Undertaking A Literature Review A Step By Step Approach: Fill & Download for Free

I don't think best way is an appropriate or helpful way of putting it. Rather, literature reviews should be comprehensive, covering the topic’s history, key concepts, influential figures and notable developments. As well, they shouldn't shy away from contentious material. Rather they should attempt to persuasively present data and arguments for or against certain interpretations. This broad umbrella accommodates a variety of writing styles and analytical approaches.Some examples may help explain the process. For e.g., a while back I wrote an answer about possible human- Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-evolution, Tirumalai Kamala's answer to What if Mycobacterium tuberculosis evolved as a cohabitating organism within the human body?. Like many of my Quora answers, this too took the form of a review so it may be a relevant example.How to start? Start with what I call a hook. As simple as searching for Human Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-evolution in Home - PubMed - NCBI. In this particular example, I got 24 search results (see screenshot below). Several good leads (outlined in blue), i.e. hooks to get into the subject.Got those papers, read them, looked up their references, looked up the papers that cited them. Read the abstracts to decide whether to download or not. Doing this builds up a database on the topic rather fast. Once done screening and collating this database, I can sort them into different bins according to subject matter (see screenshots below). In this particular example, I ended up with a database consisting of 9 papers I catalogued as General, 2 as Bottleneck, 15 as Canetti, 4 as Co-evolution, 2 as Deletions, 3 as M. africanum, 7 as M. bovis, 4 as Methods, 15 as Paleopathology, and 3 as Virulence Definitions, for a total of 64 papers. Not a thorough up and down, front and back dredging of source material by any stretch of the imagination. Answer intended only for a general, not specialist, audience after all but this is an example of the basic skeleton required for assembling the database needed for a literature review. As I go through this bunch, the answer starts to shape itself into existence and I start whittling the pile. What's useful? In this particular example, my shorthand for papers I cited have a green dot while ones I found useful for references have a blue dot (see screenshots below).A similar process attends just about any kind of research I undertake. Cataloging and sorting plus a common file-naming system helps tremendously in gaining control over the reading material, and brings order to what starts out as utter chaos.Another invaluable helper? Keyword search through a database using Command+F. Helps both with the binning process as well in mining the database for the portion of the answer dealing with a particular keyword.Process is simple and straightforward in theory. In practice, it requires genuine unflagging interest, and tremendous focus and discipline. Certainly not for the faint-hearted. Especially the citation search. Often papers are cited 100s, even 1000s of times. Trawling though such citations requires a hardy stomach and a spine of steel. Of course, checking each and every citation isn't mandatory nor required for each review. Time and practice helps develop judgment regarding when to pause to pick up another reference or to move on. As well, I tend to read very fast so I can consume relatively vast amounts of information fairly quickly. Plus years of experience doing this. However, reading fast has its perils as well so experience has taught me to go over papers more than once. A gap in time helps plug gaps as fresh eyes bring more value to the task.I find this general approach very versatile so much so that I use it both for work and elsewhere. For e.g., my hometown of Chennai recently suffered unprecedented floods that marooned the city and relegated it to the medieval age in one stroke. Since I have family there, I spent many waking hours tracking the situation on the ground the best I could on the internet. The material I found doing this formed the basis of my blog post cataloging what happened, why and what it says about the body politic, The 2015 South Indian Floods: The Front Page News Story that Global News Media Wantonly Neglected by Tirumalai Kamala on TK Talk.Using a similar approach to catalog, collate and bin my starting material (see screenshot below), the post started to shape itself into existence. Again, Command+F is an irreplaceable help. Using it to find keywords such as 'drain', 'police', 'military', 'NDRF', etc., helped me quickly shape a narrative that made sense to my understanding of the situation. Quickly scan, copy-paste the relevant passages, move on. Soon, my post was done.So there you have it, a broad brush overview of my approach to review writing. How the review/answer starts to shape itself is the most mysterious aspect of this process. This is where the individual's unique Masala (or alchemy) makes all the difference. A feeling for narrative, bolstering arguments with tangible, verifiable, sometimes testable data, one part of the narrative flowing to the next, these are some of the essential elements. Often arguments in one section will stoke into existence logical questions. These can then serve as bridges connecting one section to the next, or even one para to the next. In this manner, hopefully a cogent narrative emerges, akin to a building, the original database the foundation and the review sections the above-ground structure the foundation makes possible. More comprehensive the database (foundation) that went into researching the review topic, better the review (building) and greater its value.Thanks for the A2A, Kritika Gupta.

There is no age limit for admission into PhD program in India.As the eligibility criteria for admission differs from university to university, it’s helpful to check the admission notifications put out by different universities. Direct admission into a PhD program usually, is through an entrance exam followed by an interview of the qualified candidates.A lot of time goes into selecting the research topic. The candidate has to give a few seminar presentations before finalising the broader topic of the PhD study. And it’s not uncommon to find that a candidate’s research proposal is rejected by the review committee multiple times.Once the area of study is decided upon, it involves dedication and perseverance to bring a PhD thesis upto the submission stage. Persistence in continuing and completing is basically what is essential and so we continue to plod along, irrespective of what we go through. It’s also a very humbling experience.The following few lines may help to know the kind of work involved in a PhD study in the Commerce stream. Topics related to Industrial economics offers a vast scope for research work.• Almost the first three to four months into the program is mainly about literature review, though this continues throughout the period of research work. It’s important to read and understand the kind of research work already done in areas related to the topic chosen.If the study is about, for example, the performance of, export oriented units (EOUs) in AP, then there’s the need to understand - how do one measure performance. A literature review helps to know the common parameters used to measure performance.Review of literature is also important to know the methodology used by different scholars in studying a particular phenomenon. It answers questions as to - How data is collected and what type of data analysis has been done by researchers? Can a similar exercise be done in our research work?Data is an important part of the study and literature reviews are useful to know the secondary sources - government sources and other publications.• By now the research supervisor starts missing the candidate and so it’s time to approach them. It would be a good idea to have in writing, a brief summary of all the relevant literature survey done. This step is also helpful as it gives a rough sketch of an idea for continuing the research work.A plan/ design of study is drawn up under the supervisor’s guidance. This helps to outline the extent and depth of the study. Essentially it also means the areas not covered and hence the limitations of the study.• Next step is to look up on the government policies and their impact on firms, units, business undertakings etc. For eg the effect of policies on EOUs.• A brief and broad macro level observation is done at the national and state level by the collection and analysis of data from secondary sources. To continue with the example of EOUs, an observation of the performance, state wise and sector wise in the country.• Research study in commerce involves knowing what’s happening at the micro/ firm level. Primary data is needed and this requires a well structured questionnaire. So now we need primary data regarding EOUs firms in AP, particularly at the district level.Meet the research supervisor with a draft of the questionnaire and a clear understanding of what type of information is to be collected from firms. Finalise the questionnaire after a few edits.• Collecting primary data is the most tedious, difficult and time consuming part of the study. Firms are under no obligation to part with information. We need to appeal to them to get the questionnaires filled up. Ask for a few annual reports and try looking up at some of their websites.• Data collection, compilation and analysis would take one to two years of the study. Now begins the writing work about the findings and then chapter wise submission of drafts to the supervisor.• There’s also periodical review of progress of the study through seminars. The pre-submission seminar is the toughest. Quite a few revisions and edits may be needed before clearance is given for submission of the thesis.It’s time for writing out the acknowledgements, taking the final printout and getting the thesis bound. Submit and wait for the results.This is only a general outline of work involved and it’s not necessary that every research work follows the same pattern.

Hey Rance!Hope to find you in good health during these trying times.The goal of a research proposal is twofold: to present and justify the need to study a research problem and to present the practical ways in which the proposed study should be conducted. The design elements and procedures for conducting research are governed by standards of the predominant discipline in which the problem resides, therefore, the guidelines for research proposals are more exacting and less formal than a general project proposal. Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews. They must provide persuasive evidence that a need exists for the proposed study. In addition to providing a rationale, a proposal describes detailed methodology for conducting the research consistent with requirements of the professional or academic field and a statement on anticipated outcomes and/or benefits derived from the study's completion.Your professor may assign the task of writing a research proposal for the following reasons:Develop your skills in thinking about and designing a comprehensive research study;Learn how to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature to determine that a research problem has not been adequately addressed or has been answered ineffectively and, in so doing, become better at locating pertinent scholarship related to your topic;Improve your general research and writing skills;Practice identifying the logical steps that must be taken to accomplish one's research goals;Critically review, examine, and consider the use of different methods for gathering and analyzing data related to the research problem; and,Nurture a sense of inquisitiveness within yourself and to help see yourself as an active participant in the process of doing scholarly research.A proposal should contain all the key elements involved in designing a completed research study, with sufficient information that allows readers to assess the validity and usefulness of your proposed study. The only elements missing from a research proposal are the findings of the study and your analysis of those findings. Finally, an effective proposal is judged on the quality of your writing and, therefore, it is important that your proposal is coherent, clear, and compelling.Regardless of the research problem you are investigating and the methodology you choose, all research proposals must address the following questions:What do you plan to accomplish? Be clear and succinct in defining the research problem and what it is you are proposing to research.Why do you want to do the research? In addition to detailing your research design, you also must conduct a thorough review of the literature and provide convincing evidence that it is a topic worthy of in-depth investigation. Be sure to answer the "So What?" question.How are you going to conduct the research? Be sure that what you propose is doable. If you're having difficulty formulating a research problem to propose investigating, strategies in developing a problem to study.Common Mistakes to AvoidFailure to be concise. A research proposal must be focused and not be "all over the map" or diverge into on unrelated tangents without a clear sense of purpose.Failure to cite landmark works in your literature review. Proposals should be grounded in foundational research that lays a foundation for understanding the development and scope of the issue.Failure to delimit the contextual boundaries of your research [e.g., time, place, people, etc.]. As with any research paper, your proposed study must inform the reader how and in what ways the study will examine the problem.Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research. This is critical. In many workplace settings, the research proposal is intended to argue for why a study should be funded.Sloppy or imprecise writing, or poor grammar. Although a research proposal does not represent a completed research study, there is still an expectation that it is well-written and follows the style and rules of good academic writing.Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues. Your proposal should focus on only a few key research questions in order to support the argument that the research needs to be conducted. Minor issues, even if valid, can be mentioned but they should not dominate the overall narrative.Beginning the Proposal ProcessAs with writing most college-level academic papers, research proposals are generally organized the same way throughout most social science disciplines. The text of proposals generally vary in length between ten and thirty-five pages, followed by the list of references. However, before you begin, read the assignment carefully and, if anything seems unclear, ask your professor whether there are any specific requirements for organizing and writing the proposal.A good place to begin is to ask yourself a series of questions:What do I want to study?Why is the topic important?How is it significant within the subject areas covered in my class?What problems will it help solve?How does it build upon [and hopefully go beyond] research already conducted on the topic?What exactly should I plan to do, and can I get it done in the time available?In general, a compelling research proposal should document your knowledge of the topic and demonstrate your enthusiasm for conducting the study. Approach it with the intention of leaving your readers feeling like, "Wow, that's an exciting idea and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!"I. IntroductionIn the real world of higher education, a research proposal is most often written by scholars seeking grant funding for a research project or it's the first step in getting approval to write a doctoral dissertation. Even if this is just a course assignment, treat your introduction as the initial pitch of an idea or a thorough examination of the significance of a research problem. After reading the introduction, your readers should not only have an understanding of what you want to do, but they should also be able to gain a sense of your passion for the topic and to be excited about the study's possible outcomes. Note that most proposals do not include an abstract [summary] before the introduction.Think about your introduction as a narrative written in two to four paragraphs that succinctly answers the following four questions:What is the central research problem?What is the topic of study related to that research problem?What methods should be used to analyze the research problem?Why is this important research, what is its significance, and why should someone reading the proposal care about the outcomes of the proposed study?II. Background and SignificanceThis is where you explain the context of your proposal and describe in detail why it's important. It can be melded into your introduction or you can create a separate section to help with the organization and narrative flow of your proposal. Approach writing this section with the thought that you can’t assume your readers will know as much about the research problem as you do. Note that this section is not an essay going over everything you have learned about the topic; instead, you must choose what is most relevant in explaining the aims of your research.To that end, while there are no prescribed rules for establishing the significance of your proposed study, you should attempt to address some or all of the following:State the research problem and give a more detailed explanation about the purpose of the study than what you stated in the introduction. This is particularly important if the problem is complex or multifaceted.Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing; be sure to answer the "So What? question [i.e., why should anyone care].Describe the major issues or problems to be addressed by your research. This can be in the form of questions to be addressed. Be sure to note how your proposed study builds on previous assumptions about the research problem.Explain the methods you plan to use for conducting your research. Clearly identify the key sources you intend to use and explain how they will contribute to your analysis of the topic.Describe the boundaries of your proposed research in order to provide a clear focus. Where appropriate, state not only what you plan to study, but what aspects of the research problem will be excluded from the study.If necessary, provide definitions of key concepts or terms.III. Literature ReviewConnected to the background and significance of your study is a section of your proposal devoted to a more deliberate review and synthesis of prior studies related to the research problem under investigation. The purpose here is to place your project within the larger whole of what is currently being explored, while demonstrating to your readers that your work is original and innovative. Think about what questions other researchers have asked, what methods they have used, and what is your understanding of their findings and, when stated, their recommendations.Since a literature review is information dense, it is crucial that this section is intelligently structured to enable a reader to grasp the key arguments underpinning your proposed study in relation to that of other researchers. A good strategy is to break the literature into "conceptual categories" [themes] rather than systematically or chronologically describing groups of materials one at a time. Note that conceptual categories generally reveal themselves after you have read most of the pertinent literature on your topic so adding new categories is an on-going process of discovery as you review more studies. How do you know you've covered the key conceptual categories underlying the research literature? Generally, you can have confidence that all of the significant conceptual categories have been identified if you start to see repetition in the conclusions or recommendations that are being made.NOTE: Do not shy away from challenging the conclusions made in prior research as a basis for supporting the need for your proposal. Assess what you believe is missing and state how previous research has failed to adequately examine the issue that your study addresses.To help frame your proposal's review of prior research, consider the "five C’s" of writing a literature review:Cite, so as to keep the primary focus on the literature pertinent to your research problem.Compare the various arguments, theories, methodologies, and findings expressed in the literature: what do the authors agree on? Who applies similar approaches to analyzing the research problem?Contrast the various arguments, themes, methodologies, approaches, and controversies expressed in the literature: describe what are the major areas of disagreement, controversy, or debate among scholars?Critique the literature: Which arguments are more persuasive, and why? Which approaches, findings, and methodologies seem most reliable, valid, or appropriate, and why? Pay attention to the verbs you use to describe what an author says/does [e.g., asserts, demonstrates, argues, etc.].Connect the literature to your own area of research and investigation: how does your own work draw upon, depart from, synthesize, or add a new perspective to what has been said in the literature?IV. Research Design and MethodsThis section must be well-written and logically organized because you are not actually doing the research, yet, your reader must have confidence that it is worth pursuing. The reader will never have a study outcome from which to evaluate whether your methodological choices were the correct ones. Thus, the objective here is to convince the reader that your overall research design and proposed methods of analysis will correctly address the problem and that the methods will provide the means to effectively interpret the potential results. Your design and methods should be unmistakably tied to the specific aims of your study.Describe the overall research design by building upon and drawing examples from your review of the literature. Consider not only methods that other researchers have used but methods of data gathering that have not been used but perhaps could be. Be specific about the methodological approaches you plan to undertake to obtain information, the techniques you would use to analyze the data, and the tests of external validity to which you commit yourself [i.e., the trustworthiness by which you can generalize from your study to other people, places, events, and/or periods of time].When describing the methods you will use, be sure to cover the following:Specify the research process you will undertake and the way you will interpret the results obtained in relation to the research problem. Don't just describe what you intend to achieve from applying the methods you choose, but state how you will spend your time while applying these methods [e.g., coding text from interviews to find statements about the need to change school curriculum; running a regression to determine if there is a relationship between campaign advertising on social media sites and election outcomes in Europe].Keep in mind that the methodology is not just a list of tasks; it is an argument as to why these tasks add up to the best way to investigate the research problem. This is an important point because the mere listing of tasks to be performed does not demonstrate that, collectively, they effectively address the research problem. Be sure you clearly explain this.Anticipate and acknowledge any potential barriers and pitfalls in carrying out your research design and explain how you plan to address them. No method is perfect so you need to describe where you believe challenges may exist in obtaining data or accessing information. It's always better to acknowledge this than to have it brought up by your professor.V. Preliminary Suppositions and ImplicationsJust because you don't have to actually conduct the study and analyze the results, doesn't mean you can skip talking about the analytical process and potential implications. The purpose of this section is to argue how and in what ways you believe your research will refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge in the subject area under investigation. Depending on the aims and objectives of your study, describe how the anticipated results will impact future scholarly research, theory, practice, forms of interventions, or policymaking. Note that such discussions may have either substantive [a potential new policy], theoretical [a potential new understanding], or methodological [a potential new way of analyzing] significance.When thinking about the potential implications of your study, ask the following questions:What might the results mean in regards to challenging the theoretical framework and underlying assumptions that support the study?What suggestions for subsequent research could arise from the potential outcomes of the study?What will the results mean to practitioners in the natural settings of their workplace?Will the results influence programs, methods, and/or forms of intervention?How might the results contribute to the solution of social, economic, or other types of problems?Will the results influence policy decisions?In what way do individuals or groups benefit should your study be pursued?What will be improved or changed as a result of the proposed research?How will the results of the study be implemented and what innovations or transformative insights could emerge from the process of implementation?NOTE: This section should not delve into idle speculation, opinion, or be formulated on the basis of unclear evidence. The purpose is to reflect upon gaps or understudied areas of the current literature and describe how your proposed research contributes to a new understanding of the research problem should the study be implemented as designed.VI. ConclusionThe conclusion reiterates the importance or significance of your proposal and provides a brief summary of the entire study. This section should be only one or two paragraphs long, emphasizing why the research problem is worth investigating, why your research study is unique, and how it should advance existing knowledge.Someone reading this section should come away with an understanding of:Why the study should be done,The specific purpose of the study and the research questions it attempts to answer,The decision to why the research design and methods used where chosen over other options,The potential implications emerging from your proposed study of the research problem, andA sense of how your study fits within the broader scholarship about the research problem.VII. CitationsAs with any scholarly research paper, you must cite the sources you used. In a standard research proposal, this section can take two forms, so consult with your professor about which one is preferred.References -- lists only the literature that you actually used or cited in your proposal.Bibliography -- lists everything you used or cited in your proposal, with additional citations to any key sources relevant to understanding the research problem.In either case, this section should testify to the fact that you did enough preparatory work to ensure the project will complement and not just duplicate the efforts of other researchers. Start a new page and use the heading "References" or "Bibliography" centered at the top of the page. Cited works should always use a standard format that follows the writing style advised by the discipline of your course e.g., education=APA; history=Chicago] or that is preferred by your professor. This section normally does not count towards the total page length of your research proposal.Hope this answers your question!Best Regards,Samreena Qaiser.Follow me for more info!