GS 530

Research Methods and

Statistics

Reviewing the Literature

What is a Literature Review?
• Once the problem is formulated, the researcher should
undertake extensive literature connected with the problem.
• The phrase ‘review of literature’ consists of two words: Review
and Literature.
• The word ‘literature’ in research methodology refers to the
knowledge of a particular area of investigation of any discipline
which includes theoretical, practical and its research studies.
• The term ‘review’ means to organize the knowledge of the
specific area of research to evolve an edifice of knowledge to
show that his study would be an addition to this field.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 2

Some Definitions of Literature
Review
• According to W. R. Borg:
“The literature in any field forms the foundation upon which
all future work will be built. If we fail to build the foundation of
knowledge provided by the review of literature our work is
likely to be shallow and naive and will often duplicate work
that has already been done better by some one else”.
• According to John W. Best
“Practically all human knowledge can be found in books and
libraries. Unlike other animals that must start a new with
each generation, man builds upon the accumulated and
recorded knowledge of the past. His constant adding to the
vast store of knowledge makes possible progress in all areas
of human endeavour”.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 3

Review of Literature
• Reviewing the literature can be time consuming, daunting and
frustrating, but it is also rewarding.
• Literature review is an integral part of the research process and
makes a valuable contribution to almost every operational step.
• Assist in refining statement of the problem.
• Strengthening the argument of the selection of a research topic
(Justification).
• It helps to get familiar with various types of methodology that
might be used in the study (Design).

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 4

Functions of Literature Review
• It provides a theoretical background to your study.
• It helps you establish the links between what you are proposing
to examine and what has already been studied.
• It enables you to show how your findings have contributed to the
existing body of knowledge in your profession.
• It helps you to integrate your research findings into the existing
body of knowledge.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 5

Functions of the Literature Review
• Bring clarity and focus to your research problem;
• Improve your methodology;
• Broaden your knowledge;
• Contextualize your findings.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 6

Bring clarity and focus to your
research problem
• The process of reviewing the literature helps you to understand
the subject area better and thus helps you to conceptualise your
research problem clearly and precisely.
• When reviewing the literature, you learn what aspects of your
subject area have been examined by others, what they have
found out about these aspects, what gaps they have identified
and what suggestions they have made for further research.
• It also helps you to understand the relationship between your
research problem and the body of knowledge in the area.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 7

Improve your methodology
• A literature review tells you if others have used procedures and
methods similar to the ones that you are proposing, which
procedures and methods have worked well for them, and what
problems they have faced with them.
• Thus, you will be better positioned to select a methodology that
is capable of providing valid answer to your research questions.
• By becoming aware of any problems and pitfalls, you will be
better positioned to select a methodology that is capable of
providing valid answers to your research question.
• This will increase your confidence in the methodology you plan
to use and will equip you to defend its use.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 8

Broaden your knowledge base in
your research area
• It ensures you to read widely around the subject area in which
you intend to conduct your research study.
• As you are expected to be an expert in your area of study, it
helps fulfill this expectation.
• It also helps you to understand how the findings of your study fit
into the existing body of knowledge.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 9

Contextualise your findings
• Obtaining answers to your research questions is comparatively
easy: the difficult part is examining how your findings fit into the
existing body of knowledge.
• How do answers to your research questions compare with what
others have found?
• What contribution have you been able to make into the existing
body of knowledge?
• How are your findings different from those of others?
• For you to be able to answer these questions, you need to go
back to your literature review. It is important to place your
findings in the context of what is already known in your field of
enquiry.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 10

Steps in Conductiong a Literature
Review
• Search for existing literature in your area of study
• Review the literature selected
• Develop a theoretical framework
• Develop a conceptual framework
• Write your literature review

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 11

Where to Find Sources for The
Literature Review
• Books: Textbooks, Monographs, Edited Collections.
• Journal Articles : Academic Journals, Conference Proceedings.
• Indexing and Abstracting Journal Search Engines : Google
Scholar.
• Past Dissertations.
• Vital Statistics: Census, Government Records, Surveillance
System, Surveys.
• International Organizations Documents : WHO, UNICEF .
• Media: Newspaper, Magazines.
• Internet.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 12

Books
• Use books first as they gather a lot of information on a topic.
• They also provide a good background information on a topic.
• They also offer interesting extensive bibliographies.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 13

Journal Articles
• Journals provide you with the most up-to-date information, even
though there is often a gap of two to three years between the
completion of a research project and its publication in a journal.
• They discuss one perspective.
• Each article makes a unique contribution.
• They can supplement information from books.
• They offer more up-to- date information.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 14

The Internet
• In almost every academic discipline and professional field, the
Internet has become an important tool for finding published
literature.
• Through an Internet search you can identify published material in
books, journals and other sources with immense ease and speed.
• An Internet search basically identifies all material in the database of
a search engine that contains the keywords you specify, either
individually or in combination.
• It is important that you choose words or combinations of words that
other people are likely to use.
• According to Gilbert (2008: 73), ‘Most search facilities use Boolean
logic, which allows three types of basic search “AND”, “OR” and
“NOT”.’
• With practice you will become more efficient and effective in using
keywords
GS 530 inMETHODS
– RESEARCH combination with AND, OR and NOT, and so learn to
AND STATITISTICS 15
 Reviewing the Literature
• Read critically the contents of books and articles and look for the
following things:
• The claims and theories put forward.
• The criticisms of these and their basis.
• The methodologies adopted, and the criticisms about them.
• The conclusions and findings advanced.
• Disagreements about the constructs you are investigating.
• The gaps you notice in the literature.
• Most of the time, the abstract and conclusions of the paper will
help you in writing the review of a paper.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 16

Developing a Theoretical Framework
• The conceptual framework is the basis of your research problem.
It stems from the theoretical framework and usually focuses on
the section(s) which become the basis of your study.
• Whereas the theoretical framework consists of the theories or
issues in which your study is embedded, the conceptual
framework describes the aspects you selected from the
theoretical framework to become the basis of your enquiry.
• The information obtained from books and journals now needs to
be sorted under main themes and theories, agreements and
disagreements among authors, and other aspects related to your
research topic; all this needs to be arranged so as each element
will fit in a slot of the theoretical framework.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 17

How Should I Organize My Literature
Review?
• Chronological
• The simplest approach is to trace the development of the
topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the
topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not
commonly known in your field).
• If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing
and summarizing sources in order.
• Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates
that have shaped the direction of the field.
• Give your interpretation of how and why certain
developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may
not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher
or mentor if you’re unsure).
GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 18
How Should I Organize My Literature
Review?
• Thematic
• If you have found some recurring central themes that you will
continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize
your literature review into subsections that address different
aspects of the topic.
• For example, if you are reviewing literature about safety and worker
productivity, key themes can include the role of safety in
productivity and workers attitude towards safety.
• Methodological
• If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use
a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and
conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:
• Qualitative versus quantitative research.
• Empirical versus theoretical scholarship.
• Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural
sources.
GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 19
How Should I Organize My Literature
Review?
• Theoretical
• In many humanities articles, the literature review is the
foundation for the theoretical framework.
• You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and
definitions of key concepts.
• You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical
approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a
framework for your research.

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 20

Writing Literature Review – Logical Argument /
A Critique
• A was the earliest writers to discuss . . .
• B made a valuable contribution to the discussion of this
problem . . .
• C argued that D had not used the appropriate methods . . .
• In the 1990s E proposed a completely different approach. . .
• The best study of this problem is perhaps by F . . .

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 21

Points to be Kept in Mind While
Writing
• Your goal is to paraphrase and synthesize information from your
compiled sources to make a clear statement about the information.
• Describe what is currently known about your target research
population from the literature and what is important to know about
each variable in your research question.
• Describe all of the information from the literature that is important to
know about the relationship between the variables in your research
question and any other variables or social forces that might influence
the variables in your research question.
• Define key terms and explain theories that are important for
understanding your topic. This may include several sub-headings.
• Identify consistent findings across studies.
• Identify gaps and controversies in the literature.
• End the literature review by summarizing the key points and tying it
into
GS 530 why your
– RESEARCH research
METHODS proposal is important and needed by the
AND STATITISTICS 22
Problems Identified in Writing a
Literature Review
• Your writing about the literature reviewed should be thematic in
nature, that is based on main themes; the sequence of these
themes in the write-up should follow a logical progression;
various arguments should be substantiated with specific
quotations and citations from the literature and should adhere to
an acceptable academic referencing style.
• Some reviews consist of a largely unrelated annoted list of
studies.
• Some reviews are not relevant to the investigation
• Theories in the review might be mentionned or described, but
often without a clear, logical connection among the theories, or
without showing the relevance of each description

GS 530 – RESEARCH METHODS AND STATITISTICS 23

Examples of Literature Review
• "Several studies [5, 6, 7] have reported the benefits of using boron
solid sources over other types of boron diffusion source. … On the
contrary, Warabisako et al [9] demonstrated that obtaining high
efficiencies with boron solid source was no easy task. They reported
severe degradation of bulk minority carrier lifetime after boron solid
source diffusion" (Chen, 2003, pp.2-14-2-15).
• Abdelmaguid et al. (2004) hybridize GA with a heuristic to solve
integrated scheduling of AGVs and machines in an FMS. The GA is
used to schedule jobs on the machines while the ‘vehicle
assignment algorithm (VAA)’ heuristic solves the scheduling of
AGVs. VAA searches for the AGV that will take a particular operation
to the next assigned machine in the earliest start time
• Reddy and Rao (2006) also develop a hybrid GA for multi-objective
optimization of integrated scheduling of AGVs and machines.
Machine scheduling problem is handled by the GA while the vehicle
scheduling
GS 530 – RESEARCH is done AND
METHODS by STATITISTICS
VAA heuristic. The objective is to minimize
24
THANK YOU