The Essence of Literature Review in Dissertation Projects
Writing the literature review is an essential part of a thesis project. The prime reason for writing literature reviews is to analyze what other studies closely related to your research have found. The aim of this synthesis of available literature is to help you identity gaps in the literature.
Put differently, the purpose of a good literature review in academic writing is to situate your research within existing works. It also outlines the current state of research in your field.
The search for literature related and its in-depth review also ensures that you do not duplicate existing projects. Hence, your study will fundamentally contribute new knowledge. The dissertation literature review exercise also equips you to research and demonstrate your knowledge of your area of study.
The Devil Is In the Details: The Literature Review
The reason why the devil is in the details, is because the task and process of conducting a literature is daunting. Writing the literature review part of your dissertation is one of the toughest exercise of the dissertation.
The exercise is not a rote activity where you only identify studies relevant to your research questions. It entails a logical synthesis of literature feeding a specific idea. Synthesis means comparing, contrasting and drawing conclusions from the studies reviewed in short paragraphs or sections then connecting these ideas into a whole chapter.
A typical doctoral dissertation literature review requires identification and review of at least 75 relevant studies before commencing the writing process. The literature review section of the research paper is usually no less than 40 solid pages with the average being 60-75 pages. Depending on your research area, the methodology and number of variables or constructs involved, the literature related to your research can extend to 100+ pages.
As this narrative evidently demonstrates, to conduct a literature review is a complex task. It is a meticulous process way beyond the mechanical search for relevant literature.
A review of literature exercise helps you the researcher articulate the research gap by demonstrating in detail that a researchable problem exists and the continued impact of the problem if it is not solved.
Why write a Literature Review for a Thesis?
There are several reasons why dissertation candidates are required to write a dissertation literature review. The purpose of a literature review is to;
- Anchor the study – you discuss what existing research has reported on topics closely related to your proposed study.
- Provides evidence of study novelty – your Literature Review provides evidence that the area you are studying is new and has not been researched before. Because, every PhD study must be unique and should yield new knowledge.
- Forms a basis for making conclusions – a comprehensive literature review helps you to consolidate existing evidence which you thoroughly rely on to discuss the study findings when critically comparing and contrasting your findings to those of previous authors. Lack of robust research can make writing up the discussions chapter challenging significantly weakening the reliability of your research findings.
Writing a good literature review doesn’t have to be horrendous experience. Although, lack of solid knowledge on how review of existing literature is accomplished can make writing one stressful. There exists step-by-step guides on how to complete a literature review.
However, the process is iterative but can also be chaotic. One proven tactic that work with students is drafting an annotated bibliography.
The Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a summary, pretty similar to article abstracts, of all sources identified and included in your literature review section. This summary helps you view in a snapshot, what each article covers.
Once you identify the most relevant literature, it is therefore, excellent practice to generate an Annotated Bibliography (AB).
Some universities require an annotated bibliography to be turned in with the Literature Review project.
An AB provides a synopsis of identified sources. You detail the methodology, study findings, and relevance of the source to the study when creating an AB. Certainly, you don’t copy paste the specific details, but rather paraphrase the information in the sources (i.e., peer-reviewed scholarly articles).
Where the AB is a mandatory part of the review of relevant literature, preparing one creates an added layer of complexity and additional work, making it more difficult to complete your LR.
To get around this intensive literature review activity, practice shows it is also very useful to develop a literature search strategy.
At TCG we can help you navigate these complexities keenly following guidance and requirements of your dissertation instructor.
Different Types of Literature Reviews in Academic Writing.
Depending on your specific research area or topic, you can conduct different types of literature reviews. Notably though, reviewing literature for a conventional dissertation literature review chapter will combine aspects of the first three types summarized below. However in line with some research methods and objectives, each type can be used to extensively summarize works in a specific area of research. Some of the common types are;
Thematic literature review
A thematic literature review is a type of literature review that focuses on identifying, analyzing, and synthesizing themes or patterns within existing research on a particular topic. Unlike traditional literature reviews that may simply summarize existing studies or categorize them by methodology or chronology, a thematic literature review aims to delve deeper into the content of the literature to uncover underlying themes, concepts, or constructs that emerge across multiple studies.
Benefits of Working with Us to Write your literature review
Chronological literature review
A chronological literature review is a method of organizing and presenting research findings based on the timeline of publication or the development of ideas within a specific field. This approach allows researchers to trace the evolution of a topic, highlighting how theories, methodologies, and findings have changed over time.
In a chronological literature review, the researcher typically begins with the earliest studies and progressively moves forward to the most recent works. This structure provides a clear historical context for the topic, showing how earlier research laid the groundwork for subsequent studies. It can help identify trends, shifts in paradigms, and gaps in the literature, as well as provide insight into how certain concepts have been refined or challenged over time.
Theoretical literature review
A theoretical literature review is a comprehensive examination of existing research and theories related to a specific topic or field of study. The aim of theoretical literature review is to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate the theoretical frameworks that have been developed over time, providing a foundation for understanding the current state of knowledge.
Systematic literature review
A systematic literature review (SLR) is an organized and detailed way of identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing related articles on a specific topic or research question. The purpose is to provide a clear, unbiased summary of the existing literature, after a detailed systematic review of carefully selected research work, helping to identify gaps in knowledge, inform practice, and guide future research.
What are the Benefits of Working with us to write your literature review?
You will get the benefits below and more for working with us on your Literature Review;
- Learn how to create and use an annotated bibliography – Whether your institution requires it or not, an AB helps you write your LR quicker and easily cross-reference or synthesize different study ideas related to your research topic. When you consult with us to help with the literature review we generate a free AB for you even when it’s not mandatory .
- You get guidance on how to structure a standard literature review – you also get coaching on how to write the actual Literature Review, especially synthesizing different sources into logical paragraphs using the MEAL plan. Our experts have 18+ years of combined experience thus possess unmatched knowledge on the structure of your literature review.
- Understand Literature Sourcing Strategy – finding 75-100+ relevant and quality peer-reviewed sources is a strenuous endeavor. Our experts will give you priceless insights on how to use keyword search techniques to find the right sources, depending on your area of study.
- Access to Many Databases – From our vast experience with Literature Review projects, our consultants have access to multiple databases and ABDC Journals recognized by global top-class universities. Our consultants can help you access even some of the paid articles.