Wednesday 9 October 2013

Probable resources for a literature review

Today, a thorough literature review is one of the most important aspects of any research initiative. Any research is incomplete without it. A thorough literature review would entail an in-depth investigation into the available resources and providing appropriate citations within any research.

Any research would definitively begin with a literature review. Most of the studies undertaken today have a precedent somewhere and a similar research would have been undertaken at some location across the world. An in-depth investigation into the available resources is the starting point for any effective literature review. Research involving ground-breaking topics or esoteric issues would provide an uphill battle in the literature review part of the study. However, most studies can follow a simple path for incorporating a comprehensive literature review in their research.


  • Library: A local library can be assumed as the first stop to research for the available literature on a particular topic. However, because of the voluminous data present in any library, this can be a time-consuming process. In several libraries, literature that is not available can be loaned from another library in the vicinity. However, such options depend on the library and the options available with it. A much faster and popular method of searching for resources is the World Wide Web.
  • Google Scholar: It is one of the largest online resources available for topic hunting. Most of the currently available literature is available at anyone’s fingertips. With myriad options to refine and categorize the searches, it provides a plethora of options for information retrieval in the shortest possible time. It also offers a very intuitive and fast-loading interface and links to all the related information. One of the most formidable advantages of Google Scholar is the option that it provides for importing citations in some popular formats, namely, BibTeX, EndNote, RefMan, and RefWorks. With the availability of expressing citations in popular formats (MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style), Google Scholar ensures that the perfect literature review is only a few clicks away.

The literature review is also an integral part of any bibliography and reference sections. All the literature used in any research has to be cited in order to avoid claims of plagiarism from the reviewing and publishing authorities. The bibliography should be as detailed as the literature review section, and both these sections are inherently intertwined.

A comprehensive literature review can go a long way in ensuring the publication of the perfect paper.




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