Reviewing the literature:

Module 2
• Place of the literature review in research,
Bringing clarity and focus to your research problem,
Improving research methodology,
• How to review the literature
• searching the existing literature
• reviewing the selected literature
• developing a theoretical framework
• Developing a conceptual framework
• writing about the literature reviewed.

Research Design:
 Meaning of Research Design,
 Features of a Good Design,
 Important Concepts Relating to Research Design,
 Different Research Designs,
 Basic Principles of Experimental Designs
• Place of the literature review in research,
Bringing clarity and focus to your research problem,
Improving research methodology,

• One of the essential tasks when you undertake a research study is to go through
the existing literature in order to acquaint yourself with the available body of
knowledge in your area of interest.
• Reviewing the literature can be time consuming, daunting and frustrating, but it is
also rewarding.
• The literature review is an integral part of the research process and makes a
valuable contribution to almost every operational step.
• It has value even before the first step; that is, when you are merely thinking
about a research question that you may want establish the theoretical roots of
your study, clarify your ideas and develop your research to find answers to
through your research journey.
• In the initial stages of research it helps you to methodology.
The place of the literature review in
research
• Later in the process, the literature review serves to enhance and
consolidate your own knowledge base and helps you to integrate your
findings with the existing body of knowledge.
• Since an important responsibility in research is to compare your
findings with those of others, it is here that the literature review plays
an extremely important role.
• During the write-up of your report it helps you to integrate your
findings with existing knowledge – that is, to either support or
contradict earlier research.
The place of the literature review in
research
• The higher the academic level of your research, the more important a
thorough integration of your findings with existing literature becomes.
• In summary, a literature review has the following functions
• It provides a theoretical background to your study.
• It helps you establish the links between what you are proposing to examine
and what has already been studied.
• It enables you to show how your findings have contributed to the existing
body of knowledge in your profession.
• It helps you to integrate your research findings into the existing body of
knowledge
The place of the literature review in
research
• In relation to your own study, the literature review can help in four
ways.
1. bring clarity and focus to your research problem;
2. improve your research methodology;
3. broaden your knowledge base in your research area;
4. contextualize your findings
Place of the literature review in research
Bringing clarity and focus to your
research problem
• The literature review involves a paradox.
• On the one hand, you cannot effectively undertake a literature search without some idea of the
problem you wish to investigate.
• On the other hand, the literature review can play an extremely important role in shaping your
research problem because the process of reviewing the literature helps you to understand the
subject area better and thus helps you to conceptualise your research problem clearly and
precisely and makes it more relevant and pertinent to your field of enquiry.
• When reviewing the literature you learn what aspects of your subject area have been examined
by others, what they have found out about these aspects, what gaps they have identified and
what suggestions they have made for further research.
• All these will help you gain a greater insight into your own research questions and provide you
with clarity and focus which are central to a relevant and valid study.
• In addition, it will help you to focus your study on areas where there are gaps in the existing
body of knowledge, thereby enhancing its relevance.
 Place of the literature review in research
Improving your research methodology
• Going through the literature acquaints you with the methodologies that
have been used by others to find answers to research questions similar to
the one you are investigating.
• A literature review tells you if others have used procedures and methods
similar to the ones that you are proposing, which procedures and methods
have worked well for them and what problems they have faced with them.
• By becoming aware of any problems and pitfalls, you will be better
positioned to select a methodology that is capable of providing valid
answers to your research question.
• This will increase your confidence in the methodology you plan to use and
will equip you to defend its use
 How to review the literature
• If you do not have a specific research problem, you should review the literature in your broad
area of interest with the aim of gradually narrowing it down to what you want to find out about.

• After that the literature review should be focused around your research problem. There is a
danger in reviewing the literature without having a reasonably specific idea of what you want to
study.

• It can condition your thinking about your study and the methodology you might use, resulting
in a less innovative choice of research problem and methodology than otherwise would have
been the case.

• Hence, you should try broadly to conceptualise your research problem before undertaking your
major literature review
 How to review the literature
• There are four steps involved in conducting a literature review:
• 1. Searching for the existing literature in your area of study.
• 2. Reviewing the selected literature.
• 3. Developing a theoretical framework.
• 4. Developing a conceptual framework
 How to review the literature
[Link] for the existing literature

To search effectively for the literature in your field of enquiry.

It is imperative that you have at least some idea of the broad subject
area and of the problem you wish to investigate, in order to set
parameters for your search.
Next, compile a bibliography for this broad area.
 There are three sources that you can use to prepare a bibliography:
books;
journals;
the Internet
•Books
 Though books are a central part of any bibliography, they have their disadvantages
as well as advantages.
 The main advantage is that the material published in books is usually important
and of good quality, and the findings are ‘integrated with other research to form a
coherent body of knowledge’ (Martin 1985: 33).
 The main disadvantage is that the material is not completely up to date, as it can
take a few years between the completion of a work and its publication in the form
of a book.
 The best way to search for a book is to look at your library catalogues.
 When librarians catalogue a book they also assign to it subject headings that are
usually based on Library of Congress Subject Headings.
 If you are not sure, ask your librarian to help you find the best subject heading for
your area.
 This can save you a lot of time.
 Publications such as Book Review Index can help you to locate books of interest
• Books
 Use the subject catalogue or keywords option to search for books in your area of interest. Narrow the subject area searched
by selecting the appropriate keywords.
 Look through these titles carefully and identify the books you think are likely to be of interest to you. If you think the titles
seem appropriate to your topic, print them out (if this facility is available), as this will save you time, or note them down on a
piece of paper.
 Be aware that sometimes a title does not provide enough information to help you decide if a book is going to be of use so you
may have to examine its contents too.
 When you have selected 10–15 books that you think are appropriate for your topic, examine the bibliography of each one. It
will save time if you photocopy their bibliographies.
 Go through these bibliographies carefully to identify the books common to several of them.
 If a book has been referenced by a number of authors, you should include it in your reading list. Prepare a final list of books
that you consider essential reading.
 Having prepared your reading list, locate these books in your library or borrow them from other sources. Examine their
contents to double-check that they really are relevant to your topic.
 If you find that a book is not relevant to your research, delete it from your reading list. If you find that something in a book’s
contents is relevant to your topic, make an annotated bibliography.
 An annotated bibliography contains a brief abstract of the aspects covered in a book and your own notes of its relevance. Be
careful to keep track of your references.
 To do this you can prepare your own card index or use a computer program such as Endnotes or Pro-Cite
• Journals
• You need to go through the journals relating to your research in a similar manner. Journals
provide you with the most up-to-date information, even though there is often a gap of two
to three years between the completion of a research project and its publication in a journal.
• You should select as many journals as you possibly can, though the number of journals
available depends upon the field of study – certain fields have more journals than others.
• As with books, you need to prepare a list of the journals you want to examine for
identifying the literature relevant to your study.
• This can be done in a number of ways. You can: locate the hard copies of the journals that
are appropriate to your study; look at citation or abstract indices to identify and/or read the
abstracts of such articles;
• search electronic databases. If you have been able to identify any useful journals and
articles, prepare a list of those you want to examine, by journal.
• Select one of these journals and, starting with the latest issue, examine its contents page
to see if there is an article of relevance to your research topic.
• If you feel that a particular article is of interest to you, read its abstract. If you think you are
likely to use it, depending upon your financial resources, either photocopy it, or prepare a
summary and record its reference for later use.
 Journals

• There are several sources designed to make your search • For example, most libraries carry the
for journals easier and these can save you enormous
time. electronic databases shown in Table 3.1.
• They are: • Select the database most appropriate to
• indices of journals (e.g. Humanities Index);
• abstracts of articles (e.g. ERIC);
your area of study to see if there are any
• citation indices (e.g. Social Sciences Citation Index). useful references.
• Each of these indexing, abstracting and citation services • Of course, any computer database search
is available in print, or accessible through the Internet.
• In most libraries, information on books, journals and
is restricted to those journals and articles
abstracts is stored on computers. that are already on the database.
• In each case the information is classified by subject, • You should also talk to your research
author and title.
supervisor and other available experts to
• You may also have the keywords option
(author/keyword; title/keyword; subject/keyword; find out about any additional relevant
expert/keyword; or just keywords). literature to include in your reading list
• What system you use depends upon what is available in
your library and what you are familiar with.
• There are specially prepared electronic databases in a
number of disciplines.
• The Internet

• In almost every academic discipline and professional field, the Internet has become an
important tool for finding published literature.
• Through an Internet search you can identify published material in books, journals and other
sources with immense ease and speed.
• An Internet search is carried out through search engines, of which there are many, though
the most commonly used are Google and Yahoo.
• Searching through the Internet is very similar to the search for books and articles in a library
using an electronic catalogue, as it is based on the use of keywords.
• An Internet search basically identifies all material in the database of a search engine that
contains the keywords you specify, either individually or in combination.
• It is important that you choose words or combinations of words that other people are likely
to use.
• According to Gilbert (2008: 73), ‘Most search facilities use Boolean logic, which allows three
types of basic search “AND”, “OR” and “NOT”.’
• With practice you will become more efficient and effective in using keywords in combination
with AND, OR and NOT, and so learn to narrow your search to help you identify the most
relevant references.
 How to review the literature
2. Reviewing the selected literature

Unless you have a theoretical framework of themes in mind to start with, use separate sheets of paper
for each theme or issue you identify as you go through selected books and articles.
The following example details the process.
Once you develop a rough framework, slot the findings from the material so far reviewed into these
themes, using a separate sheet of paper for each theme of the framework so far developed.
As you read further, go on slotting the information where it logically belongs under the themes so far
developed.
Keep in mind that you may need to add more themes as you go along.
While going through the literature you should carefully and critically examine it with respect to the
following aspects:
• Note whether the knowledge relevant to your theoretical framework has been confirmed beyond doubt. Note the
theories put forward, the criticisms of these and their basis, the methodologies adopted (study design, sample size
and its characteristics, measurement procedures, etc.) and the criticisms of them. Examine to what extent the
findings can be generalised to other situations.
• Notice where there are significant differences of opinion among researchers and give your opinion about the validity
of these differences.
• Ascertain the areas in which little or nothing is known – the gaps that exist in the body of knowledge
 How to review the literature
3. Developing a theoretical framework
• Examining the literature can be a never-ending task, but as you have limited time it is important to set
parameters by reviewing the literature in relation to some main themes pertinent to your research topic.
• As you start reading the literature, you will soon discover that the problem you wish to investigate has its
roots in a number of theories that have been developed from different perspectives.
• The information obtained from different books and journals now needs to be sorted under the main themes
and theories, highlighting agreements and disagreements among the authors and identifying the
unanswered questions or gaps.
• You will also realise that the literature deals with a number of aspects that have a direct or indirect bearing
on your research topic. Use these aspects as a basis for developing your theoretical framework.
• Your review of the literature should sort out the information, as mentioned earlier, within this framework.
Unless you review the literature in relation to this framework, you will not be able to develop a focus in your
literature search: that is, your theoretical framework provides you with a guide as you read.
• This brings us to the paradox mentioned previously: until you go through the literature you cannot develop
a theoretical framework, and until you have developed a theoretical framework you cannot effectively
review the literature.
• The solution is to read some of the literature and then attempt to develop a framework, even a loose one,
within which you can organise the rest of the literature you read.
• As you read more about the area, you are likely to change the framework. However, without it, you will get
bogged down in a great deal of unnecessary reading and note-taking that may not be relevant to your study.
 How to review the literature
3. Developing a theoretical framework
• Literature pertinent to your study may deal with two types of
information: 1. universal; 2. more specific (i.e. local trends or a
specific programme).
• In writing about such information you should start with the general
information, gradually narrowing it down to the specific.
• Figure 3.1a Figure 3.1b
 How to review the literature
4. Developing a conceptual framework
• The conceptual framework is the basis of your research problem. It stems from the theoretical
framework and usually focuses on the section(s) which become the basis of your study.
• Whereas the theoretical framework consists of the theories or issues in which your study is
embedded, the conceptual framework describes the aspects you selected from the theoretical
framework to become the basis of your enquiry.
• For instance, in the example cited in Figure 3.1a, the theoretical framework includes all the
theories that have been put forward to explain the relationship between fertility and
mortality.
• However, out of these, you may be planning to test only one, say the fear of non-survival.
• Similarly, in Figure 3.1b, the conceptual framework is focused on indicators to measure the
success or failure of the strategies to enhance community responsiveness
• . Hence the conceptual framework grows out of the theoretical framework and relates to the
specific research problem
writing about the literature reviewed.
• Now, all that remains to be done is to write about the literature you have
reviewed. As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, two of the broad
functions of a literature review are
• (1) to provide a theoretical background to your study and
• (2) to enable you to contextualise your findings in relation to the existing body
of knowledge in addition to refining your methodology.
• The content of your literature review should reflect these two purposes. In
order to fulfil the first purpose, you should identify and describe various
theories relevant to your field; and specify gaps in existing knowledge in the
area, recent advances in the area of study, current trends and so on.
• In order to comply with the second function you should integrate the results
from your study with specific and relevant findings from the existing literature
by comparing the two for confirmation or contradiction.
writing about the literature
reviewed.
• Note that at this stage you can only accomplish the first function of the literature review, to provide a
theoretical background to your study.
• For the second function, the contextualisation of the findings, you have to wait till you are at the research
report writing stage.
• While reading the literature for theoretical background of your study, you will realise that certain themes
have emerged.
• List the main ones, converting them into subheadings. Some people write up the entire literature review in
one section, entitled ‘Review of the literature’, ‘Summary of literature’ or ‘The literature review’, without
subheadings, but the author strongly suggests that you write your literature review under subheadings
based upon the main themes that you have discovered and which form the basis of your theoretical
framework.
• These subheadings should be precise, descriptive of the theme in question and follow a logical progression.
Now, under each subheading, record the main findings with respect to the theme in question (thematic
writing), highlighting the reasons for and against an argument if they exist, and identifying gaps and issues.
• Figure 3.2 shows the subheadings used to describe the themes in a literature review conducted by the
author for a study entitled ‘Intercountry adoption in Western Australia’.
writing about the literature
reviewed
Figure 3.2 Sample of outline of literature review

• The second broad function of the literature review – contextualising the findings of your study requires
you to compare very systematically your findings with those made by others.
• Quote from these studies to show how your findings contradict, confirm or add to them. It places your
findings in the context of what others have found out providing complete reference in an acceptable
format.
• This function is undertaken, as mentioned earlier, when writing about your findings, that is after
analysis of your data