identifying,
evaluating, and synthesizing relevant
scholarly sources such as books, journal
articles, conference proceedings, and
other academic documents. The purpose
of a literature review is to provide an
overview of the current state of
knowledge on a particular subject,
identify gaps or inconsistencies in
existing research, and establish the
context for a new study or research
project.
Ridley, D. (2012). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students. Sage.
 DEFINITION
• A literature review is a description of the
literature relevant to a particular field or topic.
• It gives an overview of:
• what has been said,
• who the key writers are,
• what are the prevailing theories and
hypotheses,
• what questions are being asked, and
• what methods and methodologies are
appropriate and useful.
 LITERATURE REVIEW

• In a literature review you are required to

present:
– established findings
– conflicting evidence (if any)
– gaps
in the body of the scholarship relating to
your topic.
FUNCTION OF LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review is an integral Providing a theoretical

part of the research process background to a study:
Bringing clarity and focus to the
research problem
Improving research methodology
Broadening knowledge base in the
research area of interest
Contextualising findings by integrating
with the exiting body of knowledge
authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014
HOW TO REVIEW THE • Start with a broad area of interest if the
LITERATURE research problem is not known and narrow
down
• Focused on the research problem
• What is already known in the area?
• What is not known or what are the gaps
in the existing body of knowledge?
• What questions have remained
unanswered?
• Are there any areas of professional
conflict?
• What theories have been put forward
relevant to the area of research?
• What suggestions have been made for
further research?
• What research strategies have been
employed by others undertaking similar
research?
authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014
FOUR STEPS OF DOING A LITERATURE REVIEW

Searching for Reviewing the Developing a Developing a

the existing selected theoretical conceptual
literature in the literature framework framework
area of interest

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

SEARCHING FOR EXISTING LITERATURE

Set Compile Start

Set parameters Compile a Start with:

for the search reading list • Journals
• Conference
papers
• Books
• The Internet

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

3 TYPES OF SOURCES FOR REVIEW OF
THE LITERATURE
Information sources What it Does
General sources Provides an overview of a
topic and provides leads to
where more information
can be found
Examples
Daily newspaper, news
weeklies, popular
periodicals and magazines,
etc.

Secondary sources Provides a level of Books on specific and

information “Once reviews of research
removed” from the original
work

Primary sources The original reports of the Journals, abstracts and

original work or experience scholarly books
(Salkind, 2012)
 WHERE TO FIND THEM

Academic writing General Writing

Library Electronic database Internet
• ACM digital library
Library database
• IEEE Xplore,
• Google Scholar search Books
• Google.com
Magazine/Newspapers
GOOGLE SCHOLAR : EXAMPLE
LIBRARY ELECTRONIC DATABASE
 SCIENCE DIRECT

• Published by
Elsevier which is
the world’s largest
publisher of
science,
technology and
medical
information.

• Contains nearly
six million full text
articles.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
• Keywords search!
• Where does keywords come from?
• Example:
 REVIEWING SELECTED LITERATURE
• Read existing literature and examine critically:
• Note whether the knowledge relevant to a theoretical
framework has been confirmed beyond doubt
• Note the theories put forward, the criticisms of these
and their basis, the methodologies adopted (study
design, sample size and its characteristics, measurement
procedures, etc.) and the criticisms of them
• Examine to what extent the findings can be generalised
to other situations
• Notice where there are significant differences of opinion
among researchers, giving an opinion about their validity
in addition to putting forward a position with reasons
• Ascertain the areas in which little or nothing is known –
the gaps that exist in the body of knowledge

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

EXAMPLE OF SHORTCOMING & LIMITATION OF
FINDINGS
 WORKING WITH LITERATURE

Working with
Literature

Find it! Manage it! Use it! Review it!

Knowing the Reading Understanding the

Choosing your research topic
literature types efficiently lit review’s purpose

Keeping track Ensuring adequate

Using available resources Developing your question
of references coverage

Honing your Arguing your Writing

Writing relevant annotations
search skills rationale purposefully

Working on
Informing your work with theory
style and tone

O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Designing
method
HOW TO WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW

Write about the Describe Specify gaps Write about State current
literature trends
reviewed to
various in the existing recent
provide a theories knowledge advances in
theoretical area the area of
background and study
contextualise
findings to
existing body of
literature:
Refine own Quote
methodology findings from
existing
studies
authored by Stephanie Fleisher © SAGE publications Ltd 2014
WRITING A LITERATURE REVIEW
Thematic, based on the
Following a logical order
main theme of enquiry

Arguments referenced
with supporting Use academic
evidence from the referencing style
existing literature Example: APA Style

authored by Stephanie Fleischer © SAGE publications Ltd 2014

WRITING THE LITERATURE: ORGANISE A LITERATURE REVIEW

• Body: this is where you discuss your sources.

Here are some ways in which you could
organize your discussion:
❖ Chronologically: for example, if writers'
views have tended to change over time.
There is little point in doing the review by
order of publication unless this shows a
clear trend;
WRITING THE LITERATURE: ORGANISE A LITERATURE REVIEW
❖ thematically: take particular themes in the
literature, for example in the literature
review of knowledge, attitude and practice
in preventing COVID-19. The themes are
the prevalence of the disease, knowledge,
attitude, and practice towards the disease,
knowledge and attitude, attitude and
practice, knowledge and practice;
example

❖ methodologically: the focus is on the

methods of the researcher, for example,
qualitative versus quantitative approaches.
WRITING THE LITERATURE: ORGANISE A LITERATURE REVIEW

• Conclusion
➢ Summarise the literature.
➢ Evaluate the current “state of the art”,
pointing out gaps in the literature,
inconsistencies and issues that are
important for future study.
➢ Conclude by giving some insight into the
relationship between your topic and a
larger area of study or area of professional
practice.
 When describing study findings,
generally, use phrase such as;
• Several studies have found …
WRITING • Findings thus far suggest …
THE • The results are consistent with the
conclusion that …
LITERATURE: • Results from a landmark study imply
TIPS that …
• There appears to be fairly strong
evidence that …
• etc, etc ……..
RECORDING THE LITERATURE:
APA STYLE (AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION)
Referencing in the references or bibliography section
➢ List the articles in alphabetical order by author’s
surname
➢ List the multiple work of a same author
chronologically
➢ Basic information need to list include: author (s), title,
source, publishing place.
➢ Books, journal articles, conference articles all have
different referencing styles
CITATION
 CITATION AND REFERENCE: EXAMPLES OF APA STYLES
REFERENCING
Similarly, DiClemente and Norcross (1992) has explained that
adolescence is a time of growth and experimentation, a period
marked by establishing autonomy and confronting new challenges.
It is a time of turmoil (Compas, 1987) or a period of storm and
stress linked to biological changes and their behavioural correlate
(Aggleton and Campbell, 2000).

Body of the text/citation: DiClemente and Norcross (1992)

DiClemente C.C and Norcross J.C (1992
Reference List:
DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross J. C. (1992). In search of how people
change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist,
47, 1102-1114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.9.1102
REFERENCE: EXAMPLES
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE TOO FEW
SOURCES?

If little or no information, the topic might be too narrow.

It is a good idea to see what topic headings or terms any

newly found information was cataloged under, so that you
can use those keywords in other database searches.

If your search still yields little information, get help from

library personnel and experts in your field of research.
 WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY SOURCES?

Experts in your field of

If too many information
interest can suggest
found, you need to scale Journals specific to a
where many of your
your down to field are good sources.
important sources can
manageable amount.
be found.

Draw on what you need

Categorised your
without being
sources so that you
overwhelmed by
know what kind of
material that is
information you have.
interesting and related.
 SUMMARY

Literature An account of Forms a chapter

review: - work by others. in your thesis.

Tell the
Convey what Describe the
strengths/weak-
knowledge has objective,
nesses of
been problem, issue,
current
established. or arguments.
knowledge.

Is not list of
Is not a set of
material
summaries.
available.
DEFINITION

"... a literature review uses as its

database reports of primary or original
scholarship, ... The types of scholarship
may be empirical, theoretical, critical/
analytic, or methodological in nature. …
a literature review seeks to describe,
summarise, evaluate, clarify and/or
integrate the content of primary
reports."

Cooper, H. M. (1988), "The structure of knowledge synthesis",

Knowledge in Society, Vol. 1, pp. 104-126