Complete Literature Review Example Guides

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When embarking on a research project, the first step is to perform a literature review. This process involves examining articles, books, and other resources related to your chosen topic to identify what other researchers have already discovered. A literature review provides an initial foundation for your study while also helping you to refine, focus, and contextualize your research. By using literature review tools and finding a literature review example, you can learn how to structure your own literature review correctly. By utilizing an example, researchers can more easily build their literature review with a clear and strong foundation.

What Is Literature Review

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic.

The Importance of a Literature Review in Research

A literature review in research serves various purposes. It showcases a summary of the existing knowledge on a particular topic and identifies areas that need further research. Besides, it offers a justification for your research by demonstrating how your research fills a gap in the existing body of knowledge.

Identification of the Problem

A literature review helps to identify the "problem" in the existing body of knowledge. It helps in identifying gaps in the existing knowledge that your research aims to fill. It goes beyond merely presenting and synthesizing the existing scholarship; it also identifies where your research fits within the existing literature.

Demonstrates Your Understanding and Insight

A literature review demonstrates your understanding and insight into the relevant scholarly literature. It helps you to understand the topic in a more sophisticated manner and shows that you are aware of the relevant scholarship. This understanding is essential for convincing your supervisor, examiners, or peers of the validity of your research.

Identification of Theories and Key Concepts

A literature review helps in identifying relevant theories and key concepts that are related to your topic. It allows you to critically evaluate these theories and concepts and use them to structure your own research and arguments. This identification of relevant theories and concepts will help you to develop your own research questions and arguments.

Helps To Identify Methods for Future Research

A literature review helps you to identify methods that are likely to be fruitful for your research. By identifying what has worked and what hasn't worked in previous research, you can design your research in a way that avoids the pitfalls of the past and builds on the successes. This will help you to design a more robust and valid research design.

What Are The 3 Parts Of Literature Review

1. Introduction in a Literature Review

As you begin your literature review example, the introduction offers a quick glimpse into the topic you will explore. This section may provide insight into the central theme or organizational pattern that guides the review. By setting the stage for what will come next, the introduction helps readers understand the context they are about to enter.

2. Body of a Literature Review

The body of your literature review example houses the main discussion of the sources you've reviewed. You can typically organize this section in one of three ways: chronologically, thematically, or methodological. By presenting your material in chronological order, you'll trace the development of the topic over time.

A thematic approach organizes the literature by key themes that emerge from the studies. Finally, a methodological organization groups sources based on the methods used, such as qualitative or quantitative research techniques.

3. Conclusions and Recommendations in a Literature Review

Once you've thoroughly examined the sources, it's time to draw conclusions and make recommendations based on your review. This section explores the implications of the literature you've studied. It may also guide readers on where the discussion might proceed next. By reflecting on the findings and providing suggestions for future study, you're adding value to the scholarly conversation surrounding the topic.

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Systematic Literature Review

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How Do You Write Literature Review

In writing a literature review, the initial step is to narrow down the topic and select papers that are relevant to the specific area of study. This involves considering one’s personal interests, as well as identifying what other researchers in the field are studying. Professors, brainstorming, reading lecture notes, and reviewing recent periodicals within the field can help in selecting relevant papers.

Search for Literature

Defining source selection criteria is crucial in finding the right literature for the review. This entails specifying the criteria such as articles published within a specific date range, focusing on a particular geographic region, or using a distinct methodology. U

sing keywords to search library databases is essential in finding the right studies for the literature review. Reviewing reference lists of recent articles and reviews can lead to the discovery of additional useful papers. It is also important to include studies that present contradictory views to enhance the completeness of the literature review.

Read Selected Articles Thoroughly and Evaluate Them

Reading the selected articles with a critical eye is essential. It is important to evaluate and synthesize the findings and conclusions of the studies. Take note of the assumptions made by most researchers in the field, the methodologies and testing procedures employed, as well as those frequently referenced. Also, pay attention to conflicting theories, results, and methodologies, as well as the popularity of theories and how they have evolved over time.

Organize Selected Papers by Developing Subtopics

Analyzing the selected papers and looking for patterns helps in developing subtopics for the literature review. This involves identifying common findings, contested results, important trends, and the most influential theories presented in the research. Organizing the literature review in this manner helps in presenting a coherent and structured narrative.

Develop a Thesis or Purpose Statement

Creating a thesis or purpose statement is essential in summarizing the conclusion reached about the major trends and developments observed in the research conducted on the subject. This concise statement provides clarity and direction to the literature review.

Write the Paper

The next step involves writing the literature review following the organizational structure developed in previous steps. Each section should link logically to the preceding and succeeding sections. Structuring the paper by themes or subtopics, rather than individual researchers or theorists, enhances the flow and coherence of the literature review.

Review Your Work

It is essential to review the literature review for clarity, coherence, and logical flow. Reading the topic sentences of each paragraph can help in assessing whether the paper presents a clear position, developed logically from the beginning to the end.

Making an outline of each section and identifying areas where additional information is required, irrelevant information needs to be deleted, or sections need to be restructured is crucial in enhancing the quality of the literature review. Reading the work aloud can also help in identifying mistakes, errors, or unclear sentences that need to be corrected.

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Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Unriddle. I’ve also copied it below :)

From here, it's pretty simple.

Unriddle helps you read, write and learn faster.

Interact with documents via AI so you can quickly find and understand info.

Then start writing in a new Note and Unriddle will show you relevant content from your library as you type.

Get started by uploading a document.

Or read on for the full rundown.

Interact with documents

When you upload a document, Unriddle generates an AI assistant on top of this data.

Click 'New' in the right sidebar and then select 'Upload' to get started.

Use this assistant to answer specific questions about the text, summarize content and simplify jargon.

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If you're summarizing a research paper, for example, instead of saying “Summarize” or “Summarize this research paper”, say something like “Explain this research paper to me in simple terms. What method did the researchers use? What did they find? Why does it matter?”.

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Automatic relations

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Writing is hard when you have a ton of sources to track.

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Writing with AI

Click ‘New’ in the sidebar and hit ‘Note’ to open up a new note.

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Chat Settings

Adjust the model, temperature and response length in the Setting sidebar.

Click the cog icon in the top right corner of the screen and look for "Chat Settings".

These apply across all documents but you can easily flip between them regardless of settings at the time of upload.

Model: the machine learning model used to generate responses.

Temperature: the amount of creative license you give to the AI.

Max length: the maximum number of words generated in a response.

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Types of Literature Review

Traditional (Narrative) Literature Review

Identifies and reviews published literature on a topic, which may be broad. Typically employs a narrative approach to reporting the review findings. Can include a wide range of related subjects.

Rapid Review

Assesses what is known about an issue by using a systematic review method to search and appraise research and determine best practice.

Scoping Review

Assesses the potential scope of the research literature on a particular topic. Helps determine gaps in the research.

Systematic Review

Seeks to systematically search for, appraise, and synthesise research evidence so as to aid decision-making and determine best practice. Can vary in approach, and is often specific to the type of study, which include studies of effectiveness, qualitative research, economic evaluation, prevalence, aetiology, or diagnostic test accuracy.

Argumentative Literature Review

An argumentative literature review, as the name implies, examines literature selectively to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. It should be noted that a potential for bias is a major shortcoming associated with argumentative literature review.

Integrative Literature Review

Integrative literature review reviews, critiques, and synthesizes secondary data about research topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. If your research does not involve primary data collection and data analysis, then using integrative literature review will be your only option.

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Intelligent Citation Management

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Unriddle comprehends the significance behind your writing, automatically linking you to relevant material you’ve read or written about in the past. Highlight text, and Unriddle will reveal the most pertinent sources from your library using AI. Say goodbye to lost citations.

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