REVIEWING THE

LITERATURE
 A literature review demonstrates to your reader
that you are able to:
WHY DO • Understand and critically analyse the
background research.
YOU • Select and source the information that is
CONDUCT A necessary to develop a context for your
research.
LITERATURE
REVIEW? It also:
• Shows how your investigation relates to
previous research.
• Reveals the contribution that your
investigation makes to this field (fills a
gap, or builds on existing research, for
instance).
• Provides evidence that may help explain
your findings later.
 THE USE OF LITERATURE IN
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH

DIFFERENCES QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Use of literature at the Justifies or documents the Justifies or documents the

beginning of the study. need for the study. need for the study.

Provides a rationale for the

direction of the study (i.e.
purpose statement and
research questions or
hypotheses)

Use of literature at the end Confirms or disconfirms Supports or modifies

of the study. prior predictions from the existing findings in the
literature literature.
 Identify key terms to use in your search for
Identify literature.

Locate literature about a topic by

consulting several types of materials and
Locate databases including those available at an
WHAT ARE academic library and on the Internet at
Web sites.
THE FIVE
STEPS IN Evaluate Critically evaluate and select the literature
CONDUCTING and select for your review.
A LITERATURE
REVIEW? Organize the literature you have selected
Organize by abstracting or taking notes on the
literature and developing a visual diagram.

Write Write a literature review.

 1. Identify key terms
1 2 3 4 5

Use words
that authors Look in a Go to the
Write a Pose a short, catalogue of library, scan
preliminary general report in the
literature. For terms to find the table of
“working research words that contents of
title” and questions example
“social match your education
select two or that you topic. Visit journals from
three would like to support”,
“learning online the last 7 to
keywords in be answered databases 10 years, and
the title that in the study. styles”
that are look for key
capture the typically terms in titles
central idea available in of the
of the study. university articles.
libraries
 2. Locate literature
a) Use academic libraries
b) Use both primary and secondary sources
Primary source Secondary
literature source literature

Consists of literature Literature that summarizes

reported by the individual(s) primary sources. It does not
who actually conducted the represent material published
research or who originated by the original researcher or
the ideas the creator of the idea

For example, handbooks,

For example, research encyclopedias, selected
articles published by journals that summarize
educational journals. research such as the Review
of Educational Research.

It is best to report mostly primary sources than secondary sources.

Secondary sources are helpful as you begin your review, to explore and
determine the range of materials on a topic.
 c) Search different types of literature

Early stage materials

Low standards Papers posted on web site, drafts of Ideas appear
to ensure papers for conference publications first
quality

Indexed publications
Conference papers, dissertations, theses,
college and university publications

Journal Articles
Refereed, non-refereed, international,
national, regional, state

Books
Research studies, essays

High standards Summaries Ideas appear

to ensure Encyclopedias, research reviews, 10+ years after
quality initiation
handbooks, abstracts.
3. Critically evaluate and select literature
Is it a good, accurate source?

Use a priority system for searching the

Rely as much as literature. Start with refereed journal articles
possible on journal then proceed to non-refereed journal articles;
articles published in then books; then conference papers,
national journals. dissertations, and theses; and finally non-
reviewed articles posted to Web sites.

Include both quantitative and

Look for “research” qualitative research studies in your
studies. review, regardless of the approach
you might use in your own study.
 3. Critically evaluate and select literature
Is it relevant?

Topic
• Does the literature focus on the same topic as your proposed study.
relevance

• Does the literature examine the same individuals or sites that you want
Individual
and site to study?
relevance

• Does the literature examine the same research problem that you propose to study?
Problem and
question
• Does it address the same research question you plan to address?
relevance

• Is the literature available in your library or can you download it from a website?
• Can you obtain it easily from the library or a website?
Accessibility
relevance
 4. Organize the literature
Photocopying, Downloading and Filing
• Placing the articles in file folders alphabetized
by author may be the most convenient way to
organize materials.
 4. Organize the literature (cont.)
Taking notes and abstracting studies
ABSTRACT ELEMENTS OF ABSTRACT ELEMENTS OF
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

•Research problem •Research problem

•Research questions or •Research questions
hypotheses •Data-collection procedure
•Data collection procedure •Findings
•Results of the study
 4. Organize the literature (cont.)
Constructing a literature map
• Having a diagram or visual picture of this
conceptualization allows you to organize the
literature in your mind, identify where you
study fits into this literature, and convince
others of the importance of your study.
Constructing a literature map (cont.)
 5. Write a Literature Review

an appropriate style to write complete references of the

Using review.

specific writing strategies related to the extent of the

Employing review, the type of review, and the concluding
statements in the review.
5. Write a Literature Review
(cont.)
Using a style manual

A style manual provides a structure for citing references,

labeling headings, and constructing tables and figures for
a scholarly research report or dissertation.

Use the APA manual.

5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
Writing strategies
a) Extent of the review
How long should my literature review be?
• For dissertations and theses, you need an extensive review of
the literature, which often comprehensively includes all
sources of information identified in the classification of
resources.
How far back should in the literature do my references need to go?
• For dissertation or thesis, the search covers most published
literature and the author examines sources back to the
inception of the research topic.
5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
Writing strategies (cont.)
b) Types of Literature Reviews
• When writing a literature review for a dissertation or
thesis, you might need to consult with your
supervisor to determine the appropriate format to
use.
• However, the two models thematic review and the
study-by-study review can serve you as a guideline.
 5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
Writing strategies (cont.)
b) Types of Literature Reviews (cont.)

• In thematic review of the literature, the researcher identifies a theme and briefly
cites literature to document this theme.
For example:
Among other things, racial identity is a sense of group belonging based on the
perception of a shared racial heritage with a specific group and, as such, it has an
impact on personal feelings and attitudes concerning distinguishable racial
groups (Helms, 1990; 1994; Mitchell & Dell, 1992). Researchers agree that White
Americans generally are not challenged to ask themselves, “What does it mean to
be White?” (Pope-Davis & Ottavi, 1994, p.511)

• In this case, the authors review the literature about the theme “racial identity”
and briefly mention references to support the theme. The authors do not discuss
each reference separately and in detail.
5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
Writing strategies (cont.)
b) Types of Literature Reviews (cont.)
• Study-by-study review of the literature provides a detailed
summary of each study grouped under a broad theme.
• This detailed summary includes the elements of an abstract
stated earlier.
• When presenting a study-by-study review, authors link
summaries (or abstracts) by using transitional sentences, and
they organize the summaries under subheadings that reflect
themes and major decisions.
5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
Writing strategies (cont.)
c) Concluding your Literature Review
The concluding statement of a literature review
serves several purposes:
i. Summarizes the major themes found in the
literature.
ii. Provides a rationale for the need for your study/the
importance of your research problem.
 5. Write a Literature Review (cont.)
For example:
The factors influencing faculty to be productive researchers
found in the literature suggest three themes: early productivity;
mentoring; and support systems. These factors, although
important, do not address the time faculty need to conduct
research. When faculty have allocated time for scientific
investigations and inquiries, it helps to focus their attention,
offers sustained momentum for research, and removes
distracting activities that may draw attention away from
research.
 TASK
Construct a Literature Map of your study.