LITERATURE REVIEW

WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• A Literature Review is a piece of academic writing that critically evaluates material relevant to
the research project in hand (such as a dissertation, PhD or journal article). It demonstrates
subject knowledge and an understanding of the author’s position in relation to other academic
work
• A Literature Review often appears at the beginning of a piece of academic writing, but not
always.
• A Literature Review may be incorporated into other chapters, such as an Introduction.
• You may not need to do a separate Literature Review but evaluate the research of others
throughout your work.
WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• Literature review
• The review of literature involves the systematic identification, location and analysis of documents
containing information related to the research problem being investigated. Literature review should
be extensive and thorough because it is aimed at obtaining detailed knowledge of the topic to be
studied (Mugenda O. M and Mugenda A.G, 2003).
• According to Mugenda A.G (2008), literature review is founded on the premise that knowledge is
cumulative. This implies that researchers must first establish what is already known in an area and
then attempt to build upon it. The assumption is that existing knowledge is accurately and properly
documented and stored in a form that allows other users to retrieve it easily
WHY WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• It demonstrates to your reader that you have a good understanding of the topic you are
discussing.
• It demonstrates that you know how to critically evaluate other academic work.
• It demonstrates that you understand how your work relates to other academic research.
WHY WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• To determine what has been done already related to the research problem being studied.
A detailed knowledge of what has been done helps the researcher to:
i. Avoid unnecessary and unintentional duplication.
ii. Form the framework within which the research findings are to be interpreted.
iii. Demonstrate his or her familiarity with the existing body of knowledge. This increases the
reader’s confidence in the researchers’ professional ability.
WHY WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• To reveal what strategies, procedures and measuring instruments have been found useful in investigating
the problem. This information helps one to avoid mistakes that have been made by other researchers and
also helps one to benefit from other researches experiences. The information may also help to clarify
how to use certain procedures which one may only have learned in theory.
• The review will suggest other procedures and approaches. Other procedures and approaches will
improve the research study.
• To make the researcher familiar with previous studies and thus facilitate interpretation of the results of
the study. For example results can be discussed in terms of whether they support or contrast previous
findings. If there is contradiction, the literature review might provide rationale for the discrepancy
WHY WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• In some cases the researcher may have not have narrowed down to a topic at the start of a
literature review. In such cases, the literature review helps the researcher to limit the research
problem and define it better. The review of the literature will give the researcher the knowledge
needed to convert a tentative research problem into a detailed and concise plan of work.
• It helps to determine new approaches and simulates new ideas. The researcher may also be
alerted to research possibilities which have been overlooked in the past. Approaches that have
been proved to be futile will be revealed through literature review. This helps in the research
because there is no point in repeating a certain approach in a study if that approach has been
found to be consistently unproductive or unreliable.
WHY WRITE A LITERATURE REVIEW?

• In most cases, authors of research articles include specific suggestions and

recommendations for those planning further research. These suggestions are usually
found when reviewing literature and should be considered very carefully.
• Literature review pulls together, integrates and summarizes what is known in an area. A
review analyses and synthesizes different results revealing gaps in information and areas
where major questions still remain
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT TO AN INTRODUCTION OR
BACKGROUND?
• Introductions and Background sections provide the reader with knowledge they may
need in order to understand what comes next.
• A Literature Review helps the reader to understand how your work fits into the wider
academic conversation about the topic.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION

These can be classified into two broad categories:

(a) Primary sources
• A primary source is a direct description of any occurrence by an individual who actually observed or
witnessed the occurrence. In research, this is the description of a research by a person who actually
carried the research. The review of literature should be based on primary sources as much as possible
because information from the secondary sources can be altered by writers.
• Primary sources include documents such as official reports, speeches, authentic letters, eyewitness
accounts, original research reports. Books, essays and stories authored by novelists and scholars. It also
include artistic materials such as original paintings, photographs, newsreels, music, coins, artifacts, etc.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(b) Secondary sources

• These include any publication written by an author who was not a direct observer
or participant in the events described. A secondary source is therefore a document
that is constructed from primary sources by a person who was not a direct
observer or a researcher in any of the events or studies.
• Example of secondary source is the biography of a historical figure in which the
author constructs a narrative out of variety of primary sources such as letters,
diaries, photographs and official records. Example is the trial of Dedan Kimathi
which has been well documented.
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(a) Scholarly journals

• These are crucial research documents. They are to be found in libraries. Recent ones will
be paper copies while older journals are retained on microfilms. Today, owing to access to
the internet, many journals are on the web. Properly referenced journal articles will have
the author’s name, year of publication, title of the article, title of the journal and volume
number to enable one to locate it easily.
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(b) Thesis and dissertations6

All graduate students who wish to receive a Master’s degree or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
undertakes original work which they write up as a thesis or dissertations. Such manuscripts could
prove of great value to the researcher
(c) Government documents
These include policy papers, and research reports owned by governments, some of which are
normally sponsored by international agencies. In Kenya examples are the ‘Master plan of Education
and Planning’ (MPEP), ‘Kenya Demographic and Health Survey’ (KDHS) and the ‘Situation Analysis
of Children and Women in Kenya’.
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(d) Papers presented at conferences

Research papers presented at conferences are also good sources of literature. Eventually

such papers are published in conference proceedings or referred journals. However, a

reader is able to make reference to them as presentations even before they are published

(e) Books

Subject bibliographies are available in most libraries. These give a list of books in

general. If one is interested in a particular book, then the card catalogue which is

alphabetically indexed by the author, subject and title can be checked to see if the book

is available in the library.

(f) References quoted in books

The references given at the back of a relevant book may reveal more relevant source

e.g. books or journals

EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(h) Abstracts

Abstracts give list of journal articles with summaries. Abstracts will give the name,

volume and issue number of the journal where the full article can be found. Examples

of such abstracts are;

 Nutritional abstracts

 Home economics abstracts

 Biological abstracts

(i) Periodicals

As there name suggests these include journals, magazines or local newspapers which

are published periodically. In some libraries, for example Moi library at Kenyatta

University, there is a periodical holding list which lists all the available journals in the

library classified by subject. A very useful source of information

(j) The African section of the library

This is a special area in a library (libraries in Africa) where any material on Kenya by

Kenyans is kept. However, unique materials which are irreplaceable or which are very scarce may be kept in Africana for safety. In most libraries in Kenya, all thesis and dissertations by Kenyans are kept in the Africana
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(k) Translated documents

Given the colonial history of the continent, written documents related to African issues can
be found in a variety of languages including, English, French, Arabic, Germany, Portuguese,
Spanish, Afrikaner e.t.c. Therefore the researcher may have to cast the net wider and search
for literature written in languages other than English. This is likely when one is studying in
an area that has been studied widely in non – English speaking countries.
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(l) Grey literature

This type of literature refers to documents that are not controlled by commercial publishing interests or where publishing
is not the primary goal of the organization. Such documents may originate from government, academia or business and
industry in both print and electronic formats. Grey literature comprises newsletters, reports, working papers, government
documents, bulletins and other publications. These documents could be distributed free or could be available by
subscription. Alternatively, they could be on sale from the authors. Investigators often desire additional information to
help place their research in a wider perspective. Grey literature can fill the investigator’s knowledge gaps by presenting
the topic in greater detail by allowing the reader to gain a larger perspective on a subject. Thus grey literature, covering
nearly every aspect of the physical and social sciences, serves scholars and lay readers alike with research summaries,
special publications, statistics and other information that offer a more comprehensive view of a given subject or topic
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

• Internet
• The internet means “an interconnected set of distinct networks”. Some people capitalize the term and in this sense it is taken to mean the
world-wide, publicly available network via which websites such as wikipeadia are accessed. However, “an internet” can exist between any two
remote locations. Any group of distinct networks connected together is an internet and each of these networks may or may not be part of the
internet. The internet is therefore a ‘network of networks’
• That comprises millions of smaller domestic, academic, business and government networks, which together carry various information and
services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer and the interlinked web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web (WWW).
Approximately 86% of the world’s internet users are based in Europe, Asia, and North America. The majority of internet visitors use English
although the information can also be available in other languages including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German and French. Internet can be
accessed in many such as cyber cafes, libraries, and offices where computers with internet connections are available. There are also internet
access points in many public places such as airport halls and coffee shops. It is also possible to access the internet via phones and wireless
systems. The internet has become an indispensable tool in many areas especially in the discovery, documentation, storage, retrieval and sharing
of knowledge
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

(p) Classified and declassified documents

• Some information generated by the government is held in top secrecy
and kept out of reach of the public including writers, scholars and
researchers. It is considered that such information is likely to
compromise the national security of the country. However,
information should not be classified merely to cover illegal activities
or because it is embarrassing to the government.
EXAMPLES OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION

• (q) Archives
• The word archive may refer to a collection of records but also to the location in
which these records are kept. As a collection of records, archives are made up of
records, which have been created during the course f time. In general an archive
consists of records, which have been selected for permanent or long-term
preservation and which may be in danger of being lost permanently. Such records
which may be in any media, are normally unpublished, unlike books and other
publications. Archives can also be generated by governments and corporations.
 CHOOSE YOUR
LITERATURE
CAREFULLY
Literature Reviews begin with the choosing of
your literature. Don’t just include everything
that you read on the topic.
Decide on your parameters – what will you
include and what will you leave out?

Include the most important texts.

Include the most relevant texts.
FINDING YOUR LITERATURE

There are two strategies used in finding literature:

(a) Browse-and-peruse strategy

This involves hunting for books, journals, papers and any other relevant documents within

the broad area of the research problem and reading through volumes of text with the hope of

finding ideas that might apply to the study. When the researcher has not defined the research

problem well, there is tendency to bounce from one idea to another without a focus. In this

case, the researcher does not really find material that is specific to what he/she imagines to be

the search problem.

(b) Specify-and-look technique

This approach is more efficient and saves time and the process involves the researcher

avoiding wading through volumes of text which are of no use and guides the researcher to

where relevant materials should be located. When employing this system, the researcher

must be very clear on the functions that the literature survey is supposed to serve.
STEPS IN CARRYING OUT LITERATURE REVIEW

• Be very familiar with the library (area of study) before beginning the literature review.
• Make a list of key words or phrases to guide your literature search. For example, if the
study deals with family conflict, other phrases that could be used to search the literature
are “family violence” or “abuse”, “family dissolution” etc.
• With the key words and phrases related to the study, one should go to the source of
literature. Library staffs are generally very helpful in offering guidance.
• Summarize the references on cards for easy organization of the literature.
• (e) Once collected, the literature should be analyzed, organized and reported in an orderly
manner. Such organization, analysis and reporting represents the hardest part of literature review.
• (f) Make an outline of the main topics or these in order of presentation. Decide on the number of
headlines and sub-headlines required, depending on how detailed the review is.
• (g) Analyze each reference in terms of the outline made and establish where it will be most
relevant.
• (h) Studies contrary to received wisdom should not be ignored when reviewing literature. Such
studies should be analyzed and possible explanation for the differences given. They should be
analyzed with a view to accounting for differences of opinion.
• (i) The literature should be organized in such a way that the more general is covered first before
the researcher narrows down to that which is more specific to the research problem. Organizing
the literature in this way leads to testable hypotheses.
• (j) Some researchers prefer to have a brief summary of the literature and its implications. This is
however, optional depending on the length of the literature under review
WRITING YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW

• Like any piece of academic writing, plan how you are going to structure your literature
review. By theme? By limitations? Chronologically?

• Remember, a literature review is not a book review.You should not only tell us what the
literature says and what you think about it, but how this relates to your research.
WRITING YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW

• If you have many texts that say similar things, use exemplars:
‘This pattern has been noted by many researchers including, for example, Jackson et al, who found
that…’

• Point out the gaps in the literature:

‘While much has been written on childhood and teenage obesity
(for example, Hobbs 2016, Shuster et al 2017, Claridge et al
2020) little research has been conducted on obesity in young
adults.’
WRITING YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW

• Tell the reader how your work will fill in the gaps:
‘Although the conclusion of Luke and Simmons was compelling, their research has limited
application since they only surveyed young men. This study will aim to question both young
men and women.’
Where appropriate, tell the reader what you will not be
including in your literature review:
‘While the causes of the Russian Revolution are often
debated, it is beyond the scope of this work to discuss
them.’
 WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Plagiarism includes :

✔ Using another writer’s words without proper citation

✔ Using another writer’s ideas without proper citation
✔ Citing a source but reproducing the exact word without quotation marks
✔ Borrowing the structure of another author’s phrases/sentences without giving the
source
✔ Borrowing all or part of another student’s paper
✔ Using paper-writing service or having a friend write the paper