What is Literature Review?

 

WHAT IS LITERATURE REVIEW?

Literature review is a thorough summary of prior research on a particular subject. It examines scholarly articles, books, and other sources that are pertinent to a specific field of study. The review should describe, summarise, objectively evaluate, and clarify the research that has already been done. It should provide a conceptual framework for the research and assist the author in determining the scope of research. It  acknowledges prior researchers' work, assuring the reader that the work has been well-conceived.

WHY IS LITERATURE REVIEWED?

The literature is reviewed  in order to: 

i. demonstrate understanding of the issue

ii.  to inform researchers of previous and current research in the chosen field of interest.

iii. Establish a framework for further investigation

iv. Establish credibility

APPROACHES TO THE REVIEW OF LITERATURE

a. Chronological Approach 

b. Thematic Approach 

c. Integrative Approach

CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH:

You collect and discuss your sources in chronological order of their publication date in a chronological literature review, highlighting changes in research in the area and your unique issue through time. This structure is useful for  the writings that want to emphasize how ideas have evolved over time. For example, a literature review on Alzheimer's disease theories might start with the earliest medical developments in treatment and work its way up to the most up-to-date models and treatments.

THEMATIC APPROACH

In a thematic review, you group and discuss your sources according to the themes, theoretical concepts, and topics that you determine are crucial to comprehending your topic or that you have identified through studying key research on your topic. Because you identify the theories, constructions, categories, or themes that are relevant to your research, this structure is deemed stronger than chronological organisation. You explain why particular information is treated together in these types of evaluations, and your headings describe your unique structure of the topic. The order of the concepts or themes should be ordered so that the main topics come first, followed by the sub-themes.

For example, if your literature review is about autism in children, you might include sections on definitions, theories, the biological basis of autism , and the symptoms of altruism, and at the bottom of the funnel, you might synthesise the themes found in the key sources that your study is based on and identify the gaps in knowledge about autism in children that you will address in your proposed research study.

INTEGRATIVE APPROACH

In comparison to the aforementioned methodologies, the integrative approach to literature review is often seen as more flexible. It blends both approaches in a flexible way, without adhering to a strict chronological or thematic order. In most cases, the analytical and evaluative aspects of review move between chronological and thematic borders without following any particular order. In general, the chronological elements of literature are frequently integrated into the theme dimensions in order to provide a thorough account of the overall review when using an integrative approach.