How to write a literature review for a research paper pdf

How to write a literature review for a research paper pdf

Sciences, need to be able to write a literature review. Whether they are writing a short review as part of an Honours assignment, or a full-length chapter in a PhD thesis, students consistently find it a struggle to turn the mass of diverse material found in a literature search into a well-organised critical discussion. The literature on writing literature reviews is generally useful in three Sample Literature Review Conclusion #1 ONLUSIONS The purpose of this review was to view the trends in composition studies within the past forty years and see how commentary on student writing has changed and is still changing. It is clear from the research reviewed that evaluative commentary is very immersed and widely practiced throughout composition programs in today's universities. Along Reviewing the Literature: A Short Guide for Research Students In brief: Reviews of previous literature in a thesis or research paper are not summaries of every article you have read, but rather an exposition of the existing knowledge and reasoning which led you to believe that what you did was worth doing in the way that you did it, written so

How To Write A Literature Review, with Example

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Writing a Literature Review Research Paper: A step-by-step approach. Muhammad Ali Ramdhani. Tatam Chiway. syakur Amin. Abdullah Ramdhani. Download PDF, how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf. Download Full PDF Package This paper. A short summary of this paper. READ PAPER. Writing a Literature Review Research Paper: A step-by-step approach Abdullah Ramdhani1, Muhammad Ali Ramdhani 2, Abdusy Syakur Amin 3 1 Department of Public Administration, Garut University Jl.

Cimanuk No. Nasution No. id 3 Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Pasundan University Jl. Setiabudi No. com Abstract — Writing a literature review in the pre or post-qualification, will be required to undertake a literature review, either as part of a course of study, as a key step in the research process.

A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. It demands a range of skills, such as learning how to define topics for exploration, acquiring skills of literature searching and retrieval, developing the ability to analyze and synthesize data as well as becoming adept at writing and reporting, often within a limited time scale.

Key Words — Literature review; Literature searching; Writing a review, how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf. A literature review of a mature topic addresses the need for a critique of, and the potential reconceptualization of, the expanding and more diversified knowledge base of the topic as it continues to develop.

The second kind of literature review addresses new or emerging topics that would benefit from a holistic conceptualization and synthesis of the literature. Because these topics are relatively new and have not yet undergone a comprehensive review of the literature, the review is more likely to lead to an initial or preliminary conceptualization of the topic like a new model or framework. The reasons for undertaking a literature review are numerous and include eliciting information for developing policies and evidence-based care, a step in the research process and as part of an academic assessment.

To many qualified students faced with undertaking a literature review the task appears daunting. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information.

It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant writingcenter.

Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits into the larger field of study libguides. edu, n. A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. It gives an overview of what has been said, who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked, and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful.

As such, it is not in itself primary research, how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf, but rather it reports on other findings Emerald Group Publishing, n. The primary reports used in the literature may be verbal, but in the vast majority of cases reports are written documents.

The types of scholarship may be empirical, theoretical, critical analytic, or methodological in nature. A literature review is an objective, thorough summary and critical analysis of the relevant available research and non-research literature on the topic being studied Hart, ; Cronin, et al. Its goal is to bring the reader up-to-date with current literature on a topic and form the basis for another goal, such as the justification for future research in the area.

A good literature review gathers information about a particular subject from many sources. It is well written and contains few if any personal biases.

It should contain a how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf search and selection strategy Carnwell and Daly, ; Cronin, et al. Good structuring is essential to enhance the flow and readability of the review Colling, Literature review is different from an academic research paper. The main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new argument, and a research paper will contain a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literature as a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute.

The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions. The vast majority of literature reviews serve as a section of a primary research article that provides the theoretical foundation for the main study that is the subject of the article. In that capacity, Fink describes multiple purposes for literature reviews. A literature review anchors the rest of a scholarly article.

International Journal of Basic and Applied Science, Vol. It is different with traditional reviews that attempt to summarize results of a number of studies, systematic reviews use explicit and rigorous criteria to identify, critically evaluate and synthesize all the literature on a particular topic Cronin, et al, Primary purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a comprehensive background for understanding current knowledge and highlighting the significance of new research.

It can inspire research ideas by identifying gaps or inconsistencies in a body of knowledge, thus helping the researcher to determine or define research questions or hypotheses. Beecroft et. Equally, however, it can help refine or focus a broad research question and is useful for both topic selection and topic refinement.

It can also be helpful in developing conceptual or theoretical frameworks Coughlan, et al, ; Cronnin, et al, Parahoo suggests that a systematic review should detail the time frame within which the literature was selected, as well as the methods used to evaluate and synthesize findings of the studies in question, how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf.

In order for the reader to assess the reliability and validity of the review see figure 1the reviewer needs to present the precise criteria used to: a Formulate the research question; b Set inclusion or exclusion criteria; c Select and access the literature; d Asses the quality of the literature include in the review; e Analyse, synthesize and disseminate the findings.

Cronin et. The researcher undertaking a quantitative study may have decided this already. However, for the individual undertaking a non-research how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf literature review this will be the first step.

Often the task is especially difficult because of a lack of knowledge in the content area. Below are some hints for facilitating your selection of a topic. First, skim through your textbook and identify broad topics in the discipline that interest you. Second, read the chapters associated with the topics you pick to develop familiarity with the vocabulary key wordsprimary investigators, and issues or controversies in the area. Third, talking to others, such as expert, or reading around a topic can also help to identify what areas of the subject the reviewer is interested in and may help indicate how much information exists on the topic Timmins and McCabe, The next step, after choosing a topic, is to go to the library and search for journal articles published in the area.

Use key words to find article titles for specific topics; sometimes abstracts are provided for the reader's reference. Abstracts can be useful, time saving devices because they aid in weeding good, associated literature from unrelated, peripheral articles.

Cronin explained that having sufficient literature is also important, particularly when the review is an academic assignment. These academic exercises usually have short deadlines, so having enough literature is key from the perspective of being able to do the review and submit it on time. Literature reviews that are part of academic coursework usually have strictly enforced word limits and it is important to adhere to that limit.

Topics that are too broad will result in reviews that are either too long or too superficial. As a rule of thumb, it is better to start with a narrow and focused topic, and if necessary broaden the scope of the review as you progress.

It is much more difficult to cut content successfully, especially if time is short. A systematic approach is considered most likely to generate a review that will be beneficial in informing practice Hek and Langton, ; Cronin et al, Newell and Burnard suggest that comprehensiveness and relevance are what reviewers how to write a literature review for a research paper pdf to consider and add that the more specific the topic or question being searched is, the more focused the result will be Cronin et al, The type of articles that are selected for a good review of literature are theoretical presentations, review articles, and empirical research articles.

Choosing the work of a single researcher may be one method for starting a literature review. Your presentation will be more powerful if conflicting theoretical positions and findings are presented along with the position or prediction that you support in your paper.

Strive to eliminate or explain away articles that have faulty methods or that use faulty reasoning to support their findings.

Nowadays, literature searches are undertaken most commonly using computers and electronic databases. Computer databases offer access to vast quantities of information, which can be retrieved more easily and quickly than using a manual search Younger, There are numerous electronic databases, many of which deal with specific fields of information.

It is important therefore to identify which databases are relevant to the topic Cronin et al, Existing literature reviews and systematic reviews can also be important sources of data. They can offer a good overview of the research that has been undertaken, so that the relevance to the present work can be determined Cronin et al, The four main types of sources are outlined in Table 1. In conducting the literature search it is important to keep a record of the keywords and methods used in searching the literature as these will need to be identified later when describing how the search was conducted Timmins and McCabe, Table 1.

Defining the types of sources for a review Source Definitions Primary source Usually a report by the original researchers of a study Secondary source Description or summary by somebody other than the original researcher, e. Primary sources in science are usually in the form of articles published in reputable journals.

Generally, journals are regarded as being more up-to-date than books as sources of information Cronin, et al, Secondary sources include textbooks and review articles or Description or summary by somebody other than the original researcher. Like your literature review, secondary sources do not contain new information.

Literature Review with Practical Example

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Writing a literature review in the pre or post-qualification, will be required to undertake a literature review, either as part of a course of study, as a key step in the research process What is involved in writing a literature review? 1. Research – to discover what has been written about the topic 2. Critical Appraisal – to evaluate the literature, determine the relationship between the sources and ascertain what has been done already and what still needs to be done 3. Writing What is a literature review? A literature review has three key components: 1. A search of the literature available on a given subject area. 2. An evaluation of the literature, including its scope. 3. A well-structured and argued written account of the literature that provides an overview and critique. Types of literature review 1. Coursework A literature review could be