Outline the scope of literature review năm 2024

In general, literature reviews are structured in a similar way to a standard essay, with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. These are key structural elements. Additionally, a stand-alone extended literature review has an abstract. Throughout, headings and subheadings are used to divide up the literature review into meaningful sections.

There is no single “correct” structure for how to structure the content of your literature review – every review is shaped by the nature of the field being reviewed and the specific argument the review is supporting. Here are some common literature review organising patterns:

• historical development [chronological]
• themes
• concepts
• definitions
• debates
• pros and cons
• theories
• methodological issues
• definitions
• key works of a single author
• key works in a particular field of study

For example, a literature review on the definitions of key terms or concepts in a particular field of study might analyse a variety of definitions and conclude by defending a selected definition.

To decide how to structure your literature review, it's helpful to first of all consider its purpose and what it is that you want to argue about the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. Having an argument about the literature is vital; the absence of an argument means that you'll simply be summarising what others have said about your research topic uncritically. Make it clear to readers how your research fits within the literature and the nature of your contribution to furthering knowledge [whether it builds on what others have already done or challenges exisiting understandings and approaches].

Considering the purpose and argument / key message of your literature review helps you to focus your review on what's relevant and needs to be covered, what's unnecessary and therefore can be excluded, and it can help you to decide how to sequence your ideas. If your purpose is to persuade your readers of your project's value and contribution to the field, and your argument is that there is a gap in the field that your research fills, then your structure should lead the readers logically to this conclusion.

Like any other chapter, a literature review chapter or section should have an introduction that tells the reader what your argument is. Knowing your argument upfront can help your reader to understand why you are leading them through your selected bodies of literature and concepts.

After the introduction, a literature review often moves broadly from what is well known in the field and narrows down to what is less well known, which is where your research gap or issue is located. Your literature review may draw on different bodies of literature and show how they are relevant and are connected. To work out how best to order your discussion, consider the following questions.

• Which bodies of literature have the broadest or most narrow scope?
• Which bodies of literature are most commonly used in the field/s?
• Which concepts are most widely agreed upon?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the commonly used literature, and which of these does my study build on?
• What is the less well known literature that my study relates to?
• Are there studies / aspects of the literature that are minor or tangential within the field/s, but are important to my study?
• How can I convince my readers that this is a worthwhile area to investigate?
• If drawing on literature from different fields, how are they connected? Why am I connecting them?
• What are the studies that are the closest to mine? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these studies?
• What are the common themes in the literature? Can I sequence them from the most common themes down to the themes that are closely connected to my study?

One useful way to plan the structure of your literature review is to brainstorm, draw, and / or do a mind-map. Identify how the different concepts and bodies of literature fit together and how your study builds on them. This can show you logical ways to put your literature review together, as well as give you some ideas about how you can explain to your readers how the various parts fit together. You can also try to explain your literature review structure to someone who knows little about the field, to test whether it is clear and logical.

A literature review is a critical analysis of the existing research on a topic or question. It helps you identify the gaps, strengths, and limitations of the previous studies, and provides a context for your own research. However, a literature review can be challenging to conduct if you don't have a clear scope. The scope of your literature review defines the boundaries of your research topic, the sources and types of literature you will include, and the criteria and methods you will use to select, evaluate, and synthesize the literature. In this article, you will learn how to define the scope of your literature review in four steps.

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• To identify your research topic and question, it is important to identify the following: - The initial hypothesis. - Technical terminology and key words for searching the literature. - Field or domain on which you would apply your research. For example, Automatic Summarization of "Medical" texts. - Techniques to be applied. - Beneficiaries or users in case of applied research. -
• Defining the scope of a literature review is a critical step in ensuring its relevance and alignment with research objectives. The process involves outlining research goals, specifying inclusion/exclusion criteria, determining thematic, and geographical boundaries. Temporal considerations, such as focusing on recent developments or historical perspectives, contribute to framing the review's time scope. An interdisciplinary approach, if applicable, enriches the understanding of the topic by drawing from multiple disciplines.
• Bridget Shea Westfall Supervisory Grants Management Officer at Administration for Children & Families[She/Her] The first step is having a well-defined research question. Your focus should be a topic in the field that needs to be explored. Next, determine where there are gaps in research? Make sure your topic is specific, so that that you have a defined niche area to review and research. Then, you want to limit your scope of research. Look at different perspective and criteria to narrow in on your topic. Lastly, you develop a research plan.
• Dr. Anil K. Dixit Principal and Professor of Law To define the scope of your literature review, clearly outline the specific research questions or objectives you aim to address. Identify key themes, time periods, and geographical areas relevant to your study. Be explicit about the types of sources you'll include and exclude, ensuring a focused and relevant review.
• Ujjwal Pasupulety Using Data to Decipher Disease | AI for Mental Health | MS-CS @ USC Personally, I take a breadth first approach. Starting with a set of search terms, I use search engines like Google scholar and PubMed and view all the titles of the papers that appear in the first 10 result pages. I have determined that beyond this point, the papers that show up are not very relevant. After scanning the titles, I determine 20 papers that could potentially give me the background I need and reach a point of theoretical saturation [reading more won't give me new insights]. I try to further reduce the number of papers to be read by scanning the abstracts. After this, I am left with papers worth reading and citing. You can also try the depth first approach, where you start from a good review article and read the cited papers.
• Zinaida Manžuch Principal Consultant at RPA Europe If you are carrying out an academic literature review it should answer a novel and original research question. To add to what have been already said, scan the available literature reviews and define the scope by differentiating your approach from what has been already done in terms of: a] specific aspect [e.g., studying certain social groups], b] time, c] geographic coverage [e.g., international, regional, national, local], d] type of literature review [e.g., metasynthesis, metaanalysis, a review of literature reviews], and e] applying specific theoretical framework, e.g., a model, for analysing the previous research. If there are no literature reviews on the subject you may consider a scoping review to explore the topics on the subject.
• Ts. Dr. Hj. Muhammad Khusairy Bin Hj. Bakri Highly Qualified Hardworking Young Material-Mechanical Scientist | PhD[SUT Aust.], PTech [MBOT], L.APTT [APTT], MEng[SUT Aust.], GradEng[BEM], BEng[Hons][SUT Aust.] Conducting a preliminary search and scan for a literature review involves utilizing academic databases, libraries, and relevant online platforms to identify key publications related to the chosen topic. Researchers use keywords, Boolean operators, and filters to refine search results. The initial search helps locate seminal works, recent studies, and relevant articles. Once the initial literature set is gathered, researchers systematically scan abstracts, titles, and critical sections to assess the relevance and significance of each source. This process aids in identifying the existing knowledge landscape, key contributors, and potential gaps in the literature, forming the foundation for a comprehensive literature review.
• Petra Boynton Social Psychologist. Research Methods Specialist. Sometime Agony Aunt. Some people find it helps to begin their literature review with these criteria - so this might be Step 2 instead of Step 3. I generally prefer to fix search criteria *before* a preliminary literature scan and then refine them after this. Other people find it easier to do the initial reading and then fix criteria as they have a better sense of what is available having done so. Your inclusion and exclusion criteria will vary per your question and project. For novice researchers and those working on time and budget limited projects my advice would be to keep the criteria very specific, you can always broaden later. When writing up your research you detail what you included/excluded so others can follow your reasoning.
• Ts. Dr. Hj. Muhammad Khusairy Bin Hj. Bakri Highly Qualified Hardworking Young Material-Mechanical Scientist | PhD[SUT Aust.], PTech [MBOT], L.APTT [APTT], MEng[SUT Aust.], GradEng[BEM], BEng[Hons][SUT Aust.] Defining inclusion and exclusion criteria for a literature review involves establishing specific guidelines to determine which sources will be incorporated and which will be excluded from the analysis. Inclusion criteria typically specify a publication's characteristics to be considered relevant, such as publication date, research methodology, or specific themes. On the other hand, exclusion criteria outline conditions under which a source would be deemed unsuitable for inclusion. These criteria help researchers maintain focus and ensure that the selected literature aligns with the research objectives, contributing to a more targeted and meaningful review of existing literature within a defined scope.

Step 4: Apply your criteria and synthesize the literature

The final step in defining the scope of your literature review is to apply your criteria and synthesize the literature. You can use various tools and software to manage and organize your sources, such as citation managers, spreadsheets, or mind maps. You should also keep track of the sources that you exclude and the reasons for excluding them. You can use a PRISMA flow diagram to illustrate the selection process. To synthesize the literature, you should analyze, compare, and contrast the sources, and identify the key findings, themes, patterns, and gaps. You can use various methods and techniques to synthesize the literature, such as narrative, thematic, or meta-analysis.

• Ts. Dr. Hj. Muhammad Khusairy Bin Hj. Bakri Highly Qualified Hardworking Young Material-Mechanical Scientist | PhD[SUT Aust.], PTech [MBOT], L.APTT [APTT], MEng[SUT Aust.], GradEng[BEM], BEng[Hons][SUT Aust.] Researchers assess the relevance and quality of the literature, considering factors such as methodology, publication date, and thematic alignment. Once the eligible sources are determined, the synthesis process begins, wherein key findings, methodologies, and themes are extracted and organized. This synthesis allows researchers to identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the existing literature, contributing to a cohesive and insightful overview of the topic. By critically analyzing and integrating the selected sources, researchers can present a nuanced understanding of the subject matter, highlighting the collective knowledge within the chosen scope.
• Amna Bedri B.A Honours, English Language, PG Linguistics and English Language Teaching, MAESOL, Moray House College of Education, PhD English, Associate professor at School of Languages It also provides background information, concepts and theories related to the research topic. Especially if the topic is broken down to its constituents and different basic elements. Some researchers limit themselves to the context of the research topic in point of view of location and time. However, we need to broaden the perspective to cover wider contexts which will also help the reader to encompass the topic in its different entities.
• Petra Boynton Social Psychologist. Research Methods Specialist. Sometime Agony Aunt. A really useful tip is your literature review may be exactly what you need to answer a research question and it might be there is no need to do other research if the question has been answered. Very often charities, NGOs and other organisations commission additional research when a literature review may have answered the question adequately. You can use the literature to situate further data collection/analysis, but you can also use it to summarise topics and either answer questions or provide a starting point to discuss issues and consider what, if any, further work is required. This can save time and money and ensure if additional work is completed it's relevant, timely, topical and ethical.

Ts. Dr. Hj. Muhammad Khusairy Bin Hj. Bakri

Highly Qualified Hardworking Young Material-Mechanical Scientist | PhD[SUT Aust.], PTech [MBOT], L.APTT [APTT], MEng[SUT Aust.], GradEng[BEM], BEng[Hons][SUT Aust.]

In addition to applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and synthesizing the literature, it's crucial to consider the overarching context and theoretical frameworks that shape the selected studies. Researchers should be mindful of potential biases, limitations, and methodological variations across the literature. It's essential to critically evaluate the quality of the sources and acknowledge any gaps or conflicting findings. Furthermore, researchers should stay updated with recent developments in the field to ensure the literature review reflects the most current state of knowledge. Engaging in peer discussions, seeking feedback, and maintaining a transparent and systematic approach are essential to conducting a robust literature review.

What is scope of literature review?

A literature review may be comprehensive or selective but should examine seminal or principal works and works that have been consequential in the field. The scope of a literature review will vary by assignment and discipline.

What is scoping literature review?

A scoping review is a type of knowledge synthesis that uses a systematic and iterative approach to identify and synthesize an existing or emerging body of literature on a given topic.

What is literature and its scope?

Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role. Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and essays.

What is the outline for a literature review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body.