FINDING and

REVIEWING the
Literature
ANTHONY R. PARLERO, PhD
Important reason for doing research:

To produce new knowledge

and understanding

To disseminate it to make it

available to everyone.
 Know what the current state of

knowledge is in your chosen subject

as it is a waste of time to spend

Essentials in months producing knowledge that is
planning a
research already freely available.
 01

Do a literature review; that is to trawl through all

the available information sources in order to track

down the latest knowledge, and to assess it for

relevance, quality, controversy and gaps.

And to try to resolve a controversy or to fill a gap.

Here are some of the facilities you

should investigate:
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 Library catalogue
 Journals and newspaper
 Electronic databases
 Librarians
 Information services
 Museums and Galleries
 Intranet
 Internet
 People
Doing a Literature review is an important
introduction to the research project and
underpins the argument about why the
project is worth doing.
Literature review forms a distinctly recognizable section
near the beginning and leads on to more specific and
practical description of the research activities.

In the dissertation or thesis, one of the first chapters

consists of a critical appraisal of the research literature
relevant to the research subject under consideration.
The L.R. can be used to show where you have gained
inspiration to develop your ideas – and that does not
just have to be only from academic sources.

It should also demonstrate that you have a good

understanding of the current conceptual frameworks in
your subject, an that you can take a stance in placing
your work within these.
The L.R. tends to reveal a lot about the attitude of the researcher and the seriousness of his/her intentions, as well as the level of organization and clarity of thought achieved.

Doing R.L means not only tracking down all the relevant information but also taking a critical position on the ideas contained therein.
The L.R needs to be carried out in four major directions:

1. Research theory and Philosophy – to establish the

intellectual context(s) of research related to your subject.

2. History of developments in your subject – to trace the

background to present thinking.
3. Latest research and developments in your subject – to inform
about the current issues being investigated and the latest thinking
and practice, to discuss the conflicting arguments, and to detect a
gap in knowledge.

4. Research methods – to explore practical techniques that have

been used, particularly those that might be relevant to your project.
Here is a checklist of useful points for review:

1. Compile an overview of the literature to illustrate the

interplay of ideas and major steps in the development of
your subject.

2. Introduce the important issues of your research problem

through the analysis of the literature.
3. Explain the general theoretical background to help the reader
understand the attitudes behind the reviewed literature and your own
philosophical stance.

4. Make links across discipline boundaries when doing an interdisciplinary

review.

5. Include some account of how the previous research was done.