Critical Literature Review Faisal Abbas Ph D Lecture

Critical Literature Review Faisal Abbas, Ph. D Lecture 5 th 22 -04 -2013

Critical Literature Review: Summary • Some important points are ; Preliminary search of existing material Organising valuable ideas and findings Identifying research in progress Generating new research ideas Developing a critical perspective

Critical Literature Review: Summary • Than we talked about the circular process of research which starts from; Research questions and objectives Defining Parameters Generating and refining key words Conducting search and obtaining literature Evaluating and recording • The process continues this way till the critical literature review is written.

Writing Literature Review

Writing Literature Review • It can be a single separate chapter • A series of Chapters • It can be included in the paper/dissertation / report throughout.

Writing Literature Review • Although there is no single structure that your critical review should take, but it is said that it is useful to think of the review as a funnel in which you: Start at a more general level before narrowing down to your specific research question(s) and objectives; Provide a brief overview of key ideas and themes; Summarise, compare and contrast the research of the key writers;

Writing Literature Review Narrow down to highlight previous research work most relevant to your own research; Provide a detailed account of the findings of this research and show they are related; Highlight those aspects where your own research will provide fresh insights; Lead the reader into subsequent sections of your project report, which explore these issues.

Is literature review critical ? Have you shown how your research question relates to previous research reviewed? Have you assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the previous research reviewed? Have you been objective in your discussion and assessment of other people’s research?

Is literature review critical ? Have you included references to research that is counter to your own opinion? Have you distinguished clearly between facts and opinions? Have you made reasoned judgments about the value and relevance of others’ research to your own?

Is literature review critical ? Have you justified clearly your own ideas? Have you highlighted those areas where new research (yours!) is needed to provide fresh insights and taken these into account in your arguments? Have you justified your arguments by referencing correctly published research?

The Key üThe key to writing a critical literature review is therefore to link the; Different ideas you find in the literature to form a Coherent and cohesive argument; Which sets in context and justifies your research. üIt should relate to your research question and objectives. üIt should show a clear link to the empirical work already conducted.

Evaluating the Structure of Literature Review Does your literature review have a clear title which describes the focus of your research rather than just saying ‘literature review’? Have you explained precisely how you searched the literature, and the criteria used to select those studies included? Does your review start at a more general level before narrowing down?

Evaluating the Structure of Literature Review Is your literature review organised thematically around the ideas contained in the research being reviewed? Are your arguments coherent and cohesive? Linking ideas logically for reader to understand easily Have you used sub-headings within the literature review to help guide your reader?

Evaluating the Structure of Literature Review Does the structure of your literature review draw your reader’s attention to the issues which are the focus of your research? Does your literature review lead your reader into subsequent sections of your project report or dissertation?