Writing literature review

1. Workshop on
“Writing Literature Review”
Dr. Preeti Bhaskar
Lecturer, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibra, Oman
March 3, 2022

2. Agenda
Introduction to literature review
01
Key ingredients of literature review
02
03
04
Stages of literature review
Writing literature review
05 Reference style

3. Write down an answer to this question (take 2 minutes)
The thing
that scares
me the most
about my
literature
review is……..
Where to find the
literature ?
Which aspects of the
literature search
should I concentrate
on?
How to write the
review of literature?

4. Definition
A Literature Review Surveys scholarly
articles, books, and other sources (e.g.,
dissertations, conference proceedings,
reports) relevant to a topic.
Its purpose is to demonstrate that the
writer has insightfully and critically
surveyed relevant literature on his or
her topic in order to convince an
intended audience that the topic is
worth addressing”

5. Write research
Assessing the
strengths and
weaknesses of
existing
research
Identifying
potential gaps in
knowledge
To “carve out
a space” for
further
research
To provide
background
information
Purpose of a Literature Review
The literature review is
a critical look at the
existing research that
is significant to the
work that you are
carrying out.

6. Three stages at which a review of the literature is
needed
An early review is needed to establish the context and rationale for
your study and to confirm your choice of research focus/question
As the study period gets longer, you need to make sure that you
keep in touch with current, relevant research in your field, which is
published during the period of your research;
As you prepare your final report or thesis, you need to relate your
findings to the findings of others, and to identify their implications
for theory, practice, and research.

7. Research articles Conference Papers Books Dissertations/ Thesis Bibliographies
Statistical data from
government websites Government report
Website material from
professional associations Interviews Company reports
Speeches Letters Online articles Newspapers Magazines
Blog Presentation Databases Biography Citation indexes
Resources for writing literature review

8. Sources of literature Characteristics Examples
Primary sources for the
literature
High level of detail
Little time needed to publish
Reports
Theses
Emails
Conference proceedings
Company reports
Unpublished manuscript sources
Some government publications
Secondary sources for the
literature
Medium level of detail
Medium time needed to publish
Journals
Books
Newspapers
Some government publications
Articles by professional associations
Tertiary sources for the
literature
Low level of detail
Considereable amount of time needed to
publish
Indexes
Databases
Catalogues
Encyclopaedias
Dictionaries
Bibliographies
Citation indexes
Statistical data from government websites
Sources for literature review and examples

9. Reading the Literature
Step 1: Read the abstract
• Decide whether to read the article in detail
Step 2: Read introduction
• It explains why the study is important
• It provides review and evaluation of relevant literature
Step 3: Read Methodology
• Focus on participants, measures, procedures, research methods
Step 4: Evaluate results
• Do the conclusions seem logical
• Can you detect any bias on the part of the researcher?
Step 5: Take discussion with a grain of salt
• Pay attention to limitations
• Pay attention to scope for future research

10. Defining your research problem ● Effects of social media
➠ Social media & mental health
➠ Social media & mental health among Gen Z
What is the impact of social media on mental health among Generation Z?
Identifying keywords
● Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
● Mental health, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health, social obligation
● Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth
Searching efficiently
● Use boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
● Read abstracts
● Check bibliographies for more sources
● Note recurring citations

11. Analyze the Literature
Tie the study into the
current body of literature,
make logical interpretations
from the literature
reviewed.
Save your references
• Keep a record of the literature
you collect
• Record where and when you
retrieved the information
Take notes as you read through each paper
that will be included in the review
In the notes include:
purpose of study reviewed
synopsis of content
research design or methods used in
study
brief review of findings
Once notes complete organize
common themes together.
Some people do this in a word
document, excel sheet, index cards
etc.

12. Taking notes ● Summaries of key points
● Source information:
➢ Author name
➢ Title & journal name
➢ Year of publication
➢ Page numbers
What to look for ● Trends in the literature over time
● Key themes
● Debates and disagreements
● Pivotal publications
● Research gaps
Common
structures
● Chronological: Organize by time
● Thematic: Organize by theme
● Methodological: Organize by methodology
● Theoretical: Organize by theoretical approach
Identify themes and gaps

13. Writing the Literature
Paragraph format
Tabular format
Authors Purpose Methodology Findings
Alhussain and Drew
(2010)
To identify the factors affecting
employees’ acceptance of
e-government applications
Quantitative research
(Survey, Questionnaire )
Due to digital literacy, cultural gap, technological
awareness, lack of trust in technology among the
employees make
employees’ resistance to adopt e-government
 Alhussain and Drew (2010) has explored the factors affecting an employee's acceptance of new technology in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data was collected by interviewing and surveying employees and managers of two
different government organisations of Saudi Arabia. The results of this study indicate that there is a digital and cultural
gap because of the low level of technological awareness and computer literacy among employees. The study also reported
that lack of trust in technology, lack of training, resistance to change affecting employee's acceptance of new technology
in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

15. Authors Purpose Methodology Findings
Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L.
(2020).
To assess the current state of
marketing education in
incorporating new technology
Review Paper Marketing educators need to incorporate technologies like
AI and blockchain as a part of their curriculum as marketing
strategies are based on these strategies nowadays
Hasselgren, A., Kralevska,
K., Gligoroski, D., Pedersen,
S. A., & Faxvaag, A. (2019
TO review studies utilizing or
propose to utilize the blockchain to
improve processes and services in
healthcare, health sciences, and
health education
Systematic Literature Review Ethereum and Hyperledger fabric are mostly used
blockchain technologies in health science.
Abdeldayem, M. M., & Al
Dulaimi, S. H. (2020)
To study the area of fintech
education particularly in the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) region
In-depth interviews,
Qualitative study
The approach towards education is traditional and
inappropriate and no country in GCC is among the top 10
leaders in crypto education.
Surendran, K., Benny, L., &
Mahesh, A. S. (2020).
To explore the benefits of using
blockchain technology in education
and to address the issue of
certificate verification
Review paper With the help of blockchain, bogus creation of academic
certificates can be avoided as the process of certificate
verification is easier.
Pawan, Y. N., & Prakash, K.
B. (2020).
To study the application of
blockchain in outcome-based
tertiary education
Exploratory study. Review
paper
It was found that the data stored can be accessed with its
public, secure, and unique distributed ledger. Blockchain
technology brings transparency to the details of students,
faculty, and Institutions, facilitating the stakeholders and
statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE, and universities.
A detailed survey of the literature Applications of Blockchain Technology in Education

16. Referencing styles
Referencing
styles
In text
citation
Citation in reference
APA
(American
Psychological
Association)
(Joshi et al.,
2020)
Joshi, A., Vinay, M., & Bhaskar, P. (2020). Impact of coronavirus
pandemic on the Indian Education Sector: Perspectives of teachers on
online teaching and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart
Education, 18(2), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-06-2020-
0087
MLA (Modern
Languages
Association)
(Joshi et al.) Joshi, Amit, et al. “Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic on the Indian
Education Sector: Perspectives of Teachers on Online Teaching and
Assessments.” Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 18, no.
2, 2020, pp. 205–226., https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-06-2020-0087.
Harvard (Joshi et al.,
2020)
Joshi, A., Vinay, M. & Bhaskar, P., 2020. Impact of coronavirus pandemic
on the Indian Education Sector: Perspectives of teachers on online
teaching and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart
Education, 18(2), pp.205–226.
Oxford (Joshi et al.,
2020)
Joshi, A., Vinay, M., & Bhaskar, P. (2020). Impact of coronavirus
pandemic on the Indian Education Sector: Perspectives of teachers on
online teaching and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart
Education, 18(2), 205–226. http://doi.org/10.1108/itse-06-2020-
0087
Chicago (Joshi, Vinay
and Bhaskar,
2020)
Joshi, Amit, Muddu Vinay, and Preeti Bhaskar. “Impact of Coronavirus
Pandemic on the Indian Education Sector: Perspectives of Teachers on
Online Teaching and Assessments.” Interactive Technology and Smart
Education 18, no. 2 (2020): 205–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-06-
2020-0087.
Vancouver (Joshi et al.,
2020)
Joshi A, Vinay M, Bhaskar P. Impact of coronavirus pandemic on the
Indian Education Sector: Perspectives of teachers on online teaching
and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart Education.
2020;18(2):205–26.

17. Citation generator link
Citation generator link
https://www.mybib.com/
https://www.citationmachine.net/apa
/cite-a-website
https://www.citethisforme.com/citati
on-generator
https://zbib.org/
https://www.bibme.org/apa
https://www.citefast.com/?s=APA7
https://www.easybib.com/

18. No. of authors In-text citation
1
Andreopoulou,
Zacharoula
Andreopoulou (2009) has examined the difficulty in the adoption of e-Government in the Forest Service of
Greece. The data was collected through open and close-ended questionnaires from head foresters. Results
revealed that employees face several difficulties in the e-government adoption in Forest Service. The difficulties
include computer illiteracy and lack of adequate training programs, lack of funding to implement with hardware
and software equipment, lack of common forest software, lack of employees, variety in forest service, lack of a
technical support system, lack of motivation and bonus for computer use, low internet access rates due to old
infrastructure and reluctance to work with new technologies. The study also shows the contribution of e-
government forest network-based services. Employees perceive that effective e-government will help in
productivity increase/reduced bureaucracy, direct contact with the central administration, qualitative services
towards the citizens, faster decision-making, briefing of employees from the central administration, better
protection of forest and forest lands, reduce operational cost, easier deployment of programs, link with the
European Union, improved retrieval of statistical records, and better work environment.
2
Al-Busaidy and
Weerakkody
Al-Busaidy and Weerakkody (2011) aims to evaluate the critical success factors of e-government. The data
has been collected through a survey from employees working in three public service agencies in Oman. The data
has been analysed through SPSS. The findings revealed nine factors which include accessibility, security, privacy,
efficiency, confidence, trust, availability, IT worker skills and information exchange as inhibiting factor that affects
adoption and diffusion of e-government services in Oman.
3 or more
Gupta, Kriti Priya,
Preeti Bhaskar,
and Swati Singh.
Gupta et al., (2017) identified influencing factors towards employee adoption of e-government in India. The
data was collected from the employees working in the New Delhi municipal council by using the AHP technique.
The findings revealed four main factors which include employee’s personal characteristics, technical factors,
organizational factors and trust factors that influence employee adoption of e-government. These four factors
have eleven sub-factors which includes trust in data storage and management, trust in technical infrastructure,
access speed, technical infrastructure, the layout of the website, technical support training, computer/internet
skills, educational level, gender and age.

19. Working with
Literature
Find it! Manage it! Use it! Review it!
Knowing the
literature types
Reading
efficiently
Choosing your research
topic
Understanding
lit review’s purpose
Using available resources
Keeping track
of references
Developing your question
Ensuring adequate
coverage
Honing your
search skills
Writing relevant
annotations
Arguing your
rationale
Informing your work with
theory
Designing
method
Writing
purposefully
Working on
style and tone
Conclusion

20. Questions? Preeti.bhaskar52@gmail.com or
preeti@ict.edu.om
https://scholar.google.co.in/citatio
ns?user=RXkVRWMAAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.researchgate.net/pro
file/Preeti-Bhaskar
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pre
eti-bhaskar-a8242a25/
https://www.slideshare.net/preeti
52
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