Literature Review for Undergraduate Dissertation: The Purpose
Introduction to Literature Review
During the course of writing your undergraduate dissertation, there will be a time when you have to take up the task of writing a literature review. For those who are unaware, a literature review is deemed as an integral part of academic writing which would be instrumental in signifying understanding and knowledge about academic literature regarding a particular topic [1]. However, the important aspect that academic researchers need to know is that, literature review is not just about writing, on the contrary, it would comprise of critically assessing the literature [2]. That’s the main reason why it is known as a literature review. Otherwise, it could have very well been termed as a literature report.
In order to exemplify the variation amongst reviewing and reporting, let’s consider the example of movie or television review write-ups. Such write-ups would be inclusive of a brief synopsis of a movie or a television programme, the key aspects from the programme or movie, along with an analysis of the same by a critic. A report on the other hand would just cover the main points of the movie or programme and will not critically analyze it. Likewise, the two key objectives of a literature review would refer to; the content that encompasses the extant literature, evidence and theories, and second, critical evaluation on the part of the person writing the review, while discussing the content in detail [3]. Generally, a literature review makes up an integral aspect of a bachelors dissertation or bachelor’s thesis, long essay or research project. Nonetheless, in certain instances, it can be created and evaluated as an individual piece of writing.
It is impossible to write a literature review for a PhD without a thorough understanding of the selected research field, access to the most recent and credible academic sources, and a highly critical and evaluative writing style. At Tutors India we have highly qualified professionals who have more than 10 yrs of experience in relevant research fields to guide your work.
Goal of a Literature Review
According to [4] “…your task is to build an argument, not a library”
Within larger academic writing projects such as bachelor’s dissertation or bachelor’s thesis, researchers usually opt to tackle the literature review task first, following the finalization of the topic for research. Reading through existing literary works, in tandem with critical evaluation of the text proves to be beneficial in further enhancement of the topic in question and also facilitates the research questions to be framed [5]. The main goal of a literature review is to establish familiarity with and develop an understanding about the present research in a specific domain, prior to delving into executing a new investigation. Executing a review of literature would facilitate you to seek similar research that has been carried out in the past and identify aspects relating to your topic that requires further research [6]. In a nutshell, the goal of a literature review would be to;
- Assist you in finding gaps within the current literature.
- Restricts the need to reinvent the wheel by finding similar research that has already been done in the past.
- To give you an idea about aspects from your topic that have already been investigated.
- Augment the breadth of your knowledge and understanding in your area of research.
- Locate seminal works that have been carried out in the past.
- Facilitate you to offer an intellectual setting for your research and bring your research at par with other similar researches conducted in the past.
- To look at opposing viewpoints for the same topic.
- Allow you to find suitable research methods that could be possibly applied within your research.
A dissertation literature review contributes 40 percent weight of research work. Tutors India Literature Review writing enables candidates to perform the best of their ability. We assist the candidates in each step of their research work from topic selection to complete dissertation.
Literature Review and Essay: A Comparison
| Vitals | Essay | Literature Review |
| Purpose | Provide a rational argument while responding to a question or stimulus, and convincing the reader that the position you hold is valid. Also to indicate your capability to research a topic in question, build your position, and then persuade the reader with the help of a coherent response duly supported with evidence drawn from research you have carried out [7]. | Acquiring and understanding about what you already know, to what extent the knowledge has been established and to know the scope and direction for research in future [8]. |
| Content | A deliberation which responds to a stimulus or query with regards to an area of interest. Discussing facets related to a topic along with examples and explanations. | Critically reviewing a one or more works of literature. This could be in response to a question or stimulus narrow the possibility of the search of literature and the focus of the review. |
| Structure | Structure of the essay would include an introduction, main body and conclusion. In this case, ideas are thematically organized as per their contribution to the argument on the whole. | Literature review structure tends to fluctuate. But usually it requires an introduction, main body and ends with a research gap. Ideas are thematically organized in sections, in tandem with key points pertaining to the literature review, revealing the manner in which sources are linked with one another while contributing to knowledge on the topic. |
| Approach to Literature / Sources | Approach adopted is critical and sources in this case are utilized as evidence for the argument. | While the approach would be critical, literature / sources are subject matter of the writing. |
Need Help with Writing a Literature Review?
Having established the purpose of a literature review and providing an understanding about the difference between a literature review and an essay, I’m sure there are those who still think that writing a literature review is a monumental task. No doubt it is, but you need not worry. You can get bachelor’s thesis writing help. There are several organizations that provide bachelor’s thesis writing services which you can avail to your advantage.
References
[1] C. L. Winchester and M. Salji, “Writing a literature review,” J. Clin. Urol., vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 308–312, Sep. 2016, doi: 10.1177/2051415816650133.
[2] L. A. Maggio, J. L. Sewell, and A. R. Artino, “The Literature Review: A Foundation for High-Quality Medical Education Research,” J. Grad. Med. Educ., vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 297–303, Jul. 2016, doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-16-00175.1.
[3] H. Snyder, “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 104, pp. 333–339, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039.
[4] R. R. Rudestam, Kjell Erik Newton, “Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process,” 1992. [Online]. Available:
[5] Tanya Golash-Boza, “Writing a Literature Review: Six Steps to Get You from Start to Finish,” 2015.
[6] Omini Akpang, “Running Head: Literature Reviw and Literature Gap 1 Literature Review and Literature Gap,” 2018, [Online]. Available:
[7] Westernsydney, “‘How-to’ assessment guides,”2021.
[8] Unimelb, “Student services directory,” 2021.
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