Unit 1. Selection of Topic
Unit 1. Selection of Topic
Unit 1. Selection of Topic
SELECTION OF TOPIC
FOR LITERATURE REVIEW
How To Select a Topic and Write A
Literature Review
Definition of a Literature Review
• A literature review
surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources
(e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant
to a particular issue, area of research, or theory.
(Lyons, 2005)
Literature Reviews are Conducted For
Various Reasons:
1. For a review paper
(Burge, 2005)
Conducting a literature review
will help you:
• Determine if proposed research is actually needed.
Even if similar research published, researchers might
suggest a need for similar studies or replication.
You may want to start out with a general idea, review the literature of
that area, and then refine your problem based on what you have found.
• Look at library subject guides in your area to find the key databases
additional resources
LITERATURE SEARCH
Perform a preliminary search of the literature.
Search lit to see what other work in the area of interest has
already been published.
− Gives a preview of the number of articles available on the topic.
− If your topic is already written about, select a slightly different topic or
modify the focus of the objective.
Recent journal issues in areas central to the topic may provide
leads to content that should be in the review.
− Consult Web of Science’s Journal Citation Index for an idea of the most
important journals in the field
Develop a list of subject headings that relate to themes of
interest
LITERATURE SEARCH
Your search should help refine the topic and objective of the
overview being written.
THINK AHEAD
The more one learns about a subject, the more questions come
to mind.
Keep a list of questions and hypotheses that come to your mind
or that are mentioned in what you read.
These questions will help guide you when you are constructing your review
The questions will also guide you in discussing the implications of your own
findings and the additional research directions your work supports or
suggests.
(Carroll, 2006)
NARROW YOUR FOCUS
Start from new material to old, general to specific
starting with general topic will provide leads to specific areas of interest and help develop
understanding for the interrelationships of research
As you read and become more informed on the topic, you will probably
need to go back and do more focused searches
(Carroll, 2006)
ANALYZE THE LITERATURE
Take notes as you read through each paper that will be included in the review
Once notes complete organize common themes together. Some people do this in a word
document, others use index cards so they can shuffle them.
Some people construct a table of info to make it easier to organize their thoughts.
As you organize your review, integrate findings elicited from note taking or table making
process.
• Tie the study into the current body of lit, make logical interpretations
from the lit reviewed.
If there is no discussion of the relevance of the overview to other work in
the field, or if there is no interpretation of the literature, it may signal the
author has not thoroughly investigated the topic.
Conclusion
From each of the section summaries,
highlight the most relevant points
relate these back to the need for research
reiterate what these mean for the research
design
Use the A-Z guide to find key databases and other resources related to
your topic
Consult with a librarian for resource recommendations and how to use
them.
Talk to experienced researchers in the field, they can recommend
resources and identify key works and authors
Look at reviews in completed dissertations and reports from your
program to get an idea of the format and requirements
When collecting references, use a citation management tool like
RefWorks or EndNote
REFERENCES FOR THIS MODULE
Asian Institute of Technology. Writing up research: Using the literature. Retrieved 1/22/2009, 2009,
from http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21LIT.HTM
Burge, C., 7.16 Experimental Molecular Biology: Biotechnology II, Spring 2005. (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCouseWare), Retrieved 12/15/2008, from http://ocw.mit.edu.
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
Carrol, J., 15.301 Managerial Psychology, Fall 2006. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT
OpenCouseWare). Retrieved 12/15/2008, from http://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-
NC-SA
Golden-Biddle, K, & Locke, K (1997). Composing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Green, B. N., Johnson, C. D., & Adams, A. (2006). Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-
reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 5(3), 101-117.
Lyons, K. (2005). UCSC library - how to write a literature review. Retrieved 1/22/2009, 2009, from
http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html
Mauch, J. E., & Birch, J. W. (1993). Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation : A handbook for
students and faculty (3rd , rev. and expand ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker.
University of Wisconsin. (2006). UW-madison writing center writer's handbook. Retrieved
1/22/2009, 2009, from http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html