Why LITERATURE REVIEW is important?

The Definition and Value of a

Literature Review

A literature review is an assessment of a body (or bodies)

of literature that pertains to a specific question.

 A literature review is helpful in several ways.

 It not only helps researchers glean the ideas of others interested

in a particular research question (through important

research findings and theories), but it also lets them

read about the results of similar or related studies. 

Literature reviews also give researchers ideas about areas

where more research needs to be done. They refer to

these as “gaps” in the literature.

Types of Sources

A researcher needs to be familiar with three basic types

of sources as he or she begins to search for information

related to the research question. These terms apply both

to computerized searching (online or electronic) as well

as manual searching (using print/paper tools to locate

print/paper sources).

1. General reference tools are the sources researchers

often refer to first. In effect, they tell where to look

to locate other sources—such as articles, books, reports,

and other documents—that deal directly with

the research question. General reference tools are

usually either indexes, which list annotation of various publications, as well as place of publication.

2. Primary sources are publications in which researchers

report the results of their studies directly

to the reader. Most primary sources in education are

journals, such as the Journal of Educational Research

or the Journal of Research in Science Teaching

. These journals are usually published monthly

or quarterly, and the articles in them typically report

on a particular research study. Most college libraries

pay for subscriptions to online collections that

provide registered students free access to a wide

array of online databases, including electronic journals

that allow users to download full text articles on

demand.

3. Secondary sources refer to publications in which

authors describe the work of others. The most common

secondary sources in education are textbooks.

A textbook in educational psychology, for example,

may describe several studies as a way to illustrate

various ideas and concepts in psychology. Other

commonly used secondary sources include educational

encyclopedias, research reviews (usually peer reviewed

journals that publish literature reviews on

specific topics), and yearbooks.

Researchers who seek information systematically on

a given topic would refer first to one or more general

reference tools to locate primary and secondary sources

of value. For a quick overview of the problem at hand,

secondary sources are probably the best bet. For detailed

information about the research that others have

done, primary sources should be consulted.

Today, most researchers search the literature electronically

by means of a personal computer.

Steps Involved

in a Literature Search

The following steps are involved in a literature search:

1. Define the research problem as precisely as possible.

2. Look at relevant secondary sources (these can include

research reviews).

3. Select and peruse one or two appropriate general

reference works.

4. Formulate search terms (key words or phrases) pertinent

to the problem or question of interest.

5. Search for relevant primary sources using appropriate

general reference tools.

6. Obtain and read relevant primary sources, and note

and summarize key points in the sources.

The hypotheses of the study (if there are any)

• The methodology the researcher used

• A description of the subjects involved

• The results

• The conclusions

• The particular strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of

the study

What a Good Summary of a

Journal Article Should Contain

• The problem being addressed

• The purpose of the study

The hypotheses of the study (if there are any)

• The methodology the researcher used

• A description of the subjects involved

• The results

• The conclusions

• The particular strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of

the study

Summary of LITERATURE REVIEW

In order for me to understand the topic better, I always refer to the summary in the e-book.

THE VALUE OF A LITERATURE REVIEW

• A literature review helps researchers learn what others have written about a topic. It

also lets researchers see the results of other, related studies.

• A detailed literature review is often required of master’s and doctoral students when

they design a thesis.

TYPES OF SOURCES FOR A LITERATURE REVIEW

• Researchers need to be familiar with three basic types of sources (general references,

primary sources, and secondary sources) in doing a literature review.

• General reference tools are sources a researcher consults to locate other sources.

• Primary sources are publications in which researchers report the results of their investigations.

Most primary source material is located in journal articles.

• Secondary sources refer to publications in which authors describe the work of others.

• The most common secondary sources in education are textbooks.

• Search terms are keywords or phrases researchers use to help locate relevant primary

sources.

STEPS INVOLVED IN A LITERATURE SEARCH

• The essential steps involved in a review of the literature include: (1) defining the

research problem as precisely as possible; (2) deciding on the extent of the search;

(3) deciding on the data base(s) to be searched; (4) formulating search terms;

(5) searching general reference tools for relevant primary sources; (6) obtaining and

reading the primary sources, and noting and summarizing key points in the sources.

WAYS TO DO A LITERATURE SEARCH

• Today, there are two ways to do a literature search—manually, using print/paper

tools to locate print/paper sources; and electronically, by means of a computer. The

most common and frequently used method, however, is to search online, via computer.

Regardless of the tools involved, the search process is similar.

• There are five essential points (problem, hypotheses, procedures, findings, and conclusions)

that researchers should record when taking notes on a study.

DOING A COMPUTER SEARCH

• Computer searches of the literature have a number of advantages—they are fast, are

fairly inexpensive, provide printouts, and enable researchers to search using more

than one descriptor at a time.

• The steps in a traditional manual search are similar to those in a computer search,

though computer searches are usually the norm.

• Researching the World Wide Web (WWW) should be considered, in addition to

ERIC and PsycINFO, in doing a literature search.

• Some of the information on the Web is classified into indexes, which group Web sites

together under similar categories. Yahoo! is an example of a directory.

• To obtain more specific information, search engines should be used, because they

search all of the contents of a Web site.

THE LITERATURE REVIEW REPORT

• The literature review report consists of an introduction, the body of the review, a

summary, the researcher’s conclusions, and a bibliography.

• A literature review should include a search for relevant meta-analysis reports, as well

as individual studies.

• When a researcher does a meta-analysis, he or she averages the results of a group of

selected studies to get an overall index of outcome or relationship.