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220905P - EFFECTIVE LITERATURE REVIEW: ASSES PREVIOUS BACKGROUND PUBLICATIONS ON THE RESEARCH SUBJECT)

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Presented at a Webinar on Research Methodology in Health Sciences at Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital (NAAFH) on 5th September 2022. By Dr Omar Hasan Kasule Sr MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard) Professor of Epidemiology and Bioethics King Fahad Medical City.


LITERATURE SOURCES - 1:

  • Literature review of the proposal is the literature review for the final paper (with/without modification).
  • The review must show how the current research builds on previous research and identifies the knowledge gap.
  • Recommended 5-20 sources for research projects but 150-250 for PhD dissertations. Be guided by similar projects.
  • Sources selected should be appropriate to the purpose of the research.


LITERATURE SOURCES - 2:

  • Sources should be of appropriate width and depth.
  • Core sources on the subject matter should not be left out.
  • Recent sources prove that the researcher is up-to-date.
  • The best sources are refereed journals. Alternative sources are: books (monographs, edited volumes), conference proceedings, academic theses and dissertations, official documents, reports, dictionaries, encyclopedias etc. can be used.
  • Online sources not from established journals?
  • Links to unpublished material?


LITERATURE SEARCH:

  • Literature can be sourced from various sources: Expert advice, specific data bases (start with Google scholar, Wikipedia, PubMed, and some booksellers such as Amazon), reference sections of textbooks, review articles.
  • References of articles already chosen can be a source of important and relevant sources.
  • You have to be transparent in writing your methodology about your search strategy. Enough detail should be provided for others to check and collaborate.
  • It is rare to find nothing written about the topic. If nothing is written the problem may be with the key words used. Widen the search or look at sub-topics.
  • You can evolve your own strategy or use a software.
  • My approach is using key words, select from a list of abstracts based on the title, further select by reading the abstract and highlighting relevant sentences. Repeat the search as you keep writing and think of additional key words.


LITERATURE REVIEW: CONTENTS:

  • The literature review is not a laundry list of what was published before.
  • The literature review is summarizing, comparing, contrasting and explaining (variations, strengths, weaknesses) as well as resolving limitations / contradictions.
  • Are the findings from the literature review relevant to the current research?
  • The review should identify and suggest further research.
  • Any assertions in the review should have enough evidential support.
  • Sources should be critiqued: were methods rigorous and reliable? Are the findings generalizable?


CONCLUSIONS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW:

  • Make a conclusion at the end of the review in the form of tarjiih. The process is iterative you can come back to change and improve (new key words, refine the scope, adjust research questions etc.)
  • One of the conclusions of literature review is to prove that there is need for this research: extend existing knowledge, fill knowledge gaps, critique existing knowledge, and add a practical application or problem solving.


OTHER PURPOSES OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW:

  • Literature review should prove that the proposed research will respond to the ‘need’ mentioned above by being timely, suitable methods, and fill in the gaps.
  • Literature review shows the author’s familiarity with the main areas of the proposed research, its underlying theories, show that the proposed research has something original to offer, and define key term.
  • Literature review should briefly Develop research objectives and refine research questions.
  • Literature review helps define the limits of the research: mapping the area of literature review, defining what will be done and what will not be done with the why explained, study population, and the time length of the project.


SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LITERATURE REVIEW:

  • Uses facts, reports, and authors to define the nature of the research problem, purpose, and methods.
  • Proves that the researcher is familiar with the main ideas and methods of the study.
  • Clarifies the conceptual basis of the study.
  • Points out new and original contributions of the study.
  • Describes the research objectives and provides a rationale for each research question.