Literature Review
Hints and Precautions
Some Hints for the Review of Literature
Some miscellaneous hints are provided here on how to review the literature. These concern mainly:
a. To realise that reviewing the literature is essentially the library phase of the project,
and so we must become thoroughly conversant not only with the way in which
libraries in general function, classify, and catalogue, but also with the way in which
the specific library in which we work does these things.
b. To recognise that there are only two criteria for good bibliographic research;
accuracy and consistency. Therefore, from the very beginning of the review of
literature, it is sound practice to begin recording the essential information accurately
and exactly in the same way.
c. To copy direct quotations and note the page number of the book or journal on which
it appears because this will be needed in referring to the quotation.
8. Precautions in Library Use
The following precautions are to be taken in the use of
library for review of literature:
a. Avoid intellectual dishonesty.
b. Guard against being conditioned by the view point of an earlier researcher and the
temptation of blindly following his/her procedure.
c. Merely listing of previous studies without reviewing them or giving their
characteristics is not enough.
d. It is always helpful to arrange the previous studies in chronological order so that
the growth of the field is clearly known to the researcher as well as to the readers.
e. A researcher should have a good grasp of library procedures which will help
him/her to locate books and references needed by him/her without wasting most
of time and energy. This process can be classified into two categories:
(a) Preliminary Reading: For the bird's eye view of the whole thing.
(b) Critical Thinking: The references and material which seem useful as a result
of preliminary reading are noted down and are read critically and serious
evaluation of the available data and information.