Literature Review and the Research Process

 

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Literature Review and the Research Process

A literature review is a critical element in any research or academic project. A literature review involves reviewing existing publications to understand a topic at hand. The review aims to fill in research gaps and add new knowledge to what is known regarding a particular research topic. The discussion will capture different elements of a literature review and its purpose in quantitative and qualitative studies and at homeworkhandlers.com, we help you on how to write a good literature review and all types of research papers and also guide you through the writing process to give you an AI-free A+ quality paper.

Why Do I Need to Do a Literature Review?

A literature review helps situate current research within the existing body of knowledge. This will help a person identify gaps that the study may focus on or expound on. The information gathered will also inform the study (University of South Carolina, 2019). The review further helps one identify key concepts and theories relevant to the research. This knowledge will help guide the study’s research design, data collection, and analysis. The third justification is that literature reviews increase familiarity with the topic under study (University of South Carolina, 2019). A researcher will be seen to know the study topic, enabling one to make informed decisions.

Type of Literature to Use in the Review

Using a wide range of resources for the literature review is essential. First, peer reviewed sources with different levels of evidence will provide credible evidence specific to the different areas of the topic under study. A study will leverage high-level evidence with more generalizability and reduced bias by focusing on random-control trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and literature reviews (Glasofer & Townsend, 2020). Having diverse sources increases the richness of the gathered information and the credibility of the final findings. I will also use diverse literature that supports and opposes the argument. This will reduce researcher and confirmation bias by selecting sources that support the argument, giving more validity to the study findings.

How to Do a Literature Search

A literature search should be systematic to capture every necessary and relevant step. The first step would be identifying pertinent keywords to the search topic. The second step would be to determine the databases and journals or websites to use (Mohamed Shaffril et al., 2020). The next step would be to refine the search process based on a specific criterion. For instance, an established publication date range, research methodology, and geographical location should be established. Using search engines that generate references and citations would also help ease the documentation of sources (Mohamed Shaffril et al., 2020). The search engines may also provide related sources with relevant information to inform the study.

How Do I Do a Literature Review?

The first step of a literature review is defining the research question, hypothesis, or objective. This will help determine the study’s scope and guide the research process. The next step is to review the literature using the techniques above (Mohamed Shaffril et al., 2020). One should then critically examine the selected sources by looking at the themes, strengths, limitations, and patterns that would fill in the gaps in research. It is also essential to examine the connections between the sources (Mohamed Shaffril et al., 2020). The literature should be well-organized, coherent, and have a logical flow of ideas.

What Makes a Successful Literature Review?

A successful literature review should be comprehensive, analytical, well-organized, and synthesized. It should have a range of relevant key concepts and theories related to the study topic. A researcher should also identify the strengths and limitations of research. There should be a clear structure and logical flow of ideas from one point to another (Mohamed Shaffril et al., 2020). The synthesis should further highlight connections for better interpretations.

A literature review should thoroughly examine existing research and other relevant sources to inform a study topic. It involves summarizing key findings, themes, and methodologies to determine whether gaps in research could be filled (University of South Carolina, 2019). A literature review is the foundation of knowledge, guiding the development of research questions, hypotheses, and methodology in the later phases.

Importance of Literature Review in Qualitative Research

Researchers can gain insights into existing publications to inform the studies conducted in the field of interest. Researchers can identify theories, themes, and patterns in the existing knowledge. Therefore, qualitative research can build up existing information by filling gaps or adding new data (University of South Carolina, 2019). The literature review will enable such studies to develop theories that would create new concepts to explain or refine the existing research in greater detail. Researchers can use the review to identify gaps they can study more to understand a phenomenon (University of South Carolina, 2019). After all, the current societal landscape is dynamic, and the world is evolving, bringing something new with every change.

Importance of Literature Review in Quantitative Research

Literature review in quantitative research further helps to establish theories and concepts to support empirical evidence. The University of South Carolina (2019) adds that a literature review on quantitative studies will also add empirical data to current studies for better analysis. Researchers can use the reviews to measure variables, identify trends, and employ research designs that have been effective in previous research. This review will help them refine their current study by understanding a topic under study in greater detail. On the other hand, researchers can identify gaps they can fill and provide further evidence to strengthen or challenge existing findings.

Conclusion

Literature review informs qualitative and quantitative research studies by providing a framework to work on. Researchers can use the review to design methodologies, develop research questions, identify gaps to fill, and refine existing research. The reviews strengthen or challenge existing knowledge while sparking interest in further research since there is more to learn.

References

Glasofer, A., & Townsend, A. B. (2020). Determining the level of evidence. Nursing Critical Care, 15(1), 24–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ccn.0000612856.94212.9b

Mohamed Shaffril, H. A., Samsuddin, S. F., & Abu Samah, A. (2020). The ABC of systematic literature review: The basic methodological guidance for beginners. Quality & Quantity, 55, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-020-01059-6

University of South Carolina. (2019). Literature review: Purpose of a literature review. Libguides.com. https://uscupstate.libguides.com/c.php?g=627058&p=4389968