What is a Literature Review?
A literature review is typically the section of a research paper, dissertation or thesis that considers the writing that other authors have already produced on the topic. A literature review may also occasionally be referred to as a literature search or a critical literature review. This latter term or label highlights that the central aim of a review is to critique, analyze, compare and contrast various writings on a given area.
Literature review. (2011). In P. Stokes, Palgrave Key concepts: Key concepts in business and management research methods. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lakeheadu.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/macbamm/literature_review/0?institutionId=7307
Doing a Literature Review
Doing a Literature Review
- Consider the problem or research question
- Search the Literature using relevant databases
- Evaluate the Literature - determine the value of the sources
- Analyze the findings
Keep in Mind:
- Provenance - what are the author's credentials?
- Methodology - what methodologies are being used
- Objectivity - is the author objective?