A literature review is an important step in conducting research. It prevents the researcher from reinventing the wheel by exposing the previously established principles and concepts. You will not see a single entry in prestigious online research paper publications without literature reviews.
This blog post will explore major points about these reviews including their need in the research publication industry, their benefits, and commonly used types of these reviews.
Importance of Literature Reviews
Why does every credible research paper present a literature review? Is it an essential part of research? literature reviews are very important for researchers for many reasons. Without conducting this phase, they cannot be sure of the need for their study. Here are a few reasons this step is necessary for researchers.
It Gives Inspiration for Further Research
The idea for research is born when a researcher studies a topic and uses different sources of information to build a thorough understanding of it. They may find a gap in the existing research and decide to explore it further. This curiosity to understand the topic beyond existing information and understanding is what gives birth to the idea for new research.
In the end, studying previous work on a subject matter not only gives required insights into that subject but also prompts the researcher to prove or disprove the theories. This exploration will motivate the researcher to think outside the box and develop a new hypothesis, expanding the viewing angle for the subject.
It Speaks of Novelty of Research
To get published, the researcher must prove that their research is novel and is not a copied research from another study. They also need to prove the need for this study which can only be proven by a detailed review of existing research.
When a researcher adds a literature review to their research paper, they indicate its needs in the current landscape of research and publications. Editors will study this review thoroughly to conclude whether the claim of the importance of research is accurate or not. In the end, this review acts as a certificate that allows the paper to move through the publication process.
It Helps with Publication of Research
We have discussed before how this literature review helps with the publication of research papers by selling the idea and scope of research to the editor. However, this review helps the researcher beyond the editing phase. A thoughtfully written literature review helps reviewers understand the importance of this work.
If it’s compelling enough, they will spend more time studying the research and prioritize its review on their other duties and commitments. This can help speed up the review process. Once the research is published, this review will help the audiences determine if the study relates to their field or not.
Benefits of Literature Review
Here are a few benefits of conducting a thorough literature review.
It Prevents Duplication of Work
The biggest benefit of this review is that it prevents the scholar from duplicating past research. if they study the topic in detail, they must come across major studies on it. Using this background research, they will identify gaps in current work. Once this gap is identified, they will explore deeply to find more content on this sub-topic. This way, they will unearth all previous studies conducted on this topic, eliminating the possibility of duplication.
Thorough Literature Review Helps Identify Most Suitable Methodology
Developing research methodology is a significant step that determines the success of a study. You can get inspiration for this part from previous works on the same topic. A literature review helps the researcher build a robust and effective methodology by showing previous studies’ methods. Then, these researchers are open to either improving these methodologies or building one for themselves.
These Reviews Help with the Publication
Literature reviews are a mandatory part of research papers in almost all disciplines. You must present your manuscript with a thorough and well-constructed literature review to get it past the editorial desk and review process. In the end, doing a literature review helps with the publication process.
They Add Credibility to Research
Beyond making a case for the importance of research, the inclusion of a literature review in a research paper speaks volumes about the knowledge and understanding of its researcher. It shows that the researcher is an expert in his field and has developed a thorough mastery of the subject matter that empowered him to plan and conduct this research.
These Reviews Trigger More Research Work
Most of the time, literature reviews are a part of a standard research paper. At some other times, we also see them as standalone publications collecting concepts from past work. Usually referred to as review articles, these papers adorn periodicals very often. These reviews make research easier for budding researchers. Also, finding grounds for future work becomes easy with these articles.
Types of Literature Reviews
The most common use of a literature review is in combination with a research paper. However, many scholars write and publish these reviews as individual research pieces. Here are four common types of literature reviews that we see in the publication industry.
Literature Reviews
Mostly, scholars conduct background research on a topic to strengthen their research. They add this literature review to the research paper they write based on their findings. This is the most common form of literature review published nowadays.
Narrative Review Articles
These articles are standalone review articles that are published in periodicals. The purpose of these articles is to dissect a single research. Mostly, the subject of this research is a recent study. However, the researcher is allowed to critically analyze any study from the past for these articles. In addition to commenting on the scope, importance, and validity of the research under study, the review will also add their analysis and developments on this subject.
Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis is another review that doesn’t need the support of research to get published. This type of review will collect all major studies on a single research question and see for reliability and consistency of results. The purpose of such reviews is to prove or disprove an established concept.
Systematic Review
This third type of review looks at past research with a question or a viewpoint. The goal is to use these studies and answer or debate a related concept.
Wrapping Up
Literature reviews are an important part of online research publications. Mostly, they are published as part of research papers. However, at times, readers also read them as standalone reviews. These reviews play a significant role in the success of the research paper as well as the publication industry. This blog post discusses these reviews in detail.
