Literature Review Methods

Study Notes

Documents how a study contributes to existing research.
Demonstrates understanding and summarization of the relevant literature.
Builds research skills on retrieving information and following literature leads.
Provides insights into how similar research has been conducted.
Offers useful examples and models for one's research.

Identify key terms for effective searching.
Locate literature using:
- Academic libraries
- Primary and secondary sources.
Critically evaluate literature for:
- Accuracy and quality.
- Relevance to the research topic.
Organize literature through:
- Taking notes or abstracting.
- Developing visual diagrams.
Write the literature review according to:
- Style manuals for citation and referencing.
- Choose between thematic or study-by-study review strategies.

Low Standards:
- Early stage material like conference drafts and professional newsletters.
Indexed Publications:
- Conference papers, dissertations, and college publications.
Journal Articles:
- Refereed and non-refereed articles across various publishing scales.
Books:
- Research studies and essays.
High Standards:
- Encyclopedias, research reviews, and abstracts that appear after years of initiation.

Provides critical direction for the research study.
Raises pertinent questions for data collection.
Includes:
- Research method/approach.
- Central phenomenon.
- Specific participants and research locations.

Example format: "The purpose of this [research method] is to [determine, describe, etc.] the [specific phenomenon] among [specific participants] in [specific locations]."
Example specific to obesity study in Ghana to assess related factors.

Preparation includes coding, cleaning, and inputting data.
Analysis involves:
- Descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Thematic approach to identify patterns across data.
Data interpretation indicates key findings and discussions.

Preliminary Pages:
- Title page, supervisor certificate, abstract, table of contents, preface, acknowledgments, and listings for tables and figures.
Main Text:
- Introduction: Background, problem statement, research questions, significance of study.
- Literature review, methodology, results and discussion, summary, conclusion, and recommendations.
End Matter:
- Bibliography/references, appendices, glossary, and any remaining documentation.