Write a Literature Review: Are you hunting for the tips to make your literature review effective? Here we provide you the basic concepts and all the necessaries you have to consider to make your literature review good looking.
Table of Contents
Literature Review (LR) – What is it?
It is an outline of the published works in the past (like few years back) on a particular topic. It analyses the books, articles as well as other sources that are related to specific research area. It also compute, explore, conclude and clarify the traditional work.
What is the Purpose of Write a Literature Review?
It is often important to know the purpose of anything which is vital to achieve the desired results. Here, it means that, only when you know the purpose of LR, it can be effectively done accordingly.
The main purpose of LR are listed here.
- Bring focus and clarity to the research issues.
- Enhance your research technique
- Widen your knowledge in the specific research area
- Examine the findings
Why to Organise a Literature Review?
Studying the LR helps to view all the methodologies used by the existing studies in a specific area. The outcomes in these studies help to find what actually worked and what did nor work for various researchers. This can also afford evidence that might be utilized as assistance for your own research area.
What are all Included in LR?
A LR comprise of an outline, a brief explanation as well as assessment of the present knowledge regarding the specific research area. It might also discuss the technical challenges as well as the suggestion for further study.
Can Pictures be Included in LR?
Many might have this doubt. Pictures can be added. Avoid adding images that are drawn. Make sure the image looks neat and professional (structured diagrams). Add images that are relevant only to the particular existing study. Elaborate the research with the images added. Cite the images with references corresponding to the actual existing study.
What to not Include in LR?
As the LR have various patterns to be included, there are also few patterns which must not be included. They are listed here.
- Do not add the exact historical material like the information taken from websites.
- LR is an analysis and synthesis of the research corresponding to your topic. Hence, analyse the existing works that correspond to your topic, comprehend and puts your own writings on the LR. Most of the ideas must be paraphrased.
Why is LR Significant?
You must have a clear idea about your research area to achieve effective results. Yes, this is why LR is significant which helps you turn to an expert. LR are typically the initial step in social interventions and discoveries in the society.
Tips to Consider Before Starting Your LR
There are various necessities which you must consider to write an effective LR in a standardised way. The important requirements are listed here.
Clarification
The first and foremost step is to make all your doubts cleared from your guide like the count of references to be included in LR, the kind of sources to be considered (websites, journal articles or books), if the sources have to be evaluated, is there any need for including subheadings and several other information so that you get a clear idea.
Find the Corresponding Sources
Look for supplementary LRs in your field or domain and read it to attain the sense of theme kinds you would require to see for in your study or methods to establish your overall analysis. Simply type “review” in addition to related terms of your topic in search engine to discover articles relevant to your proposed system in internet.
Constrict your search
Hundreds and thousands of books and articles exists on several areas of the research. The way you constrict your search makes it easy to limit the source counts you require to read so as to attain a well looking LR for your study.
Take only current sources
Few research areas need you to use only current information. Example-using papers that are published five years back from the present year (say-2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017). Another example is discussed below.
In science, treatments undertaken for health oriented issues are changing constantly in accordance with the latest research. Hence, information that is considered two years back might also be outdated. On the other hand, when you write any review in the field of social science, history and humanities, in this case the survey has to be included for historical information. Here, the changes in the things all over the years is important and hence outdated is no word here. Search for current LRs or bibliographies in your domain to fulfil the expectation of your research area. There is particular pattern to write an LR and it is described here.
Patterns For Writing a Literature Review (LR)
Discover the Focus
A LR is typically systemized with ideas. Find the methodology and the approaches used that particularly relates to your proposed system and write the LR accordingly.
Make it clear for your reader
You have to write the LR in such a way that it covers the background, objectives, methodology, results or outcomes corresponding to your proposed work. So, make sure all these are included. This inclusion will make your reader know what actually the existing system have done in the same area you have chosen, what drawbacks in the existing system prevailed and what has been achieved from the traditional research.
Consider the pattern
The LR must be presented in a specific pattern. Create a pattern for your LR at local and global level. At first, include all the fundamental categories.
Similar to an academic paper, Literature Review tips must also have a three fundamental areas-
- Background/short introduction about the existing research
- Body of the study
- At last, conclusion including the overall reviews of the paper will be summarized.
Various other considerations
There are additional sections which you have to concentrate to present a good LR.
Present situation – all the necessary information to comprehend the focus or thesis writing topic of the LR.
History – Sequential advancement of the area, the idea or any literature that is needed to comprehend the LR. Example: you may explore that your LR comprise of only peer-reviewed journals and articles.
Questions for future study – What are all the questions regarding the analysis has the study ignited? What are the extensions done in your proposed system as a consequence of the LR?
Make sure you consider all these sections also. Thus, you would have got all the basic ideas to make a great looking literature review. We also provide assistance in the same area. Verify that you include all of the sections discussed above so that you can make your LR look great.
