Literature review: what is it and how should researchers handle the process?

 A literature review is that part of the research process where study materials and other sources needed for the study are identified. During the literature review, a researcher gathers all the literature needed to support the study. This will include articles, journals, webpages, book excerpts etc.

In most cases, the literature review is conducted in these simple steps

1.       Collect articles, journals, books, magazines, videos, interview scripts and any material that is vital to the research study

2.       Search the literature for relevant material related to the research topic

3.       Analyze and interpret the literature to identify what issues are being discussed or addressed

4.       Identify gaps in the literature

5.       Start writing the literature review, discussing what earlier writers have researched and what has not been adequately addressed (i.e., the research gap). The process (which is often iterative is illustrated below)