Literature Review Study Notes

Introduction to Literature Reviews

  • Purpose and Types: Understand the aims and functions of literature reviews, as explained by Lim et al. (2022). This involves analyzing reviews from two articles - Göcer et al. (2024) and Carbone et al. (2017).
  • Discussion Structure: Form groups for each article and engage in comparative discussions by mixing groups to cover both articles.

Problems in Science

  • Identifies key challenges in scientific research:
    • Anomalies: Unexplained phenomena that arise during research.
    • Paradoxes: Situations where contradictory findings emerge.
    • Knowledge Gaps: Insufficient information or understanding in certain areas.
    • Overview Deficiencies: Lack of comprehensive insights regarding existing knowledge.

Definition of Literature Review

  • Reviewing Concept: Defined as “To view, inspect, or examine a second time or again” (Grant & Booth, 2009).
  • Establishes the foundation for various types of literature reviews and methodologies.

Types of Literature Reviews (Grant et al, 2009)

  • Critical Review: Evaluates quality and identifies significant studies without formal quality assessment.
  • Literature Review: Examines recent literature with or without comprehensive searching and quality assessments; usually narrative in style.
  • State-of-the-Art Review: Focuses on current matters with thorough literature searches, typically narrative without formal quality assessments.
  • Qualitative Systematic Review: Integrates findings from qualitative studies, focusing on thematic elements; utilizes selective sampling and thematic analysis.

Additional Types of Reviews

  • Domain-Based Reviews: Focus on specific fields.
  • Structured Reviews: Identify gaps in literature.
  • Framework-Based Reviews: Organize literature using structures, e.g., ADO framework.
  • Bibliometric Reviews: Employ statistical methods instead of theoretical frameworks.
  • Hybrid Reviews: Combine various review types and narratives.
  • Theory-Building Reviews: Aim for the generation of new hypotheses and propositions.
  • Theory-Based Reviews: Help in advancing specific theories.
  • Method-Based Reviews: Expand knowledge about specific methods.
  • Meta-Analytical Reviews: Synthesize and statistically assess previous reviews (Paul & Criado, 2020).

What to Review?

  • Role Theory: Differentiate between
    • Domain Theory: Knowledge specific to a certain topic area.
    • Method Theory/Theoretical Lenses: Higher-level meta-theories from disciplines like economics and sociology (Lukka & Vinnari, 2014).

Roles of Literature Reviews (Lim et al, 2022)

  1. Supporting Role:
    • Identifies and explains crucial concepts in studies.
    • Establishes basis for propositions and hypotheses.
  2. Facilitating Role:
    • Provides an overview of research performance and major research streams.
    • Highlights gaps and conflicting findings.
    • Suggests theoretical, contextual, and methodological avenues for advancement.

Group Work Discussion

  • Analyze the types and purposes of literature reviews in Carbone et al. (2017) and Göcer et al. (2024).
  • Examine whether the type of literature review aligns with the purpose of each article.
  • Discuss the support provided by literature reviews to the studies.
  • Evaluate the theories applied: were they domain or method theories? Why is this distinction significant?