Literature Review General

Your Research Proposal

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Start writing your research proposal – Chapter 2

Refer to the following for help

1.     The template – copy attached

2.     Relevant Textbook

3.     The Notes

4.     Video Recording

Contents of Proposal

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Generally, this chapter provides a background for the development of your study and brings the reader up to date about research and thinking in the field. This is a review and synthesis of prior studies related to the research problem under investigation. It also gives evidence of your knowledge of the field. The purpose here is to place your project within the larger whole of what is currently being explored while demonstrating to your readers that your work is original and innovative. Think about what questions other researchers have asked, what methods they have used, and what is your understanding of their findings and, where stated, their recommendations. Assess what you believe is missing and state how previous research has failed to examine the issue that your study addresses adequately.

 

You should avoid an article-by-article presentation but should indicate areas of agreement or disagreement in findings or gaps in existing knowledge. Also, avoid excessive use of quotations. In addition, you should rely more on primary sources for your review. The literature review and included should also be as recent as possible.

 

For Quantitative and Mixed Method studies, state the hypothesis. A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher.  Often, a hypothesis is a possible answer to the research question.

 

Note:

1.      Critically reviewing the literature is necessary to help you to develop a thorough understanding of, and insight into, previous work that relates to your research question(s) and objectives.

2.      Your written review will set your research in context by critically discussing and referencing work that has already been undertaken, drawing out key points and presenting them in a logically argued way, and highlighting those areas where you will provide fresh insights. It will lead the reader into subsequent sections of your project report.

3.      There is no one correct structure for a critical review, although it is helpful to think of it as a funnel in which you start at a more general level prior to narrowing down to your specific research question(s) and objectives.

4.      You are most likely to make use of formally published items (secondary literature)

5.      When planning your literature search you need to:

o   have a clearly defined research question(s) and research objectives;

o   define the parameters of your search;

o   generate search terms and phrases;

o   discuss your ideas as widely as possible.

 

6.      Your literature search is likely to be undertaken using a variety of approaches in tandem. These will include:

o   searching using online databases and search engines;

o   following up references in articles you have already read;

o   scanning and browsing books and journals in your university library.

7.      Once obtained, the literature must be evaluated for its relevance and value to your research question(s) and objectives. Each item must be read and noted. Bibliographic details, a brief description of the content and appropriate supplementary information should also be recorded.

8.      Care should be taken when drafting and redrafting your literature review not to plagiarise the work of others.