Purpose of The Literature Review
A literature review is a survey of previously published and current scholarly articles, books, and other relevant sources on a topic. The purpose is to provide an overview of what is known about the topic, identify any gaps of knowledge/understanding, recognize inconsistencies, analyze the research, and provide any new insights or understanding.
In general, there are three types of literature reviews:
Literature review -- This is a survey of previously published and current literature that identifies the most significant and relevant information in order to provide a deeper understanding and overview of the topic. It uses a more limited set of parameters (by certain years or other limiting criteria) in the review process. The goal is to present a baseline understanding of current knowledge on the topic and identify any gaps in the research.
This type of literature review can be a stand alone article or be the front part of a research article, original study, thesis, or dissertation.
Systematic Literature Review -- This is a comprehensive survey of previously published and current literature that identifies all significant and relevant information in order to provide a deep and complex understanding the topic. It uses a robust set of parameters to methodically identify all applicable research in the review process. The goal is to present a detailed understanding of both past and current knowledge on the topic, identify both gaps and inconsistencies in the research while addressing a specific question or questions within the field.
This type of literature review typically is a stand alone article but can be part of a thesis or dissertation.
Meta-Analysis -- This is a comprehensive survey of previously published and current literature that identifies all significant and relevant information using both a systematic approach and standardized statistical procedures to synthesize the data from the research. The goal is to identify patterns and relationships within the data in order to integrate findings and draw conclusions based on the data analysis.
This type of literature review typically is a stand alone article but can be part of a thesis or dissertation.