Essential Components of a good Literature Review

1. DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT, THE
FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC ILARO
LECTURERS’ WORKSHOP ON EFFECTIVE PROJECTIVE SUPERVISION
PRESENTATION 3: BY IFENOWO, B.O (CHIEF LECTURER, BUSINESS ADMIN
DEPARTMENT,FPI).
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW

2. What Literature Review is
• The literature review is a written overview of major
writings and other sources on a selected topic. Areas
covered are mostly extant except classic sources .
Which may include scholarly journal articles, books,
government reports, Web sites, etc
• Literature reviews are a collection of the most
relevant and significant publications regarding
current topic in order to provide a comprehensive
look at what has been said on the topic and by
whom.

3. What Literature Review is..Contd.
• Your literature review begins as you try to answer
your larger research question: Who has looked at
what, why, and what have they found? It allows you
to understand what others have said about your
topic, to verify your assumptions, to refine your
initial research question, and to identify gaps.
• It is usually presented as a distinct section of a
research project , thesis or dissertation .

4. Purpose of the Literature Review .
• Provides foundation of knowledge on topic
• Identifies areas of prior scholarship to prevent
duplication and give credit to other researchers
• Identifies inconsistencies: gaps in research, conflicts
in previous studies, open questions left from other
researchers.
• Identifies need for additional research (justifying
your research)
• Identifies the relationship of works in context of its
contribution to the topic and to other works

5. Contd….
• Places your own research within the context of
existing literature making a case for why further
study is needed.
• Points the way forward for further research

6. Components of the Literature Review
The literature review should include the following:
• Objective of the literature review
• Overview of the subject under consideration.
• Clear categorization of sources selected into those in
support of your particular position, those opposed,
and those offering completely different arguments.
• Discussion of both the distinctiveness of each source
and its similarities with the others.

7. Contd…
• In addition to the above facts, our students are encouraged to
sectionalize their reviews into;
• Conceptual Review: This where the relevant concepts to the
chosen topic are minutely and systematically reviewed.
• Theoretical Review: Under this sub-heading relevant
contemporary as well as classical theories in the area of
enquiry are similarly reviewed.
• Empirical Review: pragmatic or empirical studies previously
carried out in this area is the focal point here. My observation
over the years indicates that students place less emphasis on
this aspect of the project. The few who care to treat this
aspect do so scantily. Whereas this is aspect of the review that
should not be glossed over.

8. Steps in the literature review process
• Preparation of a literature review may be divided into
four steps:
• Define your subject and the scope of the review.
• Search the library catalogue, subject specific databases
and other search tools to find sources that are relevant to
your topic.
• Read and evaluate the sources and to determine their
suitability to the understanding of topic at hand.
• Analyse, interpret and discuss the findings and
conclusions of the sources you selected.

9. Contd….
• When describing, critiquing, and citing your sources,
use the following citation patterns to introduce and
comment on sources:
• Generalization (combining 2 or more sources):
Describe what makes this group of sources a
category.
• Summarize each key source; paraphrase the
author[s]' argument.

10. Evaluating sources
In assessing each source, consideration should be given to:
• What is the author's expertise in this particular field of
study (credentials)?
• Are the author's arguments supported by empirical
evidence (e.g. quantitative/qualitative studies)?
• Is the author's perspective too biased in one direction or
are opposing studies and viewpoints also considered?
• Does the selected source contribute to a more profound
understanding of the subject

11. Chart Depicting the process of Literature Review