Doing Research

1. Review of Literature

7. Purpose of Literature Review 1. Place each work in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review 2. Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration 3. Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in, previous research

8. 4. Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies 5. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort 6.Point the way forward for further research

9. 7. Place one's original work (in the case of theses or dissertations) in the context of existing literature. 8. The literature review itself, however, does not present new primary scholarship.

15. Development of the literature review requires four stages: 1. Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2. Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being explored

16. 3. Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic 4. Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature

21. In the introduction of the literature review, you should: 1. Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature.

22. 2. Point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.

23. In the body, you should: 1. Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology, etc.

24. 3. Establish the writer's reason (point of view) for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and comparing literature and the organization of the review (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope).

25. 2. Summarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes significance.

26. 3. Provide the reader with strong "umbrella" sentences at beginnings of paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief "so what" summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.

27. In the conclusion, you should: 1. Summarize major contributions of significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction.

28. 2. Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.

29. 3. Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a profession.

34. Dr. Ruby Cruz - Lecture on Research & Statistics 2011 PSU, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan Source