2023 Writing Literature Reviews (2) .pptx64b8391c6d68011525

One of the UK’s top 20 universities (Guardian University Guide 2021)
Summer Projects
Writing Literature Reviews
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Overview
 What is a literature review

 Why do a literature search
 Types of literature
 Undertaking a literature search
 Assessing quality
 Critical reading
 Recording references
 A demonstration on how best to utilise the library search
databases.
dundee.ac.uk Page 2
“A literature review is a description of the literature relevant
to a particular field or topic. It gives an overview of what has
What is a been said, who the key writers are, what are the prevailing
Literature theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked, and
Review? what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful.
As such, it is not in itself primary research, but rather it reports
on other findings....” (Emerald Group Publishing, n.d.)
Source: Emerald Group Publishing (n.d.). How to... write a literature review. What is a
literature review? [Online] Retrieved from
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/guides/write/literature-full-guide.htm
3
• A literature review can be defined as follows:
What is a “A systematic, explicit and reproducible method for

identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing
Literature body of recorded work produced by researchers,
Review? scholars and practitioners” (Fink, 1998: 3).
• For the purposes of your study study, consider that:

“…the literature review should be a concise overview of
literature that is narrowly related to a research problem
– not a synopsis of everything written in the field”
(Logan and White, 1994: 9).
4
Why do a Literature Search?
 To establish the background to the study
 To help in topic selection in terms of novelty,

originality and feasibility
 To learn about theory development, established

research approaches, methods of data collection
and analysis, and expected findings from your
project
 To discover actual information that you can use

(and refer to) in your own project
dundee.ac.uk Page 5
Importance of the Literature Review
You must understand what has already been done (if anything) on the specific topic you
have chosen.
You must be able to incorporate ideas from different sources and summarise these with
respect to your own study
Show awareness of appropriate research approaches, information collection methods
and analytical techniques
Be able to relate your own results and findings to what has previously been discovered
about your chosen topic
dundee.ac.uk Page 6
Questions a literature review can answer
What/ who
are the key What are the key concepts
What are the
sources in field ? theories and ideas informing your
major issues
topic?
and debates
about the topic? What are the
main questions
Literature and problems
that have been
search and review addressed to date?
What are the
of your topic
ontological/
epistemological/ What are the gaps/
axiological/methodological received
standpoints? What are the origins and wisdom/problems?
definitions of the topic?
How has our evaluation and synthesis of the literature increased our knowledge and
understanding of a topic? What gaps exist? Or can we problematise existing
dundee.ac.uk
literature? Page 7
Reviewing the Reasons for reviewing the
literature
Purposes of the ‘literature
review’
literature VS the Informing yourself what is Informing your audience of what
literature review happening in the field
Gaining a level of topical and
is happening in the field
Establishing your credibility as a
methodological knowledge and knowledgeable and capable
expertise researcher
1. Source: O’Leary (2004: 79) Finding potential gaps in the Arguing the relevance and the
literature that may point to significance of your research
potential research questions question(s)
Critically evaluating Providing the context for your
common/typical methods own methodological approach
Facilitating the development of Arguing the relevance and
your own methodological appropriateness of your
approaches approach
dundee.ac.uk Page 8
The Literature Review Cycle
Identify
your
question
Writing
Finding
Finding
your
the
the
literature
literature
literature
review
Critically
Managing
analysing
your
the
references
literature
dundee.ac.uk Page 9
Components of a Literature Review
Development of the literature review requires four stages:
→ Problem identification: topic or field is being examined to determine its component

issues
→ Literature search: finding material/resources relevant to the subject being explored
→ Selection and evaluation: determining which literature makes a significant contribution
to the understanding of the topic
→ Analysis and interpretation: discussing findings and conclusions from the chosen
literature
dundee.ac.uk Page
Types of Literature Sources
Academic Journals
Provide up-to-date, detailed and rigorous reports on research in your subject area. Refereed journals acknowledged
as the ‘best’ source of academic information
Textbooks
These are particularly useful in terms of general ideas, theories and concepts to do with a topic. However, they tend
to be limited in that they can be rather dated and do not usually report on research in the area
Company reports
Particularly useful if investigating issues related to a specific company or industry. Generally, contain a lot of
financial information
Grey literature:
Newspapers
Information not always reported objectively; how reliable is it?
Web
How reliable is it???
dundee.ac.uk Page 11
Planning the Literature Search
 Is it background information, a theory or

concept that is relevant to your study, a research
approach, findings from previous research etc.?
 Develop a statement of what you want to find

out.
 How far back is the information of relevance?
 Do you need local information, regional,

national or international?
 Identify subject or keywords that you will look up
 Use library catalogues, the Internet, and information databases
 Be systematic and methodical and always keep notes and records of what you find
 Broaden or narrow your search based on the number of ‘hits’ you achieve
 Expand your list of keywords when new ones are identified
 Keep a note of the full reference for all sources you may use in your project!
Your literature search will ‘throw up’ many papers.

Some will be more useful and relevant than others
Tip
Start by reading the Abstract (& key words)
– in a well-written paper, this should give a clear summary of the
background, aim, methods, findings and recommendations
Assessing Quality
 Is it clear what organisation is responsible for the contents of the

work?
 Do you know who wrote the article and their qualifications for
writing on this topic?
 Are the sources of factual information clearly listed so that they can
be verified in another source?
 Are there editors monitoring the accuracy of the information being

published?
 What methods were used, when and where was the data collected,
Critical reading skills allow you to identify how
an argument is structured and evaluate whether
an argument is persuasive
Critically Think about:
 Is the research aim clearly defined?
 Is a review of relevant literature included?
 Are the research methods clearly explained?
 Is the data analysis appropriate for the data type?
 Is the aim(s) of the paper addressed?
 Are the conclusions valid i.e. based on the evidence presented?
 Do the authors discuss the limitations of their research?
 Are suggestions for further research given?
 Is the paper well written in an appropriate academic style?
 Is a comprehensive reference list provided?
dundee.ac.uk Page
Linking the Literature to…
Your Research Questions:

→ Allows you to discard ideas that are considered trivial
→ Enables you to discard any questions that are extremely difficult to deal
with
→ Allows you to frame your research in the context of the main theories
present in the literature
→ Enables you to identify research questions that can potentially fill a gap
in knowledge identified in the literature
…and linking the Literature to…
Your Research Methods:
→ What information do you need to collect?
→ What research approaches are known to work?
→ How valid are these various research approaches?
Your Research Findings:

→ Allows you to compare your findings with those of previous studies
→ Which research questions have you dealt with satisfactorily, which
have not been dealt with satisfactorily, and which have not been
answerable at all?
Recording references
Manual system of alphabetically ordered index cards and transcribing the

details into MS Word when writing your project/dissertation. This could
be time-consuming
Software such as EndNote, Reference Manager or Mendeley dedicated to

managing citations and references
Using a spreadsheet
Take care to ensure you use referencing correctly

Structure of a literature review (1)
Introduction:
→ Why you are writing a review, and why the topic is important
→ The scope of the review — what aspects of the topic will be
discussed
→ The criteria used for your literature selection (E.G.. Type of
sources used, date range)
→ The structure of the written review.
Body paragraphs:
→ Each body paragraph should deal with a different theme that is
relevant to your topic.
→ Synthesise several of your reviewed readings into each
paragraph, so that there is a clear connection between the
various sources.
→ Critically analyse each source for how they contribute to the
themes you are researching.
Conclusion:
→ The main agreements and disagreements in the literature
→ Any gaps or areas for further research
→ Your overall perspective on the topic and how this has informed
your study.
A Literature Review is not:
 A list of journal articles.
 A description of several studies (you need to critically

review studies relevant to your project).
 Just done at the start of the study (you should continue

reading and reviewing throughout the project).
The literature review will:
• Refer to and assess research by recognised

experts / authorities in your area(s).
• Consider and discuss research that both

supports and opposes your idea(s).
• Justify your arguments with valid evidence,

in a logical manner.
The literature review will:
• Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Include the key academic theories and

concepts in your chosen area.
• Demonstrate that your knowledge is relevant

and up to date.
• Reference clearly (to avoid plagiarism).

Source: Saunders et al (2015)
Summary
“The key to writing a critical literature review is…
to link the different ideas you find in the
literature [comparing and contrasting different
views] to form a coherent and cohesive
argument, which sets in context and justifies your
research (and its design)” (Saunders et al., 2007:
61)
It should be thematic (use sub-headings)
There is a lot of information out there, and there

are useful tips to help you navigate them.
The key is to start early and be organised.

Further Reading
Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide, Petticrew, Mark ; Roberts, Helen

Literature Reviews Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Success Dawidowicz, Paula, Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing,
Incorporated 2010

Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review, Booth, A ; Sutton, A ; Papaioannou, D Booth, A, Sage 2016
Management and Business Research, Mark Easterby-Smith, Richard Thorpe, Paul R Jackson, Sage Publications,

London 2015
Emerald Guide to Doing a Literature Review -

https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/guides/write/literature.htm
Hart, Chris (1998) Doing a Literature Review. Open University Press. Sage, London.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th ed.). Italy: FT Prentice
Hall.
Link to Padlet for Questions
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One of the UK’s top 20 universities (Guardian University Guide 2021)

Writing Literature Reviews

 What is a literature review

What is a “A systematic, explicit and reproducible method for

• For the purposes of your study study, consider that:

 To establish the background to the study

 To help in topic selection in terms of novelty,

 To learn about theory development, established

 To discover actual information that you can use

Development of the literature review requires four stages:

→ Problem identification: topic or field is being examined to determine its component

 Is it background information, a theory or

 Develop a statement of what you want to find

 How far back is the information of relevance?

 Do you need local information, regional,

 Identify subject or keywords that you will look up

 Use library catalogues, the Internet, and information databases

 Expand your list of keywords when new ones are identified

Your literature search will ‘throw up’ many papers.

 Is it clear what organisation is responsible for the contents of the

 Are there editors monitoring the accuracy of the information being

Your Research Questions:

Your Research Findings:

Manual system of alphabetically ordered index cards and transcribing the

Software such as EndNote, Reference Manager or Mendeley dedicated to

Take care to ensure you use referencing correctly

→ Any gaps or areas for further research

 A description of several studies (you need to critically

 Just done at the start of the study (you should continue

• Refer to and assess research by recognised

• Consider and discuss research that both

• Justify your arguments with valid evidence,

• Include the key academic theories and

• Demonstrate that your knowledge is relevant

• Reference clearly (to avoid plagiarism).

It should be thematic (use sub-headings)

There is a lot of information out there, and there

The key is to start early and be organised.

Management and Business Research, Mark Easterby-Smith, Richard Thorpe, Paul R Jackson, Sage Publications,

Emerald Guide to Doing a Literature Review -

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