Conducting a literature review is a crucial component of both master's and doctoral research. It serves to uncover existing knowledge and, equally important, identify areas that have yet to be explored. This identification of gaps in current research justifies the need for further investigation.
A literature review is an in-depth examination of existing literature and research related to a particular topic or phenomenon. It is an integral part of both master's and doctoral research, as it provides a comprehensive understanding of what is known and unknown about the topic.
The review involves analysing a wide range of published and unpublished materials, including books, academic papers, and reports. This examination helps identify the strengths and limitations of existing research, highlight gaps in the literature, and clarify contradictions.
One of the main benefits of conducting a literature review is that it justifies the need for further research. By identifying gaps in current research, the review provides a foundation for developing research questions and hypotheses that can help fill these gaps.
Overall, a literature review is a critical component of any research project. It provides a solid foundation for further research, ensuring that the research is relevant, up-to-date, and informed by the latest knowledge and understanding in the field.
Conducting a comprehensive literature review requires several research strategies:
Firstly, it is essential to have access to a reliable online library database that contains a vast collection of scholarly articles and publications relevant to your topic of interest.
Additionally, you should have expertise in search strategies such as Boolean operators, phrase searching, and truncation, to enable you to extract the most relevant and precise results from your search queries.
When searching for articles based on your topic, it is vital to identify appropriate keywords and phrases that accurately reflect the subject matter and scope of your research. These keywords should neither be too broad nor too narrow, and they should cover all the essential aspects of your research question. By doing so, you will ensure that you retrieve articles that are both relevant and comprehensive.
It is also crucial to focus on using peer-reviewed journal articles published within five years from the expected graduation date. Peer-reviewed articles are those that have been reviewed and approved by other experts in the field, making them more credible and reliable. Choosing articles published within the last five years ensures that your literature review is based on the most updated and recent research findings in the field.
You can also access free resources and templates and research writing guidelines on our website.
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