LITERATURE REVIEW

R. O. Salawu (Ph.D. FCA, FCTI, FNAA)

Professor of Accounting
Department of Management and Accounting
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
 Outline
❑Introduction
❑Outline of Chapter
Two
❑Literature review
❑Conclusion
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

❑2.1 Conceptual Review

❑2.2 Theoretical Review
❑2.3 Empirical Review
 Issue by Issue
 Variable by Variable
 Evidence from Developed, Developing & Nigerian
Economy.
❑2.4 Gap in Literature
❑2.5Theoretical Framework
/Conceptual Framework
 Definition of Literature Review
❑ Literature:is a Latin word meaning "learning,
writing, grammar". Broadly is any collection of
written material, this could be works, books and
writings published on a particular subject.

❑ Review: a formal assessment of something with

the intention of instituting change if necessary.

❑ Literature Review: A literature review discusses

published information in a particular subject area,
and sometimes information in a particular subject
area within a certain time period.
 Definition of Literature Review
❑ Literature
review is locating existing works on the issue or
problem identified with the aim of pointing out the various
academic debates, controversies or arguments among
previous scholars, i.e. the areas that are not yet resolved.
Definition of Literature Review Cont.

➢ An academic write-up that summarises, critically

analyses and evaluates previous research available
on the subject, presenting this in an organised way.

➢ Literaturereview is an intellectual excursion into

the existing body of knowledge under investigation
(Adetayo, 2011)
 Types of Literature Review
 Scoping Review
 Narrative
 Critical Review
 Cross-disciplinary review
 Meta-Analysis
 Systematic Review
 Integrative review
 Historical Review
 Argumentative Review
 The Conceptual Review
 Methodological Review
 Theoretical literature review
 Meta-analysis and
 Meta-Synthesis
 Empirical literature review
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Scoping Review: Scoping reviews are invaluable tools, especially for

researchers in the early stages of exploring a topic. These reviews
aim to map the existing literature, identifying gaps and helping
clarify research questions
➢ Often used at the beginning of an article, dissertation or research
proposal. It is conducted before the research begins, and sets the
stage for this research by highlighting gaps in the literature, and
explaining the need for the research about to be conducted, which is
presented in the remainder of the article.

➢ Narrative: it appears as a chapter in a thesis or dissertation. It

describes what related research has already been conducted, how it
informs the thesis, and how the thesis fits into the research in the
field.
➢ Narrative reviews present a well-structured narrative that reads like
a cohesive story, providing a comprehensive overview of a specific
topic. These reviews often incorporate historical context and offer a
broad understanding of the subject matter, making them valuable for
researchers looking to establish a foundational understanding of
their area of interest.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Critical Review: Critical reviews provide an in-

depth evaluation of existing literature, scrutinizing
sources for their strengths, weaknesses, and
relevance. They offer a critical perspective, often
highlighting gaps in the research and areas for
further investigation.
➢ Cross-Disciplinary Review: Cross-disciplinary
reviews explore a topic from multiple academic
disciplines, emphasising the diversity of
perspectives and insights that each discipline
brings. They are particularly useful for
interdisciplinary research projects and uncovering
connections between seemingly unrelated fields.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Meta-Analysis: Meta analysis is a powerful

method for researchers who prefer a
quantitative and statistical perspective. It
involves the statistical synthesis of data
from various studies, allowing researchers
to draw more precise and generalisable
conclusions by combining data from
multiple sources.
➢ Meta analyses are especially valuable when
the aim is to quantitatively measure the
effect size or impact of a particular
intervention, treatment, or phenomenon.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Systematic Review: Systematic reviews are

renowned for their methodological rigour.
They involve a meticulously structured
process that includes the systematic
selection of relevant studies,
comprehensive data extraction, and a
critical synthesis of their findings.
➢ This systematic approach is designed to
minimise bias and subjectivity, making
systematic reviews highly reliable and
objective.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Integrative Review: Integrative reviews

synthesise a diverse range of studies,
drawing connections between various
research findings to create a
comprehensive understanding of a topic.
➢ These reviews often bridge gaps between
different perspectives and provide a
holistic overview.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ HistoricalReview: Historical reviews focus

on the evolution of a topic over time,
tracing its development through past
research, events, and scholarly
contributions. They offer valuable context
for understanding the current state of
research.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Argumentative Review: as the name implies, examines literature

selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply
imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already
established in the literature.

➢ The Conceptual Review: Groups articles according to concepts,

or categories, or themes. It identifies the current 'understanding'
of the given research topic, discusses how this understanding was
reached, and attempts to determine whether a greater
understanding can be suggested.
➢ It provides a snapshot of where things are with this particular
field of research.

➢ Methodological Review: Among the different kinds of literature

reviews, methodological reviews delve into the research
methods and methodologies employed in existing studies.
Researchers assess these approaches for their effectiveness,
validity, and relevance to the research question at hand.
 Types of Literature Review

➢ Theoretical literature review: Theoretical reviews

are centred around exploring and analysing the
theoretical frameworks, concepts, and models
present in the literature. They aim to contribute to
the development and refinement of theoretical
perspectives within a specific field.
➢ Theoretical literature reviews play an instrumental
role in establishing what theories already exist, the
relationships between them, to what degree the
existing theories have been investigated, and to
develop new hypotheses to be tested. At the
earlier parts of the literature review chapter, you
need to specify the type of your literature review
and provide reasons for your choice.
 Choosing the Ideal Literature Review Approach in
Academics

❑ In order to conduct your research in the right manner, it is

important that you choose the correct type of review for
your literature.
❑ The following are the tips to select the best-suited type for
your research
➢ (1) Clarify Your Research Goals: Begin by defining your
research objectives and what you aim to achieve with the
literature review. Are you looking to summarise existing
knowledge, identify gaps, or analyse specific data?
➢ (2) Understand Different Review Types: Familiarise yourself
with different kinds of literature reviews, including
systematic reviews, narrative reviews, meta-analyses,
scoping reviews, and integrative reviews. Each serves a
different purpose.
 Choosing the Ideal Literature Review Approach in
Academics

➢ (3) Consider Available Resources: Assess the

resources at your disposal, including time, access to
databases, and the volume of literature on your
topic. Some review types may be more resource-
intensive than others.
➢ (4) Alignment with Research Question: Ensure that
the chosen review type aligns with your research
question or hypothesis. Some types are better suited
for answering specific research questions than
others.
➢ (5)Scope and Depth: Determine the scope and
depth of your review. For a broad overview, a
narrative review might be suitable, while a
 Choosing the Ideal Literature Review Approach in
Academics

➢ (6) Consult with Supervisor: Seek guidance from

your academic advisors or mentors. They can
provide valuable insights into which review type
best fits your research goals and resources.
➢ (7) Consider Research Field Standards: Different
academic fields have established standards and
preferences for different forms of literature
review. Familiarise yourself with what is common
and accepted in your field.
➢ (8) Pilot Review: Consider conducting a small-scale
pilot review of the literature to test the feasibility
and suitability of your chosen review type before
committing to a larger project.
Literature Review Should be able to provide answers to the following
Questions
❖ What do you know about the research area? „
❖ What are the relationships between key ideas, dynamics
and variables? „
❖ What are the current theories, trends and themes? „
❖ What are the inconsistencies, implications and
shortcomings of previous studies? „
❖ What needs What are the strengths and weaknesses of
present knowledge and understanding?
❖ further investigation because evidence is lacking,
inconclusive, contradictory and/or limited? „
❖ What methodological approaches have been taken and
why?
❖ Are the methodological approaches justified? „
❖ Why does this area of research need to be studied further? „
❖ What contribution will your work make to the current
 Sources of Literature Review
➢ Primary Sources:
✓ Research projects
✓ Journals
✓ Abstracts
✓ Publications
✓ Conference proceedings
✓ Technical reports
✓ Periodicals, etc.
➢ Secondary Sources:
✓ Textbooks
✓ Review of research reports
✓ Encyclopedias
✓ Book reviews
✓ Newspapers
➢ Tertiary sources
✓ Also called ‘search tools’, are
✓ Indexes
✓ Databases
✓ Catalogues
✓ Encyclopaedias
✓ Dictionaries
✓ Bibliographies
✓ Citation Indexes
 Tips on how to carry out Literature Review
❖ There is the need to have a researchable topic before proper literature review
commences.

❖ Making a list of the literatures to review. It is important to make a through survey

and search of the existing literatures on the topic and make a list of them for the
purpose of reviewing them.
❑ All relevant materials should be collated. Thus ensure you access all the
materials to be used in the research.
❖ The researcher should endeavor to assess the most recent journal articles on the
topic and check the references for other good articles.
❖ The researcher should endeavor to have a first-hand access of the papers/journal
articles mapped out for review.
❖ Note that any unaccessed journal articles should not be used for the purpose of
review. On this note, researchers should avoid the temptation of lifting the works
reviewed by previous scholars.
Tips on how to carry out Literature Review Cont.
❖ Each article/paper should now be thoroughly reviewed noting the
author/writer, the year the work was done, the issue addressed in the
work, the methodology, findings and conclusion.

❖ In reviewing the studies, it is necessary to look at how the studies are

related in terms of areas of similarities and differences that exist
among the existing studies.

❖ Comparison of the existing studies can be in the areas of the issue

addressed, the methodology (variables, sample, population, sampling
technique, techniques of analysis, among others), findings, and
conclusion.

❖ The need to compare your present work with the previous studies is
important because it will show clearly how the present work will
extend the frontiers of knowledge.
 Errors to avoid in Literature Review
➢ Citing of studies not related to the problem or
topic.
➢ Using junk journals on the internet instead of
peer reviewed journals.
➢ Not using materials from primary sources but
relying on only secondary sources.
➢ Not subjecting other researchers’ finding and
interpretations to critical analysis to assess
their validity by examining the logics of
research design and analysis.
➢ Failure to consider conflicting findings and
alternative interpretations in the literature.
➢ Cutting and pasting of already reviewed works.
 Errors to avoid in Literature Review Cont.

❑Temptation to review all papers on an issue.

❑Attitude of reading only without writing.

➢ It is better to write and have something to
correct and refine than to write nothing and
have nothing to correct.

❑Failure to keep records of references or

bibliography.
 Reasons for Literature Review
➢ The essence of literature review is to identify research gaps or
academic void, lacunas or lapses that need to be filled or addressed in
the literature.
➢ It provides the basis to justify the current research. The literatures
reviewed will reveal the gaps that exist in the body of knowledge
related to the issue.
➢ Ensure the research has not been done before (or that it is not just a
replication study)

➢ Literature reviews accord the scholar or the researcher the right of

the latest authority in that area of research.

➢ Highlight flaws in the previous studies.

➢ A good review of the literatures will help the researcher to be well

equipped in filling the research gaps.
 Reasons for Literature Review Cont.

➢ The researcher will be abreast of the current

methodology to adopt, the various theories, the
sampling techniques, the data definitions and
variable measurements, among others.
➢ It aids the researcher to formulate good research
problem, write good background to the study and
good discussion of findings, among other.
➢ Through literature review enable the researcher
to compare his findings with those of the previous
scholars in the literature as a mark of his
readiness to contribute to knowledge.
 Advanced stage in Reviewing Literature Cont.

 Write naturally as if you are talking to the

readers and not to yourself. Avoid using
unclear words and sentences.
 Avoids using words that are unnecessary
and superfluous
 Cite your previous works with moderation
and care.

 Ensure the papers cited are not too dated.

At least cite papers less than 10 years, but
preferably 5 years.
 Typology of Literature review

❖Conceptual Review- Here you review related

concepts and the debates associated with
the concepts. It defines the relevant
variables for your study and maps out how
they might relate to each other.
❖All the variables related to the conceptual
review must be exhaustively discussed
argumentatively if possible
 Typology of Literature review
❖ Theoretical Review- Your aim is to review the
theories-their developments and the debates
associated with them.
❖ The theoretical literature review help
establish what theories already exist, the
relationships between them, to what degree
the existing theories have been investigated,
and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. ...
The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical
concept or a whole theory or framework.
These theories must be related to the study
 Typology of Literature review
❖ Empirical Review- Here you review all
empirical works and the debates associated
with the issue at hand. {By issue, variable}
❖ The empirical review is simply talking about
the various researches done by other
researchers concerning your topic or peoples
research works that are similar to your
research work.
❖ The usually contents of this type of review are
the name of the author, the environment in
which the study is being carried out, sample
and population of the study, methodology
used and the conclusion of the study.
 Typology of Literature review

❖Note: Unless it is not visible, your review

should cover Developed economies and
Emerging economies. In all cases your
review must encompass all the issues
raised in your research questions.

❖Summary of Gap in Literature

❖Theoretical Framework/Conceptual
Framework: The researcher having received
various theories must choose the most pertinent
to anchor the study on.
 Unique Methods in Reviewing Literature

❑Paraphrasing – A good literature review

entails usage of the writing instrument of
paraphrasing.
✓ Paraphrasing is a restatement of someone
else’s ideas in approximately the same
number of words (Glenn, Miller & Webb,
2003).
✓ It aims at correct and accurate
representation of submissions of scholars
or writers of a particular work
Unique Writing of Literature review Cont.

❑ Summarizing: This is a re-statement of some facts by

condensing the main points of the original source. The
summary version is usually shorter than the paraphrased
version.

❑ Re-statement of facts – when the previous scholars are

not in disagreement over some unique facts, the researcher
can re-state the points made by previous scholars.

❑ Quoting or citing authorities – If it is necessary to

buttress a claim made by the researcher, there might be a
need to quote some strong submissions of scholars.
 Referencing in Literature Review
➢ Language
➢ It could be reported in either simple past tense or simple
present tense
➢ The language should also be impersonal.
➢ The use of I, he, she, we should be avoided and instead, it is
accepted to write: The researcher or the
researchers….,They…, etc.
➢ Examples of typical literature reports can read:
❑ Olajubu (2014) reported that foreign aid was relatively
difficult to procure for LDCs when compared with….
❑ Or, in the present tense, it could read:
❑ Salawu (2014) reports that foreign aid is relatively easy to
procure for LDCs when compared with ….
 Referencing in Literature Review Cont.
❑Salawu and Lawal (2014) reported that foreign aid
was relatively difficult to procure for LDCs when
compared with….
❑ Olayiwola, et al. (2014) reported that foreign aid is
relatively easy to procure for LDCs when
compared with ….
❑Forensic accounting is concerned with the use of
accounting discipline to help determine issues of
facts in business litigation (Akanbi & Daniel, 2010)
Referencing in Literature Review Cont.
❑You may consider adding relevant adverbs
to emphasize the writer’s attitude towards
the materials being introduced e.g.:

❑(a) Odewole (2002) strongly opposed the

view that ….
❑ (b) Haruna (2012) briefly submitted or
discussed ….
❑(c) According to Uche (2017), forensic
accountant should….
 Conclusion

Poor Literature Review = Poor Quality Study

❑Low relevance of the study

❑Poor methodological choices
❑Low quality write-up
❑Inadequate conclusion
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