Key Points –
A literature review forms the basis for high-quality medical education research and helps maximize relevance, originality, generalizability, and impact. A literature review provides context, informs methodology, maximizes innovation, avoids duplicative research, and ensures that professional standards are met. Literature reviews take time, are iterative, and should continue throughout the research process. Researchers should maximize the use of human resources (librarians, colleagues), search tools (databases/search engines), and existing literature (related articles). Keeping organized is critical.
Such work is outside the scope of this article, which focuses on literature reviews to inform reports of original medical education research. We define such a literature review as a synthetic review and summary of what is known and unknown regarding the topic of a scholarly body of work, including the current work’s place within the existing knowledge,
While this type of literature review may not require the intensive search processes mandated by systematic reviews, it merits a thoughtful and rigorous approach. An understanding of the current literature is critical for all phases of a research study. Lingard recently invoked the “journal-as-conversation” metaphor as a way of understanding how one’s research fits into the larger medical education conversation.
As she described it: “Imagine yourself joining a conversation at a social event. After you hang about eavesdropping to get the drift of what’s being said (the conversational equivalent of the literature review), you join the conversation with a contribution that signals your shared interest in the topic, your knowledge of what’s already been said, and your intention.” The literature review helps any researcher “join the conversation” by providing context, informing methodology, identifying innovation, minimizing duplicative research, and ensuring that professional standards are met.
Understanding the current literature also promotes scholarship, as proposed by Boyer, by contributing to 5 of the 6 standards by which scholarly work should be evaluated. Specifically, the review helps the researcher (1) articulate clear goals, (2) show evidence of adequate preparation, (3) select appropriate methods, (4) communicate relevant results, and (5) engage in reflective critique.
Failure to conduct a high-quality literature review is associated with several problems identified in the medical education literature, including studies that are repetitive, not grounded in theory, methodologically weak, and fail to expand knowledge beyond a single setting.
- Indeed, medical education scholars complain that many studies repeat work already published and contribute little new knowledge—a likely cause of which is failure to conduct a proper literature review.
- Likewise, studies that lack theoretical grounding or a conceptual framework make study design and interpretation difficult.
When theory is used in medical education studies, it is often invoked at a superficial level. As Norman noted, when theory is used appropriately, it helps articulate variables that might be linked together and why, and it allows the researcher to make hypotheses and define a study’s context and scope.
Ultimately, a proper literature review is a first critical step toward identifying relevant conceptual frameworks. Another problem is that many medical education studies are methodologically weak. Good research requires trained investigators who can articulate relevant research questions, operationally define variables of interest, and choose the best method for specific research questions.
Conducting a proper literature review helps both novice and experienced researchers select rigorous research methodologies. Finally, many studies in medical education are “one-offs,” that is, single studies undertaken because the opportunity presented itself locally.
Such studies frequently are not oriented toward progressive knowledge building and generalization to other settings. A firm grasp of the literature can encourage a programmatic approach to research. Considering these issues, journals have a responsibility to demand from authors a thoughtful synthesis of their study’s position within the field, and it is the authors’ responsibility to provide such a synthesis, based on a literature review.
The aforementioned purposes of the literature review mandate that the review occurs throughout all phases of a study, from conception and design, to implementation and analysis, to manuscript preparation and submission. Planning the literature review requires understanding of journal requirements, which vary greatly by journal (). 
Three resources may facilitate identifying relevant literature: human resources, search tools, and related literature. As the process requires time, it is important to begin searching for literature early in the process (ie, the study design phase). Identifying and understanding relevant studies will increase the likelihood of designing a relevant, adaptable, generalizable, and novel study that is based on educational or learning theory and can maximize impact.
A medical librarian can help translate research interests into an effective search strategy, familiarize researchers with available information resources, provide information on organizing information, and introduce strategies for keeping current with emerging research. Often, librarians are also aware of research across their institutions and may be able to connect researchers with similar interests.
Reaching out to colleagues for suggestions may help researchers quickly locate resources that would not otherwise be on their radar. During this process, researchers will likely identify other researchers writing on aspects of their topic. Researchers should consider searching for the publications of these relevant researchers (see for search strategies).
Additionally, institutional websites may include curriculum vitae of such relevant faculty with access to their entire publication record, including difficult to locate publications, such as book chapters, dissertations, and technical reports. Researchers will locate the majority of needed information using databases and search engines.
Excellent resources are available to guide researchers in the mechanics of literature searches., Because medical education research draws on a variety of disciplines, researchers should include search tools with coverage beyond medicine (eg, psychology, nursing, education, and anthropology) and that cover several publication types, such as reports, standards, conference abstracts, and book chapters (see the for several information resources).
Why literature review is important?
Literature Review The purpose of a literature review is to collect relevant, timely research on your chosen topic, and synthesize it into a cohesive summary of existing knowledge in the field. This then prepares you for making your own argument on that topic, or for conducting your own original research.
- Depending on your field of study, literature reviews can take different forms.
- Some disciplines require that you synthesize your sources topically, organizing your paragraphs according to how your different sources discuss similar topics.
- Other disciplines require that you discuss each source in individual paragraphs, covering various aspects in that single article, chapter, or book.
Within your review of a given source, you can cover many different aspects, including (if a research study) the purpose, scope, methods, results, any discussion points, limitations, and implications for future research. Make sure you know which model your professor expects you to follow when writing your own literature reviews.
What are the 4 main functions of literature review?
In relation to your own study, the literature review can help in four ways. It can: 1 bring clarity and focus to your research problem; 2 improve your research methodology; 3 broaden your knowledge base in your research area; and 4 contextualise your findings. The literature review involves a paradox.
What is the most important thing in literature review?
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.
What are 3 benefits of literature review?
The purpose of a literature review is to: Provide foundation of knowledge on topic. Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication and give credit to other researchers. Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in previous studies, open questions left from other research.
What are advantages of literature?
Literature is a form of art expressed through words. Despite being looked upon as a written form, its oral forms are also emerging. Although the main concepts of both written and verbal forms are Poetry, Prose, and literature yet have different presentation styles.
Builds vocabulary: Students who are ardent readers learn many new words. Most of the literature includes challenging words which upon learning boosts a student’s communication skill.
Broadens Imagination: Books make a passage for students in an imaginary world, where their imagination puts that character to life. In books, the author provides plain text and leaves the characters, places, and even scenes for students to imagine.
Expands concentration: When a student starts reading a book, he needs to give all of his attention because one missed word and the whole plot looks like a lost cause. Thus, increasing it increases a student’s concentration power.
Gives them a peep into history: Books are the best way to learn history. It gives students insight into the people, places, and events that ever happened in the past. It gives them brief knowledge of everything and makes it easier to know the past whereabouts.
Can make them an empath: While reading a book, students start to feel a sense of belonging with the characters, they feel their pain, and laugh in their joyous moments which also makes them empath in the real life.
Literature teaches a lot about oneself: Literature is full of human reactions that help students to understand the nature and condition of the human heart. Poems, essays, diaries, and narratives bridge the gap of time as they explore another’s message and lessons on life. They respond to these lessons from the past and become more aware of today’s problems.
Literature cultivates wisdom and a worldview : Good principles are formed when reading the classics. Students gain insight into what is healthy and destructive in the world. Good and evil, injustice and its consequences all challenge them to make changes in society.
We believe that today’s students are the leaders of tomorrow and enrolling them in a top CSBE school in Dehradun, would instill moral-ethical values in them and boost their communication skills. If you want your children to have a brighter future, you know where to look for.
What are the 4 essential elements of a literature review?
A description of the publication; a summary of the publication’s main points; a discussion of gaps in research; an evaluation of the publication’s contribution to the topic.
What makes a good literature review?
Rule 6: Be Critical and Consistent – Reviewing the literature is not stamp collecting. A good review does not just summarize the literature, but discusses it critically, identifies methodological problems, and points out research gaps, After having read a review of the literature, a reader should have a rough idea of:
- the major achievements in the reviewed field,
- the main areas of debate, and
- the outstanding research questions.
It is challenging to achieve a successful review on all these fronts. A solution can be to involve a set of complementary coauthors: some people are excellent at mapping what has been achieved, some others are very good at identifying dark clouds on the horizon, and some have instead a knack at predicting where solutions are going to come from.
What are the 6 characteristics of a good literature review explain each?
Characteristics of an effective literature review Outlining important research trends. Assessing strengths and weaknesses (of individual studies as well the existing research as a whole). Identifying potential gaps in knowledge. Establishing a need for current and/or future research projects.
What is the value of literature review?
While there might be many reasons for conducting a literature review, following are four key outcomes of doing the review.
Assessment of the current state of research on a topic, This is probably the most obvious value of the literature review. Once a researcher has determined an area to work with for a research project, a search of relevant information sources will help determine what is already known about the topic and how extensively the topic has already been researched. Identification of the experts on a particular topic, One of the additional benefits derived from doing the literature review is that it will quickly reveal which researchers have written the most on a particular topic and are, therefore, probably the experts on the topic. Someone who has written twenty articles on a topic or on related topics is more than likely more knowledgeable than someone who has written a single article. This same writer will likely turn up as a reference in most of the other articles written on the same topic. From the number of articles written by the author and the number of times the writer has been cited by other authors, a researcher will be able to assume that the particular author is an expert in the area and, thus, a key resource for consultation in the current research to be undertaken. Identification of key questions about a topic that need further research, In many cases a researcher may discover new angles that need further exploration by reviewing what has already been written on a topic. For example, research may suggest that listening to music while studying might lead to better retention of ideas, but the research might not have assessed whether a particular style of music is more beneficial than another. A researcher who is interested in pursuing this topic would then do well to follow up existing studies with a new study, based on previous research, that tries to identify which styles of music are most beneficial to retention. Determination of methodologies used in past studies of the same or similar topics. It is often useful to review the types of studies that previous researchers have launched as a means of determining what approaches might be of most benefit in further developing a topic. By the same token, a review of previously conducted studies might lend itself to researchers determining a new angle for approaching research.
Upon completion of the literature review, a researcher should have a solid foundation of knowledge in the area and a good feel for the direction any new research should take. Should any additional questions arise during the course of the research, the researcher will know which experts to consult in order to quickly clear up those questions.
What are the 4 C’s of literature review?
This systematic review examines whether the use of children’s literature in EFL classrooms supports the 4Cs of CLIL— content, communication, cognition, and culture.
What are the 3 main sources of literature review?
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources.
What two important functions does literature review serve?
The literature review serves two important functions (1) it provides theoretical background to a study and (2) it helps contextualise the findings by comparing them with what others found out in relation to the enquiry.
What are the 3 Cs of an effective literature review?
The ‘3 Cs’ of an effective literature review are to be comprehensive, critical, and clever. To be comprehensive, search for research articles by journal, search multiple databases, and search an article in the following order: title, abstract, introduction and discussion, methods and results, and references.
What is the purpose of literature?
When you read a novel or a poem, or when you watch a movie or a TV comedy, or when you listen to a song, you are experiencing the literary purpose. When you tell a joke or write a love poem, you are using the literary purpose. The literary purpose is used to entertain and to give aesthetic pleasure.
The focus of the literary purpose is on the words themselves and on a conscious and deliberate arrangement of the words to produce a pleasing or enriching effect. A writer often expresses a worldview when using the literary purpose. The writer might comment on human nature or behavior. The reader gains insight to the human condition by understanding the writer’s ideas.
When used as a secondary purpose, the literary purpose enhances the primary purpose through figurative or poetic or playful language and often a sense of human struggle. Literary writing is usually fictional, and it makes use of figurative or symbolic language.
When literary purpose is the primary purpose, the writing should be fictional. As a secondary purpose, literary writing can be found in combination with the expressive or persuasive purpose. Because literary writing is figurative, it is seldom found in combination with referential writing, which is literal.
Kinds of Literary Writing
novels, short stories, poems plays and musicals movie and TV scripts parodies and satire memoirs and thoughtful essays
Features and Characteristics
Focus is on the conscious, deliberate use and arrangement of words. Purpose: to entertain; to give aesthetic pleasure Main Characteristics:
usually fiction that displays a sense of reality tension or conflict artistic unity (a main idea is conveyed) figurative language (similes, metaphors, irony, symbolism, analogy)
Minor Characteristics:
first-person or third-person pronouns (usually) Style: informal/colloquial/vulgar
When You Use the Literary Purpose to Write
Think about what you want to say. Pay attention to the words you choose. Play with language to produce pleasure or emotional release for the reader. Use figurative language. Use sensory appeals. Include some sort of problem or tension, along with a resolution of that problem. Try to give some essential meaning or idea to the reader.
Example: She waited on the porch, swinging slowly to and fro, as the western sky melted from orange to gray to black. She heard the whine of the truck tires out on the highway and, farther, the lonesome song of the Sunset Limited, whisking people away to exotic places like Houston or beyond.
- A teasing breeze swept over her, coaxing her auburn hair across her face, and as she pushed the hair away, her finger burned with the tear that had pooled in her eye.
- Soon the lid could hold no more, and the tear blazed a trail down her lightly powdered face.
- He said he would be there an hour before, and still he did not come.
Had he been in a wreck, or had he, like all the others before, only played with her trusting heart? Read other literary examples below. When You Analyze the Literary Purpose in Another’s Writing
Identify the purpose you are analyzing, in this case literary writing. Directly identify the characteristics (at least three) of the literary purpose used by the writer, such as a sense of reality in a work of fiction, a problem or tension, artistic unity that lends a central idea, figurative or playful language. Give an example of each characteristic you identify. Tie the example directly to the characteristic. Provide a summative conclusion that the presence of the characteristics demonstrates the use of the purpose.
Example of analysis of the paragraph above: The writer uses the literary purpose to present a fictional slice-of-life scene. One key characteristic of literary writing, a sense of reality, is evident in the writer’s use of common images that reflect everyday life, such as the character swinging on the porch and listening to the sound of traffic out on the highway.
Another characteristic of literary writing appears as the writer introduces a problem, the fact that the character is waiting for some person to appear; the tardiness of the person produces sadness and doubt in the character. The writer has also used another key characteristic, figurative language, in suggesting that the sky is melting, that a breeze is teasing her, and that her tear is blazing a trail.
The presence of these various characteristics demonstrates the writer’s effective use of the literary purpose. Notes on this analysis: First sentence: identifies the purpose. Second sentence: identifies a characteristic of literary writing and includes a related example.
What is the greatest benefit that one can get from literature?
– And speaking of sensing pain, research has shown that people who read literary fiction — stories that explore the inner lives of characters — show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others. Researchers call this ability the “theory of mind,” a set of skills essential for building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships.
How can a student benefit from literature?
How is the Literature nowadays? – In this modern and technological world, the importance of literature seems to be decreasing. People are less and less interested in reading books and reading habit is diminishing day by day. But the fact is that literature is not a luxury it is a necessity.
- The importance of literature cannot be denied and it is a fact that literature makes us what we are.
- Literature makes us think and feel.
- It helps us to see the world differently and therefore makes us more mature and more intelligent people.
- Literature is not just about reading books.
- It is about reading between the lines.
It is a wide field and includes everything from magazines to newspapers and from novels to poems. Literature helps us to explore the world around us. It makes us understand the speech and behavior of other people. Literature teaches us to observe things and to understand them in a better way.
Literature is important for students because it helps them to develop their imagination and creativity, improves their language skills and also enables them to appreciate the arts. It also helps in developing emotional sensitivity and gives them a taste of beauty. Reading literature helps students to discover the world beyond school.
It enhances their knowledge about society, history, science, geography and politics. Even though they may not understand everything that they read, but as they grow older they will realize how it has helped them in building a strong foundation for life.
What makes a good literature review?
Rule 6: Be Critical and Consistent – Reviewing the literature is not stamp collecting. A good review does not just summarize the literature, but discusses it critically, identifies methodological problems, and points out research gaps, After having read a review of the literature, a reader should have a rough idea of:
- the major achievements in the reviewed field,
- the main areas of debate, and
- the outstanding research questions.
It is challenging to achieve a successful review on all these fronts. A solution can be to involve a set of complementary coauthors: some people are excellent at mapping what has been achieved, some others are very good at identifying dark clouds on the horizon, and some have instead a knack at predicting where solutions are going to come from.
What is the purpose of literature?
When you read a novel or a poem, or when you watch a movie or a TV comedy, or when you listen to a song, you are experiencing the literary purpose. When you tell a joke or write a love poem, you are using the literary purpose. The literary purpose is used to entertain and to give aesthetic pleasure.
- The focus of the literary purpose is on the words themselves and on a conscious and deliberate arrangement of the words to produce a pleasing or enriching effect.
- A writer often expresses a worldview when using the literary purpose.
- The writer might comment on human nature or behavior.
- The reader gains insight to the human condition by understanding the writer’s ideas.
When used as a secondary purpose, the literary purpose enhances the primary purpose through figurative or poetic or playful language and often a sense of human struggle. Literary writing is usually fictional, and it makes use of figurative or symbolic language.
When literary purpose is the primary purpose, the writing should be fictional. As a secondary purpose, literary writing can be found in combination with the expressive or persuasive purpose. Because literary writing is figurative, it is seldom found in combination with referential writing, which is literal.
Kinds of Literary Writing
novels, short stories, poems plays and musicals movie and TV scripts parodies and satire memoirs and thoughtful essays
Features and Characteristics
Focus is on the conscious, deliberate use and arrangement of words. Purpose: to entertain; to give aesthetic pleasure Main Characteristics:
usually fiction that displays a sense of reality tension or conflict artistic unity (a main idea is conveyed) figurative language (similes, metaphors, irony, symbolism, analogy)
Minor Characteristics:
first-person or third-person pronouns (usually) Style: informal/colloquial/vulgar
When You Use the Literary Purpose to Write
Think about what you want to say. Pay attention to the words you choose. Play with language to produce pleasure or emotional release for the reader. Use figurative language. Use sensory appeals. Include some sort of problem or tension, along with a resolution of that problem. Try to give some essential meaning or idea to the reader.
Example: She waited on the porch, swinging slowly to and fro, as the western sky melted from orange to gray to black. She heard the whine of the truck tires out on the highway and, farther, the lonesome song of the Sunset Limited, whisking people away to exotic places like Houston or beyond.
- A teasing breeze swept over her, coaxing her auburn hair across her face, and as she pushed the hair away, her finger burned with the tear that had pooled in her eye.
- Soon the lid could hold no more, and the tear blazed a trail down her lightly powdered face.
- He said he would be there an hour before, and still he did not come.
Had he been in a wreck, or had he, like all the others before, only played with her trusting heart? Read other literary examples below. When You Analyze the Literary Purpose in Another’s Writing
Identify the purpose you are analyzing, in this case literary writing. Directly identify the characteristics (at least three) of the literary purpose used by the writer, such as a sense of reality in a work of fiction, a problem or tension, artistic unity that lends a central idea, figurative or playful language. Give an example of each characteristic you identify. Tie the example directly to the characteristic. Provide a summative conclusion that the presence of the characteristics demonstrates the use of the purpose.
Example of analysis of the paragraph above: The writer uses the literary purpose to present a fictional slice-of-life scene. One key characteristic of literary writing, a sense of reality, is evident in the writer’s use of common images that reflect everyday life, such as the character swinging on the porch and listening to the sound of traffic out on the highway.
- Another characteristic of literary writing appears as the writer introduces a problem, the fact that the character is waiting for some person to appear; the tardiness of the person produces sadness and doubt in the character.
- The writer has also used another key characteristic, figurative language, in suggesting that the sky is melting, that a breeze is teasing her, and that her tear is blazing a trail.
The presence of these various characteristics demonstrates the writer’s effective use of the literary purpose. Notes on this analysis: First sentence: identifies the purpose. Second sentence: identifies a characteristic of literary writing and includes a related example.
What are the characteristics of a good literature review?
Characteristics of an effective literature review Outlining important research trends. Assessing strengths and weaknesses (of individual studies as well the existing research as a whole). Identifying potential gaps in knowledge. Establishing a need for current and/or future research projects.