Chapter 4

The Critical Literature Review

Slide 4-2
 Critical Literature Review
 A literature review is “the selection of
available documents (both published and
unpublished) on the topic, which contain
information, ideas, data and evidence written
from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain
aims or express certain views on the nature
of the topic and how it is to be investigated,
and the effective evaluation of these
documents in relation to the research being
proposed” (Hart, 1998, p. 13).
Slide 4-3
 Functions Literature Review

In general, a literature review ensures that:

1. The research effort is positioned relative to existing
knowledge and builds on this knowledge.
2. You can look at a problem from a specific angle.
3. You do not run the risk of “reinventing the wheel”;
4. You are able to introduce relevant terminology and to
define key terms used in your writing.
5. You obtain useful insights of the research methods
others have used to provide an answer to similar research
questions.
6. The research effort can be contextualized in a wider
academic debate.
Slide 4-4
 Functions Literature Review
Some of the functions of a critical literature review depend
on the type of study and the specific research approach
that is taken.
 In a descriptive study it may help you to come up with a
comprehensive overview of the relevant perspectives on
the topic, a guiding definition, and an in-depth overview
of frameworks, instruments, and analytical tools that will
help you to describe something.
 In a project that is inductive and exploratory in nature, it
may help you to develop a theoretical background, which
provides an overview of the key literature pertinent to
your specific topic
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 Functions Literature Review
 In a deductive study, a review of the literature will
allow you to develop a theoretical background. This
may help you to obtain a clear idea as to what
variables will be important to consider in his
theoretical framework, why they are considered
important, how they are related to each other, and
how they should be measured to solve the problem.
A critical review of the literature may also help you to
provide arguments for the relationships between the
variables in your conceptual causal model and to
develop hypotheses.

Slide 4-6
 Data Sources

 Textbooks
 Academic and professional journals
 Theses
 Conference proceedings
 Unpublished manuscripts
 Reports of government departments and
corporations
 Newspapers
 The Internet
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 Searching for Literature

 Most libraries have the following electronic

resources at their disposal:
 Electronic journals
 Full-text databases
 Bibliographic databases
 Abstract databases

Slide 4-8
 Evaluating the Literature

 Titles
 Abstract
 Table of contents/first chapter book
 Number of citations

Slide 4-9
 Documenting the Literature Review

 Literature review introduces

 Subject study
 Highlights the problem
 Summarizes work done so far

Slide 4-10
 Common Forms of Plagiarism
Sources not cited
1. “The Ghost Writer”
2. “The Photocopy”
3. “The Potluck Paper”
4. “The Poor Disguise”
5. “The Labor of Laziness”
6. “The Self-Stealer”
Reprinted with permission from: What is Plagiarism? (n.d.), retrieved June 22,
2011, from
http://
www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html.
Slide 4-11
 Common Forms of Plagiarism

Sources cited (but still plagiarized)

1.“The Forgotten Footnote”
2.“The Misinformer”
3.“The Too-Perfect Paraphrase”
4.“The Resourceful Citer”
5.“The Perfect Crime”
Reprinted with permission from: What is Plagiarism? (n.d.), retrieved June 22,
2011, from http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html.

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