Literature Review as a Research Methodology: A Guideline

This article is taken from Hannah Snyder. Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelinesIt's a detailed guide to the scientific review article, compared to the one in theScientific writing guideThe language style described in the short presentation is much more detailed. It will systematically encompass all aspects of the entire Review, including the systematic Review. This document is the same as the one used for the PDF.

The questions in this article can also be addressedScientific theory and practical experienceHow the concept of a relatively close read together is developed in different contexts.

Summary

With the rapid increase in knowledge generation and the proliferation of interdisciplinary research, Research has shown remarkable rapid growth and fragmentation, making it difficult to follow up SOTA research in a timely manner. And that makes Revie a more important research approach. Compared to Review, which follows a fixed research methodology, traditional Review may have problems that are not updated in time, difficult to go through existing research and lack rigour. It is therefore particularly important to discuss the methodology of Review. This paper discusses the various ways to review, to provide Guideline for information and to avoid some Pitfall and enhance the quality of Review.

Introduction

Review is a way of collecting and consolidating existing research, which may or may not be systematic. The excellent Review will be able to achieve the research base and promote further theoretical research. By integrating all existing research, it canAddressing issues that cannot be answered by a single study。

The traditional Review approach may not be available in full and is not systematic. This could lead to the author of Revie's conclusion that it might be based on defective articles - The author is not a very good writer, especially when he selectively ignores articles that are not in line with his own opinion.

There are now a lot of Reviving methods, such as narrative or intergr bearing reports, systemistic reviews, meta-analysis. This paper will consolidate the existing Review methodology and related Guideline and will describe how they are applied in their own research.

The academic contribution of the technical and practical approach will be described in detail later. This includes discussing various Review approaches, describing how they are used, and the relevant guidelines that need to be followed. This paper will discuss in detail the problems of stymatic, semi-systemmatic and integratic applications and their future use. These methods are not good or bad, but fit different scenarios.

Why should you write a literature review?

All academic articles begin with a description of what was already in existence, drawing on what was already before and explaining their research objectives and core assumptions. We're generally called "literature review," theoretical african work, research background. But when review becomes a separate research methodology, we need to follow certain research rules to make the results more precise and credible. And according to the purpose of our research, the method of Review is naturally different.

For most research questions, review is used to provide answers to existing questions, such as comparing different theories or the validity of research theories. Review is also widely used to provide an overview of issues in specific research areas - examining the current state of development in the whole field, and thus indicating further research needs. The literature can also be useful if the objective is theoretically structured. It is important to note that the methodology to be used will vary depending on the objectives of the literature review.

Three broad types of methods are commonly used: systematic overview, semi-systematic overview and integrated overview. In appropriate circumstances, these three overarching strategies can effectively answer specific research questions. However, it is important to note that there are many other forms of literature synthesis and that the elements of different approaches are often used in cross-cutting ways, and therefore may need to be further adapted and adapted to specific research projects. The depth of knowledge of the methods is followed by separate literature.

When we understand the characteristics of the study below, we can choose the appropriate study approach based on the research.

Systemical overview report

The systematic overview was initially developed mainly in the field of medical sciences, with the aim of integrating findings in a systematic, transparent and replicable manner and was recognized as part of the synthesis methodology"Gold Standard"。

Systematic synthesis can be defined as a research methodology and process for identifying and critically assessing relevant studies and collecting and analysing data from these studies. The objective of the systematic overview isFull identification of all evidence that meets the requirements through pre-set inclusion criteria to answer specific research questions or assumptionsI'm sorry. A clear and systematic approach to the literature and all available evidence would minimize bias and lead to reliable research findings.

Systemic freedom review meta-analysis The results of the study are being consolidated. Meta-analysis is a statistical method used to consolidate data from different studies, to weighted comparisons and to identify patterns, differences or linkages that appear in multiple studies on the same subject matter.

However, to implement meta-analysis, the studies included must share comparable statistical indicators (e.g., impact volumes). Therefore, in cases where research methods vary considerably, meta-analysis is quite challenging. Although the systematic overview was originally derived from medical science, attempts have been made in recent years to develop corresponding guidelines in the social sciences. In addition, a number of meta-analysis studies have been published in top-level business journals.

However, in these areas, which are not limited to random control experiments, scholars have developed more qualitative methods to assess the quality and intensity of findings from different types of research and to compare results. It's usually called"Qualitative and systematic overview"— That is, the collection of literature using rigorous and systematic processes, followed by qualitative assessment of the literature.

There are many advantages and potential contributions to the development of systematic overviews. For example, we can judge whether an effect is consistent in different studies and determine what studies are needed to validate the effect in the future. Technical means can also be used to identify individual research dimensions or sample characteristics affecting research phenomena - for example, whether research conducted in one cultural context is significantly different from research findings in other cultural contexts.

Semi-systematic overview (Semi-systematic review)

Semi-systematic overviews (or narrative overviews) apply to those concepts that are defined differently and explored separately by groups of researchers in different disciplines, making it difficult to complete the subject of a comprehensive systematic overview - we cannot collect all the literature that may be relevant. In addition to outlining a particular theme, the semi-systematic overviews often focus on the development of research in a given area at any time, or the evolution of a particular theme in different research traditions.

In general, the synthesis aims to identify and understand all academic traditions that may be relevant to the subject of the study, and to adopt"Narratives"(meta-narratives) is integrated in a way that is not a measure of the effect.

There are a variety of methods that can be used to analyse findings from a synthesis of semi-systemic systems, which are usually similar to those found in general qualitative studies. For example,Thematic analysisorContent analysisIt is a commonly used technology, which can be broadly defined as a method of identifying, analysing and reporting on the patterns presented in the text in the form of themes.

Such analysis helps to identify the core themes, theoretical perspectives or common issues in a particular area of research or methodological theory, or is used to clarify the constituent elements of a theoretical concept. Potential contributions include mapping a particular area of research, consolidating existing knowledge, proposing a follow-up research agenda, or providing historical overviews and timelines of a particular subject.

Integrated review

Closely related to semi-structured overviews are integrated overviews (or critical overviews) approaches. Integrated overviews usually have different objectives than semi-structured overviews - the purpose of which is toAssess, critically and synthesize the literature on a particular research topic, thereby contributing to the generation of new theoretical frameworks and perspectives。

For mature topics, the integrated synthesis approach aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the knowledge base, critically examining and possibly re-conceptively broadening its theoretical base as the topic develops. For emerging issues, the aim is to focus more on building initial or forward-looking conceptual frameworks and theoretical models.

The integrated synthesis approach should aim to advance the evolution of knowledge progress and theoretical frameworks, not just an overview or description of a particular research area. That is, it should not be merely descriptive or historical summaries, but rather should seek toGenerate new conceptual frameworks or theoriesI'm sorry. While high-quality integrated overviews can make real and strong contributions to the research field, in many cases they either lack transparency or fail to achieve real"Integration"- Many are labelled"Integration"The synthesis is in fact a simple summary of existing research, not a deep integration.

Process for conducting literature synthesis

The first question to be asked is:** Why this overview? ** Does a literature review in this area really be needed? If so, what type of literature synthesis is most useful and best contributing? In determining the selection of topics, consideration should also be given to which groups of readers are most likely to be interested in the synthesis.

Once research issues are identified and an overall overview methodology is established, a set of options will need to be developedDocumentation search policyTo identify the literature. This includes the selection of keywords, the identification of appropriate databases and the explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. At this stage, a number of key decisions are required, which will directly determine the quality and rigour of the synthesis.

Since initial literature retrieval usually returns to a large number of literature, strategies must be developed to screen out the truly relevant literature. The criteria for inclusion of the synthesis should be guided by the selected research issues. Common criteria for inclusion include: year of publication, language, type of article (e.g. conceptual paper, random comparison test, etc.) and publication of periodicals. At the quality level of research, the development of integration and exclusion criteria is one of the most important elements in the synthesis. But it must be stressed that the government is not a party to the war.All decisions must be well justified and transparent— Every choice should be based on a logical and reasonable basis.

The formal implementation of the synthesis could begin once the purpose, specific research issues and types of methodologies are identified. At this stage, it is suggested that one should be undertaken first.Small-scale prediction test (pilot test), test the validity of the search strategy and the incorporation criteria. By testing keywords and screening rules on smaller samples, the process can be optimized before full retrieval.

The actual selection of the sample of literature may be carried out in different ways depending on the specific nature and scope of the synthesis. Depending on the number of results retrieved, a variety of strategies can be employed:

Read all the literature that you've retrieved -- most effective but time-consuming.
Sift focused on research methods or core findings Choose
Phased: Read the summary initial screening literature before accessing the full text for in-depth assessment and final sample

After the documentation has been collected and the final samples identified, the next step is to reflect on how to use the literature for appropriate analysis. That is, after the final literature has been selected, it should be usedStandardise the information from every literatureI'm sorry. The data extracted can be descriptive information (e.g. author, year of publication, subject, type of study), research findings and effects, or some conceptualized perspective or theoretical framework.

The motivations and the need for this work must be clearly communicated in the preparation of the synthesis. The final overview article structure will vary according to the methodology used, as will the type of information required and the level of detail required. There are now a number of clear norms and guidelines that provide for reporting and structure of the literature.

The literature synthesis should be assessed as rigorous as empirical research papers. High-quality literature overviews must be available"Repetitivity": Its methodology should be adequately described to enable external readers to reproduce the study and draw similar conclusions based on the same process. Finally, an excellent literature review must also be of practical value to scholars and practitioners.

Points and common error zones

While there are many benefits to the literature synthesis, its successful publication is challenging. Many researchers have made common errors in their literature overviews, which have made it difficult for them to enter the deliberative landscape of quality journals.

** First, the synthesis of the literature was not sufficiently detailed. ** This prevented reviewers from assessing the quality of the synthesis and its academic contributions. Such overviews often lack a description of the overall research strategy and the specific operational details of the analytical methodology.

** Second, in order to streamline the workload, researchers are often anxious to narrow down the sample of literature. ** This unduly limits the scope of the search. Of course, it is reasonable sometimes to properly limit the sample, but clear and strong reasons must be provided to support this option.

** Third, many researchers have not been able to present and explain their findings clearly after completing their synthesis. ** They often contain a large number of charts, tables and graphics without explanation or comment, making it difficult for readers to understand the actual meaning or true discovery of these visualized content.

** Fourth, perhaps the most common error: the literature review has failed to really bring valuable and innovative contributions to the field. ** No matter how rigorous and well structured an overview is, its failure to provide any new, substantive information is bound not to be published.

Some effective strategies

One effective strategy is to combine the literature overview with meta-analysis and provide evidence of the impact of a key topic. This methodology has been widely applied in successful cases in high-impact journals. But it needs to be noted that mere meta-analysis is not sufficient to guarantee publication - It must also focus on a question of relevance, theoretical appeal and ability to address the core research dilemmas in the field, thereby effectively contributing to the advancement of knowledge.

In recent years, the synthesis methodology based on computer text analysis and machine learning has received increasing attention in business research. However,Technology is a means, not an end.The real value lies in the ability to open a new research agenda by revealing previously neglected structural relationships, tensions or theoretical gaps.

References

The following literature is used here, and the PDF can be downloaded:

Literature Review as a Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines(238KB) - Hannah Snyder Original