ABSTRACT
This chapter presents advice on identifying and developing a topic for a research study, and discusses the specific elements that make up the Literature Review. It summarizes and critiques related studies and shows how their findings link to the problem being investigated. The chapter provides an important connection between existing knowledge and the problem being investigated. When writing a thesis or dissertation, students should ideally engage in choosing a research topic near the beginning of a program. Throughout other course work, items related to the topic may be discussed with others, and summaries of reading can be added to an annotated bibliography. While reporting about the findings and perspectives of others is an important part of the Literature Review, it must be done in a way in which one's own flow of thought and organization is evident. Paraphrasing ideas, and comparing and contrasting perspectives expressed by different writers are important considerations in constructing the Literature Review.
