SC312
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS
LECTURE NO. 4:
LITERATURE REVIEW
RECAP OF RESEARCH
PROCESS
2
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
To understand:
What is meant by literature review?
Functions of literature review
Steps of literature review
1-2
LITERATURE REVIEW (1)
Is the documentation of a comprehensive
review of the published and unpublished
work from secondary sources of data in the
areas of specific interest to the researcher
A critical analysis of the existing research in
the field of study
LITERATURE REVIEW (2)
An integral part of the entire research process
and makes a valuable contribution to almost
every operational step
It is both a process and an outcome of a
research journey
1-3
FUNCTIONS OF A LITERATURE
REVIEW
Bring clarity and focus to your research
problem
Improve your methodology
Broaden your knowledge base in your
research area
Contextualise your findings
1-10
BRINGING CLARITY AND FOCUS
TO YOUR RESEARCH PROBLEM
The literature review can play an extremely
important role in shaping your research problem
It also helps you to define the relationship
between your research problem and the body of
knowledge in the area
N.B. you cannot effectively start the literature
review search without an idea of the problem you
wish to investigate
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IMPROVING YOUR
METHODOLOGY
Literature review
Acquaints you with the methodologies that have
been used by others to find answers to questions
similar to the one you are investigating
Tells you if others have used procedures and
methods similar to the ones that you are
proposing, which procedures and methods worked
well for them and what pitfalls they have faced
with them
BROADENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
BASE IN YOUR RESEARCH AREA
Literature review ensures you read widely around
the subject area in which you intend to conduct
your research study
It is important to know:
what other researchers have found in regard to the
same or similar questions,
what theories have been put forward and
what gap exists in the relevant body of knowledge
CONTEXTUALISING YOUR
FINDINGS
Literature review helps identifying how your
findings compare with the existing body of
knowledge
How do answers to your questions compare with
what others have found?
What contribution have you been able to make to
the existing body of knowledge?
How your finding is different from others?
PROCEDURES FOR REVIEWING
THE LITERATURE – 5 STEPS
Search for existing literature in your area of
study;
Review the literature selected;
Develop a theoretical framework;
Develop a conceptual framework;
Writing up the literature reviewed
SEARCH FOR EXISTING
LITERATURE
Start with at least some idea of the broad subject
area and of the problem you wish to investigate,
in order to set parameters for your search
Next compile a bibliography for this broad area;
Two sources that you can use to prepare a
bibliography:
books; and
journals.
BEWARE
Be aware that sometimes a title does not
provide enough information to decide if a
book/ journal is going to be of use
Start with the latest issue, examine its
contents page to see if there is an article of
relevance to your research topic
Start by reading the abstract, and if it is
relevant then download and read
REVIEW THE LITERATURE
SELECTED (1)
Start reading the identified literature
critically to pull together themes and
issues that are associated
If you do not have a theoretical framework
or themes in mind to start with, use
separate sheets of paper for each article
or book
REVIEW THE LITERATURE
SELECTED (2)
Once you develop rough frameworks, slot the
findings from the material so far reviewed into
that framework, using a separate sheet of paper
for each theme of that framework
As you read further, go on slotting the information
where it logically belongs under the themes so far
developed
REVIEW THE LITERATURE
SELECTED (3)
Notice where there are significant
differences of opinion among researchers
and give your opinion about the validity of
these differences
Ascertain the areas in which little or
nothing is known-the gaps that exist in the
body of knowledge.
DEVELOP A THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
As you start reading the literature, you will soon
discover that the problem you wish to investigate
has its roots in a number of theories that have
been developed from different perspectives.
DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWORK
The conceptual framework stems from the
theoretical framework and concentrates,
usually, on one section of that theoretical
framework which becomes the basis of
your study
Examples of conceptual
framework
WRITING UP THE REVIEWED
LITERATURE (1)
While reading the literature for theoretical
background of your study, you will realize that
certain themes have emerged
List the main ones, converting them into
subheadings
These subheadings should be precise, descriptive
of the theme in question, and follow a logical
progression.
WRITING UP THE REVIEWED
LITERATURE (2)
Now, under each subheading, record the main
findings with respect to the theme in question,
highlighting the reasons for and against an
argument if they exist, and identifying gaps and
issues
WRITING UP THE LITERATURE
REVIEWED (2)
Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of
the literature review, such as the central theme
or organizational pattern.
Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is
organized either chronologically, thematically, or
methodologically (see below for more
information on each).
Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what
you have drawn from reviewing literature so far.
Where might the discussion proceed?
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WRITING UP THE LITERATURE
REVIEWED (3)
The introduction should provide the reader with the scale
and structure of your review. It serves as a kind of map.
The body of the review depends on how you have organised
your key points. Literature reviews at postgraduate level
should be evaluative and not merely descriptive. For example
possible reasons for similarities or differences between studies
are considered rather than a mere identification of them.
The conclusion of the review needs to sum up the main
findings of your research into the literature. The findings can
be related to the aims of the study you are proposing to do.
The reader is thus provided with a coherent background to the
current study.
26
WRITING UP THE LITERATURE
REVIEWED (4)
Organizing the body
Once you have the basic categories in place, then you must
consider how you will present the sources themselves
within the body of your paper. Create an organizational
method to focus this section even further.
To help you come up with an overall organizational
framework for your review, consider the six typical ways of
organizing the sources into a review:
Chronological
By publication
By trend
Thematic
Methodological
Questions for Further Research 27
WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE
The accepted facts in the area
The popular opinion
The main variables
The relationship between concepts and variables
Shortcomings in the existing findings
Limitations in the methods used in the existing
findings
The relevance of your research
Suggestions for further research in the area.
28
Why write LR?
In a summary we can list the following purposes
of a review:
Distinguishing what has been done from what
needs to be done;
Discovering important variables relevant to the
topic;
Synthesizing and gaining a new perspective;
Identifying relationships between ideas and
practice;
Establishing the context of the topic or problem;
29
HOW TO WRITE
REFERENCES
Book
Journal
Online document
FORMAT FOR CITING
REFERENCES (1)
Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of book
(edition if not first). City: Publisher.
Book by a single author
Leshin, C.B. (1997). Management on the
World Wide Web. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
31
FORMAT FOR CITING
REFERENCES (2)
Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of book
(edition if not first). City: Publisher.
Book by more than one author
Cornett, M., Wiley, B.J., & Sankar, S.
(1998). The pleasures of nurturing (2nd ed).
London: McMunster Publishing.
32
FORMAT FOR CITING
REFERENCES (3)
Journal Article
Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of article.
Title of Journal, volume number (issue
number), page numbers.
Barry, H. (1996). Cross-cultural research with
matched pairs of societies. Journal of Social
Psychology, 79 (1), 25-33.
Jeanquart, S., & Peluchette, J. (1997). Diversity in
the workforce and management models, Journal of
Social Work Studies, 43, 72-85. 33
FORMAT FOR CITING
REFERENCES (4)
Referencing Electronic Sources
Author, A. (year, month day). Title of article.
Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from home
page web address
Nader, C. (2009, June 19). Mental health
issues soar among children. The Age.
Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au
