The Literature Review by A Literature Review is a systematic review of the published material, or scholarly writings, on a specific topic or research question. The primary goal is analysis - and not simply summarization - of these scholarly writings. This analysis serves to provide background information on your topic and detail the connection between those writings and your research question. After all, we cannot know where we're going until we know where we've been.
A Literature Review will help you achieve the following:
Provides background on research topic
Guides you in detailing or focusing your own research question
Provides a framework for research or future research - identifying major themes and concepts
Offers insights on unexplored ideas related to a topic, gaps in the research
Assists with avoiding repetition of earlier research
Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias – let the research be your guide, do not guide the research
Identifies points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches
Laurence Machi and Brenda McEvoy's Literature Review model emphasizes critical thinking throughout the six-step workflow described in their book.
