Research and the Literature Review

A literature review is research summarized into a paper that shows “who… conducted [the] relevant research” performed on the topic selected for a dissertation topic (Argosy University). It is the part of “the "what, who, and how "of your dissertations” (Argosy University). It is not a paper composed of individual paragraphs summarizing each research paper on a common subject.

Through this research, students show their educational institutions how well they can “conduct independent research that makes an original contribution to knowledge on an important topic” (Cone & Foster, p. 6). It is a preparation process for the student preparing to create a dissertation. The preparation for the dissertation would help guide the student to creating a dissertation that would meet a graduate program’s requirements for a doctorate (Cone & Foster, p.6-7).

“A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period. A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant…While the main focus of an academic research paper is to support your own argument, the focus of a literature review is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others” (The Writing Center). The key word is “synthesize” which means “to make a synthesis of” and “synthesis” has the meaning of “deductive reasoning” (Merriam Webster). These definitions would then show that a literature review would take research found on a specific topic and synthesize or process that the research into a paper.

Reference

Argosy University. (2008). Introduction to Advanced Academic Study and Writing E7111 UF-O. Retrieved September 3, 2008 from http://myeclassonline.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3083436&Survey=1&;47=4724606&ClientNodeID=404511&coursenav=2&bhcp=1.

Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (2006). Dissertations and theses from start to finish psychology and related fields (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Merriam Webster (2008). Retrieved September 3, 2008 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthesize and http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthesis.

The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb 1998 - 2007, Retrieved September 3, 2008 from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html