A literature review should include the following sections:
Historical Background
Most problem areas need some historical background for the reader to understand and the researcher to share a perspective. The background section ought to explore the purposes to be served by the review of research literature. Discuss what has been previously discovered or thought. Explore who has done what work? The section ought to establish the possible need for study and likelihood for obtaining meaningful, relevant, and significant results.
Review Approach
Discuss what review approaches were used. Be sure to discuss the approaches in terms of historical issues and approaches, theoretical controversies, and empirical issues.
Literature Review
A good literature review is not to impress the reader with the quantity of literature the student has presumably read. A good literature review should be heading somewhere and should be starting with the “long shots:” the more global observations in the literature that are relevant. Then, as it progresses, it should be focusing more and more, moving through the specifics of what is known about the author’s research subject area.
Critique of the Literature
Present a critique of the literature. Focus on strengths and weaknesses. What questions remain?
Contribution Study Will Make to the Literature
Present a clear rationale on how this study will contribute to the literature in the field. Focus on strengths and weaknesses. Show why this study needed to be done.
Summary of Literature Reviewed
Provide a very brief summary of the issues raised by the literature. Be sure to address the need for the current study. Also provide a brief introduction to the next chapter.
This part is perhaps one of the most time consuming phases of your research. You will be searching for articles, papers, studies, etc., whose subject is relevant to your own study. You will be reading tons of materials much of which may not be useful. Expect to be overwhelmed!
You will utilize the information you collect in this phase in conjunction with the specific research questions and hypotheses you stipulated above in developing your research design. It is also possible that as you work on this section of the proposal, you will be refining or even expanding the research question.
Please limit this section to 4 pages. (It is easy to write more but it is also important to practice writing concisely, summarizing the literature).
Video resources for Week 2