Mind Over Matter

Significance of Literature Review

In the realm of postgraduate research studies, the literature review serves as a critical element that shapes the very foundation and direction of the study. It goes beyond merely examining and evaluating existing scholarly works, research articles, books, and other relevant sources. Instead, it serves multifaceted purposes that are integral to the success of the research endeavour. This blog post aims to delve into the significance, functions and steps of the literature review in a postgraduate research study, shedding light on its vital role in academic research. A critical and thorough examination of the body of prior research on a subject is known as a literature review. Following are some of the important purposes and functions of a literature review:

1. Identifies Research Gaps

One of the primary functions of a literature review is to identify research gaps. By critically analysing existing literature, researchers can unearth areas for further investigation. This crucial step ensures that the research study addresses unanswered questions or builds upon existing knowledge. Identifying research gaps is of utmost importance, as it adds immense value to the research by contributing new insights or methodologies to the field. Furthermore, this process helps researchers circumvent the duplication of previous studies, thus ensuring the originality and relevance of their research.

2. Establishes the Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

It provides your study’s theoretical and conceptual framework by identifying the fundamental concepts, theories, models, methods, and findings that inform your research. For example, you need to define and operationalize your study’s main ideas and variables, such as social media, political participation, democracy, etc., and explain how they relate. It would be best to discuss the theoretical and methodological approaches that guide your research design and analysis, such as qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, etc., and justify your choices.

3. Supports the Research Methodology

A meticulously conducted literature review is pivotal in supporting the research methodology chosen for a postgraduate research study. It helps refine your research question or hypothesis by highlighting previous studies’ strengths and limitations and suggesting further research directions. It assists researchers in selecting appropriate research methods, data collection techniques, and analytical tools based on the findings of previous studies. Through a thorough review of existing literature, researchers can evaluate the strengths and limitations of different methodologies, thereby adapting them to suit their research objectives. Moreover, the literature review aids in justifying the chosen methodology to the research community, thereby enhancing the study’s credibility and robustness.

4. Provides Contextual Understanding

The literature review provides an invaluable contextual understanding of the research topic. It empowers researchers to situate their study within a broader historical, social, and cultural context. This contextual understanding is a guiding compass, enabling researchers to interpret their findings and draw meaningful conclusions. By immersing themselves in a comprehensive review of existing literature, researchers gain profound insights into the key debates, controversies, and trends in the field. Armed with this knowledge, they can make significant contributions to ongoing discussions and shape the future research direction in their area of interest.

5. Supports Arguments and Claims

It supports your arguments and claims by providing evidence from the literature and showing how your study contributes to existing knowledge or challenges it. For example, you need to use relevant and credible sources to support your claims and arguments, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, books, reports, etc., and cite them properly according to a specific citation style. It would help if you also showed how your findings confirm, extend, modify, or contradict the existing literature and their implications for theory, practise, policy, or further research. A theoretical and conceptual framework are essential to a postgraduate research study. It provides the foundation and direction for the research and the lens through which the data will be analysed and interpreted.

You can read about research design at the following link:

How to Select A Research Design

Steps for Writing Literature Review

A literature review is a type of academic writing that analyses and assesses previously conducted research on a particular subject. It is not a simple summary of what others have written but a critical assessment of the literature’s main points, gaps, and implications. A literature review is a crucial component of any postgraduate research study, as it helps to establish the background, significance, and originality of your research problem. Below, I have explained how to write a literature review for a postgraduate research study.

Step 1: Define your research problem and scope

Before looking for relevant literature, you must have a clear and focused research problem guiding your review. Your research problem should be specific, relevant, and solvable. It should also indicate the scope of your review, such as the time frame, geographical area, population, or discipline you are interested in. For example, a research problem could be: “How does social media influence political participation among young adults in the UK?”

Step 2: Search for relevant literature

Once you have defined your research problem and scope, search for relevant literature using various sources and methods. You can use databases, journals, books, websites, reports, and other sources that are related to your topic. You can also use keywords, Boolean operators, filters, and citation tracking to narrow your search results. Keep track of your search process and document the sources that you find.

Step 3: Evaluate and select the literature

After searching for relevant literature, you need to evaluate and select the literature you will include in your review. It would help if you did not have everything that you found but only the most relevant and reliable sources that addressed your research problem. You can use criteria such as relevance, currency, authority, accuracy, and coverage to evaluate the quality and suitability of the literature. You should also check for bias, contradictions, gaps, and limitations in the literature.

Step 4: Analyse and synthesise the literature

After you have evaluated and selected the literature, you need to analyze and synthesize the literature to identify the main themes, arguments, findings, and implications of the literature. You should describe what each source says and compare and contrast them to show how they relate to each other and your research problem. Also, identify gaps or inconsistencies in the literature that suggest further research possibilities.

Step 5: Write and structure your literature review

After you have analysed and synthesised the literature, you need to write and structure your literature review according to the conventions of your discipline and your supervisor’s or institution’s expectations. You should follow a clear and logical structure that consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In the introduction, you should introduce your research problem, explain the purpose and scope of your review, and provide an overview of the main themes or arguments of the literature. In the body, you should discuss each theme or idea in detail, using evidence from the literature to support your claims. In conclusion, summarise the main findings and implications of the literature, highlight any gaps or limitations in the literature, and suggest directions for future research.

To conclude, the literature review holds immense significance in postgraduate research studies. It serves as a guiding force, establishing the theoretical framework, identifying research gaps, supporting the research methodology, and providing crucial contextual understanding. Through a comprehensive literature review, researchers can ensure that their study is firmly rooted in existing knowledge, effectively addresses research gaps, and contributes meaningfully to academic discourse. Hence, postgraduate students must grasp the significance and function of the literature review, as it paves the way for rigorous and impactful research.