[How-To] Literature Review

Agenda

• Abstract

Abstract

We are buried in excessive information from all over the world everyday. And especially in the rapidly growing domain like artificial intelligence, this trend is outstanding. In order to make our objectives to learn AI clearer, we should be equipped with the methodology of sorting the information. Hence, in this article I would like to review the way to organise the research paper, which normally this method is called "Literature Review" and most of students should be familiar with this technique already. However, I did not know this. So I will summarise the guideline of literature review.

Introduction

Generally the literature review is conducted with the concrete aim and its preparatory research structured the base of it. To do literature review, there are several tips and dos-donts as well. So this paper composes the two main topic, one is the definition of literature review and another one is tips for it. Firstly I would like to define the literature review and its importance in the first section, then describe the useful tips of it in the following section.

Definition of Literature Review.

If you hear literature review, what do you imagine? Probably the paper which is stuffed with many academic researches and their quotes. That is right, but to review the papers, we need other skill sets. So in this section, Firstly I would like to define the literature review and then move on to its requirements.
Simply saying Literature review mainly focuses to summarise the current research of specific domain and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions. So compared to the research papers, there exists a significant difference. Research papers are to develop a new theory or argument, and indeed it is likely to contain a literature review as a part of it. So the focus among both differentiate their goals as well. Next, with regard to their requirements, basically it composes of four parts similar to research paper. At first, you need to write an introduction to give an overview and the objective for your reviewing. Then you have a main body which aims at conveying to readers your idea and suggestion with certain examples. Followed by references, conclusion comes next to main body to equip your idea. So these four steps are basic composition of literature review.

Tips for Literature Review

There are four points you should be careful when you get your hands dirty. So in this section I will make those clear.
Firstly, we have to broaden our research area to grab the overview of the topic. To write the good literature review, we should be familiarise ourselves to the topic which we would like to write. Secondly, we should make sure if we use proper keywords. Normally in any kind of domains, there are already plenty of keywords which defined by previous papers and if we miss them, our review cannot spot the discussion. Keywords guarantee and enhance the mutual understanding. Hence we need to use those term inside. Lastly, we have to cite the quotations in a part of references. Otherwise, it is going to be a plagiarism.

Conclusion

To review the topic and current research, we have to pay attention to many points. However, the literature review helps us to grab the overview of the progression of the specific domain.

Good explanations

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/

But how is a literature review different from an academic research paper?

The main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new argument, and a research paper is likely to contain a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literature as a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions.

Why do we write literature reviews?

Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you have limited time to conduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that keep them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’s investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most research papers.

https://www.editage.com/insights/5-tips-to-write-a-great-literature-review

1. Broaden your search area
2. Make sure you use the right keywords 
3. If you find relevant articles, explore them in depth
4. Follow the citations of the articles you do find

http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/literature-review/
your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic
A literature review must do these things

1. be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are developing
2. synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known
3. identify areas of controversy in the literature
4. formulate questions that need further research

References

• Difference among Preface, Introduction and Foreword