How To Write a Literature Review For A Research Paper With Examples?

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autohr img By Vipul Jain
30 Nov, 2024

Are you a university student who struggles to write a literature review? You don't need to worry, We are here to assist you with writing an effective literature review so you can score high on your exam.

What is a Literature Review?

Literature reviews are used to identify gaps in the literature around your topic area, which are then addressed through an analysis of those sources (literature). The dissertation literature review can vary greatly, so there is a lot of confusion about what it entails. Some dissertation literature reviews can be simple summaries of important sources, but most require you to critically engage with the text in order to form your opinions. Literature reviews may offer new insights into classic research papers or combine both old and new perspectives (the "gap" - more on this later). Moreover, a literature review can provide a thorough and critical overview of major, and sometimes polemical, debates in a field. Additionally, literature reviews may provide readers with information about a source's validity, pertinence, and relevance to their research. It is common for literature reviews and academic papers to be confused, but they are not the same thing. Literature reviews are generally included in academic papers as part of their objective to present new research material about a particular topic. The literature review is the foundation of your research paper - it helps you identify any research gaps that support a new argument or insight you intend to present. Typically, in a literature review, you are summarizing and critically analyzing the research arguments you found in your readings, without offering any original contributions.   Read more

Is It Necessary To Conduct A Literature Review?

After understanding the purpose of a literature review, let's try to understand why we need to write one. Literature reviews are an important part of any academic paper since they show your tutor or reader that you have a nuanced understanding of the sources relevant to your topic. The literature review may seem irrelevant, but it can help convince the person reviewing and marking your assignment that what you wrote is relevant and well-supported. For a good literature review, time and effort are needed.

What Is The Best Way To Write A Literature Review For A Dissertation?

This section is quite lengthy, so we've broken it down into several key steps so you can follow them as you write a literature review your own dissertation. In order to start, you need to identify your sources, and then read and reread them. The next step is to identify any gaps in the research or literature you have used, and finally, you write the review based on everything you have learned in the previous steps.

  1. Identify sources

The first step to writing a good dissertation literature review is to determine what sources you wish to review. Refer to the techniques we recommended earlier if you have not been given a formal reference list by your tutor. It is important to include a wide range of sources, including enough books and academic journals and any articles from reputable scholars that you might find useful. If you want to choose your sources appropriately, consider your research parameters and objectives. You should keep a checklist as you identify your sources because it is very easy to lose focus due to the wide scope of the Internet. Reference tools like Mendeley make it easy to organize your bibliography and store sources online or via a desktop application.

  1. Read your sources

After you've organized your sources properly, it's time to read them. Even though it may seem unnatural, it's useful to read in several stages, as outlined below:- Start by reading all the texts in order to get a feel for their content and arguments. Also, it will help you determine which sources should be the focus of your review. After reading your sources, you can then take a closer look at them critically and in depth.

  1. Identify research gaps

Identifying the research gap is essential when writing a dissertation literature review. If you include your review in a research proposal, identifying the gap will support your research's pertinence - assuming that it is designed to fill the gap. It can also be a sign of good critical analysis and get you extra credit when you identify the gap. To identify the "gap," it is necessary to understand what this "gap" is. Research gaps are essentially questions, perspectives, or problems that have not been addressed in the literature on any particular field. It is important to identify the research gap in order to demonstrate the originality of your research. It proves that you are not simply recounting or regurgitating existing research. Moreover, it indicates that you have done considerable research and have put a great deal of effort into researching the literature in your chosen field of study. Post-graduate students often find it extremely difficult to identify research gaps in their subject areas. A research paper for a postgraduate level involves identifying research gaps and formulating research questions to address these gaps. There are several ways to identify research gaps and overcome this obstacle:-

  1. Start by reading

In order to narrow your research focus, it will be helpful if you read the important parts of key articles in your field. The first thing to remember is that you will need to sift through many articles to identify the best ones to use for your research.

  1. Abstracts

The abstract of an article is often a good place to start to get a sense of what the article is about. A quick review of the introductory and concluding paragraphs of the paper is also advised, as they will provide information on the purposes, outcomes, and recommendations typically provide some insight on the research gaps in the literature. Literature reviews are structured largely based on the research area and academic conventions relevant to that area.  

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