What is a literature review? In order to facilitate a sound and thorough research paper, thesis, or study, one must first be aware of the existing documentation on a chosen topic. This background research is done through a process known as a literature review. The purpose of the literature review is to gather research before the thesis is begun, to see if the topic is feasible or needed. The literature review may appear in different parts of the final research document, depending on the type, but usually precedes the methodology and results section.
There are several types of literature reviews. A researcher can meld the research of others into their new research, critique existing research in the …show more content…
They are known as quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Each will change the way the material is displayed and how research is conducted. Qualitative research relies on learning from the feedback from the participant and does not allow input from the interpretations or bias of the researcher. Quantitative research relies heavily on direction both from the participants and the literature review to provide guidance in building a working theory. Mixed methods can use either a qualitative or quantitative method; it depends on which will benefit the type and direction of the study.
Why is a review of literature important for research? How do you plan to organize topics in your literature review for your research?
In the early stages, a literature review is essential since it helps to establish if the topic under consideration will add to the field, is important to study, and also can help to narrow the scope. A topic is considered viable if it will be able to have research participants and obtain support from others in the field. By researching the topic thoroughly, the scientist is able to determine if the topic has already been researched, is too broad, or in general, what type of information is available. If the desired topic of research has already been researched before, it will be unlikely that those in academia would care to hear another research …show more content…
What will happen if we didn’t credit the sources we used in our research?
In order to avoid charges of plagiarism, one must cite all paraphrased, directly quoted, self-quoted, or conceptual idea of another. For Franklin University, plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in a failing grade, up to being expelled from the program. Obviously, this is a charge all students would want to avoid. Anytime a researcher has used a reference that is not common knowledge, or is not their own, that would indicate this item would need to be cited.
Crediting sources gives the author credit for their work and places context within the research paper being worked on for reference. This allows others to look back and see the references used and understand the context within the document. Without proper references, it would be assumed that all items in a paper were the original thoughts and work of the author. It would discredit the community, who is not building a larger research base. Also, after awhile, it would shrink valuable resources and research, because true research papers would become harder to find and rely