MODULE 4: LEARNING FROM

OTHERS AND REVIEWING

THE LITERATURE
by: Robbie D. Pineda
LESSON 1
What is a literature review and why do I
need such?
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Literature
A literature review may consist
simply of a summary of key sources.
It usually has an organizational
pattern and combines both summary
and synthesis, often within
conceptual categories.
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Features of good literature review:

- Gives a new interpretation of old
material or combine new with old
interpretations,
- Traces the intellectual progression
of the study,
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Features of good literature review:

- Depending on the situation,
evaluate the sources and advise
the reader of the research on the
most pertinent or relevant research,
or
- Usually in the conclusion of a
literature review, identifies where
gaps exist in how a problem has
been researched to date.
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McMillan and Schumacher (1984) who identified

five purposes of the literature review.

1. Define and limit a problem

If your literature review is part of a larger
research project, the literature review helps
to identify the parameters of a study. Most
research areas are broad: a literature review
allows identification of key issues within a
broad research area so that a definition of
an area of interest can be pursued.
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2. Place your study in perspective

The purpose of academic research
is to push out and add to the current
body of knowledge within a particular
field. Unless you are aware of the
work of others, you cannot build
upon an established foundation. A
literature review allows the
researcher to say:
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“The work of A, B, and C have

discovered this much about my
question; the investigations of D
have added this much to our
knowledge. I propose to go beyond
D's work in the following manner.”
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3. Avoid unintentional replication

of previous studies
Sometimes it is appropriate to
replicate a previous study, but this
should be done intentionally and for
a particular purpose. A literature
review helps you to make informed
choices about a research topic within
a scholarly context.
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4. Select methods and measures

The success or failure of previous
investigations can provide useful
material for you when you are designing
your own research methodology. You
can assess what has worked before (or
not worked) in previous contexts and
why. You may be alerted to new
methodologies and procedures and
different types of tests, technologies and
measures.
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5. Relate findings to previous

knowledge and suggest areas for
further research
The findings on ones own research need
to be related back to earlier studies. This
―places‖ ones work and can point to
areas that need further investigation. The
research is much more a coherent whole
if your discussion section draws on and
contrasts with the literature review.
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THANK YOU!