An Academic presentation byDr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, Phdassistance Group www.phdassistance.comEmail: info@phdassistance.com

SYNTHESIZING AN

EXCELLENT LITERATURE

REVIEW

TODAY'S DISCUSSION

Introduction

Literature review

How to write a Comprehensive Literature

Review

Conclusion

Outline

A l iterature review survey the books, scholarly papers, and any other sources related to a specific issue, field of study, or theory, and provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in connection to the research subject under consideration.

Literature reviews are aimed to offer readers an overview of the sources you used when researching a certain issue and to show themhow your research fits into a larger fieldof study.

INTRODUCTION

Contd...

A summary is a re-organization, or reshuffling, of that material in a way that informs how you plan to examine a research topic, whereas a synthesis is a re-organization, or reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you plan to explore a research problem.

LITERATURE REVIEW

L i terature Reviewpresentsinformat ion in a manner that leadsto building a new f ramework.

I t provides a context to your research work and pins down toyour research problem.

Other essential aspects of a l i terature review are as fol lows:

Contd....

I t highl ights the principal issues in your f ield.

I t provides new perspectives on the research topic.

I t introduces relevant terminologies used inthe context of your work.

I t assists in recognizing related research f indings and relevant theories.

I t aids in locat ing the methods that one maytake on for research.

Contd....

STEPS TO FOLLOW BEFORE CONDUCTING THE LITERATURE REVIEW:

Identi fying all the l i terature relevant to your topic of interest

Exploring different types of l i terature: theoretical l i terature, applied l i terature, l i terature that talks about research methods

Using various keywords and strategies to f ind relevant data

Contd....

Conduct ing an extensive search inmul t i - discipl inary databases

Grouping the f indings as what is known andwhat needs to be explored

Identi fying existing gaps or any unresolved issues

Formulat ing broad quest ions that warrantfurther research

Contd....

research through

Could the approached perspect ive?

TO ANALYZE A RESEARCH PAPER, LOOK FOR ADEQUATE INFORMATION FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN IT:

Is the research quest ionappropriate to the problem/ issue?

Does the research quest ion def inethe scope and

relevance of the study?quest ion be an al ternat ive

Contd....

Has the research problem been cr i t ical ly analyzed, or has i t beenjust interpreted?

Has the l i terature considered both the latest and relevant art icles?

How have the basic components such as the populat ion,intervent ions, outcomes of the study been defined?

Are the measurements effective, accurate and statist ical ly signif icant?

Contd....

Are the conclusions based on correct interpretations of the data?

Is the reasoning provided for the problem statement object ive-based and unbiased?

any preconceived bel iefs and opinions presented in theAre there reasoning?

How would the selected mater ials add to your knowledge ofthe research problem?

What are the strong points, restr ict ions and inadequacies of the study?

HOW TO WRITE A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Have clearly def ined research aims before you start wi th your review.

Focused questions help direct your search.

They assist in creat ing a l is t of keywords related to yourresearch problem.

Also, they help in ident i fy ing relevant databases in journalsand articles .

Check i f you have correct ly ident i f ied al l the sources that couldanswer your research question.

Contd....

In addit ion to journal art icles, theses , and dissertat ions, refer internet sources, conference reports that offer the latest papers not available in publ ications, and reports presented by the government and the corporate bodies.

Even books can prove useful for background information.

Consider both q ual i tative and quanti tat ive research art icles.

An exhaustive l i terature survey helps to create a case as to why further study is necessary.

Contd....

evidenceto to

just i fy the

Have adequate experimental support your hypothesis and signif icance of your study.

Identify all the major shortcomings related to your research topic.

By referring to art icles that provide either inconclusive or contradictory information, you can identify any open questions missed by researchers in previous studies.

Contd....

Have a relat ionship diagram as i t would recognize l inksbetween di fferent components ofyour research topic.

I t helps gain insights into al l the potent ia l re lat ionships betweenkey concepts, variables and key factors.

Use rel iable procedural and investigat ive techniques.

Gather sufficient evidence f rom the l i terature about the accuracyand validity of the methods you plan to use in your experiments.

Contd....

Ident i fy the purpose served by each art ic le that has beenshort l is ted for l i terature review.

or shortcomings of

Develop a theoretical base for your study.

Demonstrate inconsistencies, l imitat ions, previous studies.

Evaluate certain f indings. Contd...

.

Repeat the study in an altered sett ing.

Show how this study supports or contradicts your f indings, and use i t as areference to build your research.

Demonstrate a genera l understanding of apprehensions relevantto your r esearchtopic

Contd....

must beIn conclusion, a literaturereview structured, logical, and coherent.Have appropriate sections for different themes.

Let your Literature Review prove your expertise as a researcher.

CONCLUSION

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