10 effective steps to write good literature review for an academic dissertation

Mohd Yusri Ibrahim; Mohd Hazlami Jusoh

doi:10.31893/multirev.2024009

Keywords:

research methods

literature review

academic dissertation

Abstract

Comprehensive, critical and constructive literature review are very important to produce a good academic dissertation. This article suggests 10 effective steps to write a high-quality literature review for an academic dissertation. The suggested steps are (i) define scope, (ii) conduct comprehensive search, (iii) organize sources, (iv) read and analyze, (v) identify key themes and arguments, (vi) develop logical structure, (vii) write clearly and critically, (viii) provide coherence and synthesis, (ix) revise and refine, and (x) seek feedback. It is recommended for researchers who are working on an academic dissertation to take advantage of this strategy in their writing, in order to produce a high-quality literature review presentation.
References
1. Baumeister R, Leary M (1997) Writing Narrative Literature Reviews. Review of General Psychology.
2. Bolderston A (2008) Writing an effective literature review. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 39(2), 86-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmir.2008.04.009
3. Booth A, Papaioannou D, Sutton A (2012) Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review. SAGE Publications.
4. Booth WC, Colomb GG, Williams JM (2008) The craft of research (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
5. Cooper HM (2021) Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step approach (6th ed.). Sage.
6. Creswell JW (2014) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
7. Fink A (2014) Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper (4th ed.). Sage.
8. Green BN, Johnson CD, Adams A (2021) Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine 20(2):92-99.
9. Greenhalgh T (2014) How to read a paper: The basics of evidence-based medicine (5th ed.). Wiley.
10. Hale ML, Rea KA (2020) Doing a literature review in nursing, health and social care (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
11. Hart C (2018) Doing a literature review: Releasing the research imagination (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
12. Hart C (2018) Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination (2nd ed.). Sage.
13. Ibrahim MY (2017) Casual Research Discussion. Bandar Ilmu, Kuala Nerus.
14. Jesson J, Matheson L, Lacey FM (2011) Doing your literature review: Traditional and systematic techniques. Sage publications.
15. Johnson RB (2017) A methodological approach to conducting a systematic review of evidence. Journal of Mixed Methods Research 11(4):393-414.
16. Machi LA, McEvoy BT (2016) The literature review: Six steps to success (3rd ed.). Corwin.
17. McMillan JH, Wergin JF (2019) Understanding and evaluating research: A critical guide (5th ed.). Routledge.
18. Neuman WL (2014) Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (7th ed.). Pearson.
19. Patel S, Gielecki J, Loukas M (2019) How to Identify a Timely and Relevant Topic for a Literature Review. A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing, 295-297. DOI:10.1002/9781118907283.ch30
20. Pritchard A (2019) The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
21. Rewhorn S (2018) Writing your successful literature review. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42(1), 143-147. DOI:10.1080/03098265.2017.1337732
22. Ridley D (2012) The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students (2nd ed.). Sage.
23. Rocco TS, Plakhotnik MS (2009) Literature reviews, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical frameworks: Terms, functions, and distinctions. Human Resource Development Review 8(1):120–130. DOI:10.1177/1534484309332617
24. Snyder H (2019) Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, 333-339. DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
25. Webster J, Watson RT (2002) Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), 13–23.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Ibrahim, M. Y., & Jusoh, M. H. (2023). 10 effective steps to write good literature review for an academic dissertation. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(1), 2024009. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024009

[1] Baumeister R, Leary M (1997) Writing Narrative Literature Reviews. Review of General Psychology.

[2] Bolderston A (2008) Writing an effective literature review. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 39(2), 86-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmir.2008.04.009

[3] Booth A, Papaioannou D, Sutton A (2012) Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review. SAGE Publications.

[4] Booth WC, Colomb GG, Williams JM (2008) The craft of research (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

[5] Cooper HM (2021) Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step approach (6th ed.). Sage.

[6] Creswell JW (2014) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.

[7] Fink A (2014) Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper (4th ed.). Sage.

[8] Green BN, Johnson CD, Adams A (2021) Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine 20(2):92-99.

[9] Greenhalgh T (2014) How to read a paper: The basics of evidence-based medicine (5th ed.). Wiley.

[10] Hale ML, Rea KA (2020) Doing a literature review in nursing, health and social care (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

[11] Hart C (2018) Doing a literature review: Releasing the research imagination (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

[12] Hart C (2018) Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination (2nd ed.). Sage.

[13] Ibrahim MY (2017) Casual Research Discussion. Bandar Ilmu, Kuala Nerus.

[14] Jesson J, Matheson L, Lacey FM (2011) Doing your literature review: Traditional and systematic techniques. Sage publications.

[15] Johnson RB (2017) A methodological approach to conducting a systematic review of evidence. Journal of Mixed Methods Research 11(4):393-414.

[16] Machi LA, McEvoy BT (2016) The literature review: Six steps to success (3rd ed.). Corwin.

[17] McMillan JH, Wergin JF (2019) Understanding and evaluating research: A critical guide (5th ed.). Routledge.

[18] Neuman WL (2014) Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (7th ed.). Pearson.

[19] Patel S, Gielecki J, Loukas M (2019) How to Identify a Timely and Relevant Topic for a Literature Review. A Guide to the Scientific Career: Virtues, Communication, Research and Academic Writing, 295-297. DOI:10.1002/9781118907283.ch30

[20] Pritchard A (2019) The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

[21] Rewhorn S (2018) Writing your successful literature review. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42(1), 143-147. DOI:10.1080/03098265.2017.1337732

[22] Ridley D (2012) The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students (2nd ed.). Sage.

[23] Rocco TS, Plakhotnik MS (2009) Literature reviews, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical frameworks: Terms, functions, and distinctions. Human Resource Development Review 8(1):120–130. DOI:10.1177/1534484309332617

[24] Snyder H (2019) Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, 333-339. DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039

[25] Webster J, Watson RT (2002) Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), 13–23.

Abstract

References

How to cite