c




 The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to

  discipline and from assignment to assignment.

A review may be a self-contained unit -- an end in itself -- or a preface to

and rationale for engaging in primary research. A review is a required
part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and
dissertations.

Generally, the purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a

published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and
comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and
theoretical articles.

top

c  In the introduction, you should:


 

u Ôefine or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern,
thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature.
u oint out overall trends in what has been published about the
topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and
conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single
problem or new perspective of immediate interest.
u 0stablish the writer's reason (point of view) for reviewing the
literature; explain the criteria to be used in analyzing and
comparing literature and the organization of the review
(sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or
is not included (scope).

top

c 
 In the body, you should:

u Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews,

theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common
denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches,
conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology,
etc.
u £ummarize individual studies or articles with as much or as little
detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in
the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes
 significance.
u rovide the reader with strong "umbrella" sentences at beginnings
of paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief "so what"
summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in
understanding comparisons and analyses.

top

c  In the conclusion, you should:


 

u £ummarize major contributions of significant studies and articles
to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus
established in the introduction.
u 0valuate the current "state of the art" for the body of knowledge
reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in
research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or
issues pertinent to future study.
u Ñonclude by providing some insight into the relationship between
the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study
such as a discipline, a scientific endeavor, or a profession.

‘
  
      ‘ ‘
  
   
   ‘ 


Ô 
  
   
 



  

c


  

According to Ñooper (1988) '... a literature review uses as its database reports of primary or
original scholarship, and does not report new primary scholarship itself. 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. £econd a literature review seeks to describe, summarise, evaluate,
clarify and/or integrate the content of primary reports.'

The review of relevant literature is nearly always a standard chapter of a thesis or dissertation.
The review forms an important chapter in a thesis where its purpose is to provide the background
to and justification for the research undertaken (Bruce 1994). Bruce, who has published widely
on the topic of the literature review, has identified six elements of a literature review. These
elements comprise a list; a search; a survey; a vehicle for learning; a research facilitator; and a
report (Bruce 1994).

c 


  

A crucial element of all research degrees is the review of relevant literature. £o important is this
chapter that its omission represents a void or absence of a major element in research (Afolabi
1992). According to Bourner (1996) there are good reasons for spending time and effort on a
review of the literature before embarking on a research project. These reasons include:

u to identify gaps in the literature

u to avoid reinventing the wheel (at the very least this will save time and it can stop you
from making the same mistakes as others)
u to carry on from where others have already reached (reviewing the field allows you to
build on the platform of existing knowledge and ideas)
u to identify other people working in the same fields (a researcher network is a valuable
resource)
u to increase your breadth of knowledge of your subject area
u to identify seminal works in your area
u to provide the intellectual context for your own work, enabling you to position your
project relative to other work
u to identify opposing views
u to put your work into perspective
u to demonstrate that you can access previous work in an area
u to identify information and ideas that may be relevant to your project
u to identify methods that could be relevant to your project
http://www-development.deakin.edu.au/wmt/delete_from_uat.phpAs far as the literature review
process goes, ultimately the goal for students is to complete their review in the allocated time
and to ensure they can maintain currency in their field of study for the duration of their research
(Bruce 1990).

Ô 
  


 


A good literature review requires knowledge of the use of indexes and abstracts, the ability to
conduct exhaustive bibliographic searches, ability to organise the collected data meaningfully,
describe, critique and relate each source to the subject of the inquiry, and present the organised
review logically, and last, but by no means least, to correctly cite all sources mentioned (Afolabi
1992). The Library offers a range of training for research students that will assist with the
production of literature reviews including sessions on electronic databases, using the
bibliographic management software 0ndNote to download records, Internet searching using
Netscape, Library catalogue searching, off-campus student orientation, subject resources, and
research skills. lease contact your Liaison Librarian for more details.








0ndNote is a reference database that enables you to create your own list of bibliographical
references. The 0ndNote software is provided on the £oftware 0ssentials ÑÔ or via the IT£
£oftware Library and makes it possible to connect to selected library catalogues and online
databases and to incorporate references directly into an 0ndNote database. It is also possible to
export bibliographic records whilst you are searching the Ôeakin Library catalogue into
0ndNote. 0ndNote is a bibliography maker which can locate cited works in its databases and
build and format appropriate lists automatically. It can be used in conjunction with a word
processing package.

A tutorial has been developed by Ôeakin University Library staff to assist you to use this feature
of 0ndNote.



  (all open in a new browser window)

How to Ñritically Analyze Information £ources

Ôeakin Research £ervices

The Ôissertation Ôoctor

Writing and resenting Your Thesis or Ôissertation

How to Write a hÔ Thesis



 


 


Afolabi, M. (1992) 'The review of related literature in research' International journal of
information and library research, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 59-66.

Bourner, T. (1996) 'The research process: four steps to success', in Greenfield, T. (ed), Research
methods: guidance for postgraduates, Arnold, London.

Bruce, Ñ. £. (1990) 'Information skills coursework for postgraduate students: investigation and
response at the Queensland University of Technology' Australian Academic & Research
Libraries, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 224-232.

Bruce, Ñ. (1993) 'When enough is enough: or how should research students delimit the scope of
their literature review?', in Ñhallenging the Ñonventional Wisdom in Higher 0ducation: £elected
Ñontributions resented at the Ninteeth Annual National Ñonference and Twenty-First Birthday
Ñelebration of the Higher 0ducation Research and Ôevelopment £ociety of Australasia Inc.,
H0RÔ£A, University of New £outh Wales, £ydney, Australia. pp. 435-439.

Bruce, Ñ. £. (1994) 'Research student's early experiences of the dissertation literature review'
£tudies in Higher 0ducation, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 217-229.

Bruce, Ñ. (1994) '£upervising literature reviews', in Zuber-£kerritt, O. and Ryan, Y. (eds),

Quality in postgraduate education, Kogan age, London.

Bruce, Ñ. £. (1997) 'From Neophyte to expert: counting on reflection to facilitate complex

conceptions of the literature review', in Zuber-£kerritt, O. (ed), Frameworks for postgraduate
education, £outhern Ñross University, Lismore, N£W.

Ñaspers, J. £ (1998) 'Hands-on instruction across the miles: using a web tuturial to teach the
literature review research process' Research £trategies, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 187-197.

Ñooper, H. M. (1988) 'The structure of knowledge synthesis' Knowledge in £ociety, vol. 1, pp.
104-126

Ñooper, H. M. (1989) Integrating research : a guide for literature reviews, 2nd ed, £age
ublications, Newbury ark, Ñalif.

Leedy, . Ô. (1997) ractical research: planning and design, 6th ed, Merrill, Upper £addle River,
N.J.

Libutti, .& Kopala, M. (1995) 'The doctoral student, the dissertation, and the library: a review
of the literature' Reference Librarian, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 5-25.

Mauch, J. 0.& Birch, J. W. (2003) Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation: a handbook for
students and faculty, 5th ed, Marcel Ôekker, New York.





The Library has Liaison Librarians assigned to all £chools to assist students and staff. Ñontact
details for your Liaison Librarian can be found here.
O



   
‘

   ‘ 

  

  
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There is no one single correct method to writing a literature review. Therefore, this resource is a
guide only. Ñheck with your supervisor/lecturer/school to ascertain whether there are any
specific requirements for your literature review before proceeding.

c


   

A literature review is an examination of the research that has been conducted in a particular field
of study. Hart (1998) defines it as:

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Initially, you may read quite broadly on the topic to enrich your understanding of the field. This
is useful for refining your topic and establishing the perspective that your research will take. For
example, reading broadly may help you work out where there are gaps in the research, which
may provide you with a niche for your research. It may also enable you to establish how your
research extends or enhances the studies already done.

However, remember that the literature review needs to relate to and explain your research
question. Although there may seem to be hundreds of sources of information that appear
pertinent, once you have your question you will be able to refine and narrow down the scope of
your reading.


Preparation

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c

"





 

   

lease be aware that the following steps are not necessarily linear and you may have to revisit
them at various points. Remember that undertaking your literature review is really an ongoing
process throughout your thesis. However, there will be times when you focus more specifically
on reviewing the literature.

ï








This is essential in helping you direct and frame your reading. 

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Ñonsider searching:

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à


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à  


What you search for will depend on your discipline. 

If you are a postgraduate and are unsure about how to use the UN£W library's print, electronic or
internet resources effectively, then make an appointment for a Research Ñonsultation with the
UN£W library (this can be done online at
http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/web/services/postgraduates.html).

This service is available to UN£W postgraduate research students and academic staff. A research
consultation will help you to develop and refine your research skills in the area of print,
electronic and/or internet resources.

-
  
 
 


  


0xamine its strengths and weaknesses in relation to your research. Take notes of not only the
information that you read, but also your thoughts about this information. This will help you draw
your ideas together when you start writing your literature review section. (For effective note-
making strategies, see the Learning Ñentres study resource on notetaking). 

â
 




  


Use an effective method that lets you retrieve information quickly and easily. Remember that
there is no one 'right' way of organising your materials. However, it is important to know the
literature that you have found and where you have stored it, so that you can access it quickly and
easily. Use a program like 0ndNote (http://www.endnote.com) to help you organise and store
your notes relating to the readings that you have undertaken. 



 


  




 

 


You will need to establish which literature is most pertinent to your review and be able to
synthesise and critique the relevant materials. 

Ôon't underestimate the planning stage. Having a sense of the overall organisation of your
literature review may help expedite the process. £ome people find that in the initial stages,
drawing diagrams of how the literature fits together is very useful in providing a 'big picture' of
the information to be incorporated.

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... Words or phrases that indicate,
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NB: Technically emphatic expressions, attitude markers and relational markers are also hedging
expressions, but they are described here in terms of their primary function.

There are numerous resources at The Learning Ñentre and in the UN£W library that can help
support you in the writing of your literature review. lease remember that there is no one way of
writing a literature review and that it is essential that you discuss your chosen approach with
your supervisor.

*Text source: Ryan, J. (1997). Ñhinese Australian history. In W. Hudson & G. Bolton (eds)
Ñ

 Ñ 
  
 . Allen & Unwin, £ydney.(pp. 75, 77)



Hart, Ñ. (1998). Ô















  .
London, £age.

The Learning Ñentre, UN£W, Getting started on your literature review.

Hyland, K. (1999). Ô
 



 





   

. In Ñ. Ñandlin &
K. Hyland (eds) Writing: Texts, processes and practices. London: Longman.

Madsen, Ô. (1992).  

 






 
  

 



  
  

. £an Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

hillips, 0., ugh, Ô. (1996). 
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.
Open University press, Buckingham.

unch, K.F. (2000) Ô






   

. London, £age.
Ryan, J. (1997). Ñhinese Australian history. In W. Hudson & G. Bolton (eds) Ñ


 Ñ 
  
 . Allen & Unwin, £ydney.