What are the Types of Literature Review? Expert Overview

The Two Primary Categories of Dissertation Literature Reviews

The two primary categories of dissertation literature reviews that every dissertation writer chooses in his writing are.

The Literature Review

The “literature review” or “background” element of a research article or a volume in a graduate thesis is the most popular. The existing literature is summarized in this part, which also generally outlines the weak areas that the exploratory study fills. It can also give the suggested study a theoretical underpinning, and support the existence of the research topic. As well as, support the research by adding new knowledge to the existing body of knowledge, or evaluating the methodologies and procedures for the research proposal.

The Focus of the Chapter

The second sample category of the literature review is on which the present chapter focuses. It is a unique and worthwhile piece of independent research. It provides a solid beginning point for all community members involved in a specific subject. Or issue rather than serving as the foundation for a researcher’s studies. Without gathering or analyzing any raw data, the “review paper” is a journal-length piece with the overall objective of synthesizing the knowledge in an area.

The 14 Basic Types of Literature Review for Researchers

Whenever it comes to the types of literature review researchers often choose from the standard 4 types of literature review that is traditional, systematic, scoping, or rapid. However, there are different kinds of literature reviews. The type you choose will rely on your study strategy and design. Following are the 14 different kinds of literature reviews.

Traditional/Narrative Literature Review

A traditional or narrative literature review’s main objective is to assess and summarize a body of literature. This is accomplished by providing an in-depth overview of the relevant literature to emphasize new research lines, spot gaps, or uncover contradictions. This kind of literature evaluation can aid in building frameworks for theories and concepts as well as in clarifying, concentrating, and directing research issues.

Systematic Literature Review

Using pre-specified and defined methodologies, this type provides a summary of the available research about a clearly stated research question. It also collects, reports, and analyses information from the studies that are part of the review. Usually, it emphasizes fairly narrow empirical investigations, which are frequently phrased in reasonable manners, like “To what level would X relate to Y?”

Moreover, meta-analysis and meta-synthesis are the two subcategories of systematic literature reviews.

Meta-Analysis Systematic Literature Review

In a meta-analysis, results from various research on the same topic are combined and subjected to standardized data analysis. In a meta-analysis, links and correlations are found, and findings are reached. Meta-analysis is related to the deductive method to research.

Meta-Synthesis Systematic Literature Review

Contrarily, meta-synthesis relies on non-statistical methods. This method combines, assesses, and analyzes the findings of many qualitative studies and investigations. When using an inductive analysis, a meta-synthesis literature review is typically undertaken.

Scoping Literature Review

Is used to determine the breadth or depth of a corpus of literature on a certain subject, as suggested by its name. Scoping reviews are effective for analyzing evidence of the potential when it is yet unknown what the other, more detailed questions might be presented and valuable answered by a more thorough systematic review.

The primary distinction between systematic and scoping types of literature reviews is that systematic reviews are carried out to investigate more generic research topics. While scoping reviews are done to find answers to more particular research concerns.

Rapid Literature Review

A rapid literature review is an evaluation of what has already been recognized about a regulatory or practice problem by research and rigorous evaluation of existing continually enhancing systematic review methods.

Umbrella Literature Review

This type of review relates specifically to the process of assembling data from several evaluations into a single, easily accessible publication. Emphasizes reviews that discuss various competing strategies and their effects while focusing on a broad ailment or issue for which there are strategies available.

State-of-the-art Literature Review

Compared to other blended historical and contemporary methodologies, they frequently address more contemporary issues. This approach might present fresh viewpoints.

Mapping out Literature Review

By spotting gaps in the published research, you can map out and organize the current material to use as a basis for exploratory data or to contract additional reviews.

Theoretical Literature Review

This type’s goal is to specifically investigate the body of thought that has formed concerning a problem, idea, theory, or experience. The theoretical literature review aids in identifying what ideas already exist, their connections, the depth to which they have been explored. As well as the creation of new testable hypotheses.

This format is frequently employed to demonstrate the lack of suitable theories. Or the inadequacy of present theories to account for a novel or developing research issues. The theoretical concept, a complete theory, or a framework may be the subject of the analytical unit.

Historical Literature Review

Few issues arise without relation to prior historical occurrences. Historical reviews typically begin with the first mention of a topic, idea, theory, or experience to assess research over time. Which first appeared in the literature and then tracked the topic’s advancement inside the scholarly output of a discipline. The objective is to contextualize discoveries to show how knowledge has advanced through time and to identify the most likely directions for further research.

Systemized Literature Review

In particular, systemized reviews try to incorporate some aspects of the systematic review method without going all the way to it. Usually done as a postgraduate student project.

Argumentative Literature Review

Issues that have been raised in the literature are addressed in this review. In brief, this method selectively explores the literature to prove or disprove a claim, a fundamental presumption, or a philosophical challenge. The objective is to produce a body of literature that supports a different point of view. Argumentative techniques for literature analysis can be a valid and significant type of discourse considering the valuation nature of some social scientific studies.

Some examples of this type of review counts; are institutional restructuring and border security. Therefore, be aware that they may introduce bias. If used to generate summary statements that resemble those found in systematic reviews.

Critical Literature Review

This review attempts to show that the writer has carefully considered and assessed the quality of the literature. It includes a level of research and intellectual originality and extends beyond simple description. Commonly leads to a hypothesis or methodology.

Mixed Studies Literature Review

Any collection of methods that involves a systematic review of the literature as a significant component. In the framework of a review, it alludes to a blend of review methodologies. Such as outcome and process studies or quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Qualitative Systematic Review

A process for evaluating or synthesizing the results of qualitative research. It searches for “issues” or “structures” that are present in or span several qualitative research.

Conclusion

Now that you’re aware of how to write a dissertation literature review according to the need of your type. Here’s a piece of advice for you all. You must describe and defend the type of literature review you decided on in the preceding chapters of the review of literature. Your research topic, research challenge, and research methodology should all be taken into consideration. While selecting a particular type of literature review.

Secondly, briefly touch on the other most typical sorts of literature evaluations mentioned above to show that you are aware of them.