A literature review is a significant part of the research. It is a survey of all existing literature in a specific discipline. The literature review evaluates the existing literature to explore the findings, evidence, and research gap. A research gap is the unaddressed part of the literature that a researcher can conduct his research. When it comes to sources for writing the literature review, articles, dissertations, papers, and scholarly articles make it the most credible resource.
Conducting a literature review, on the other hand, is a pretty daunting task that most students find tiring, and therefore, for such students, a literature review writing service comes to their rescue. However, it is essential to understand that literature review is nothing but a critical analysis of a written work that must be done with objectivity and free of any pressure. Well, it is understandable that deadlines are the primary source of pressure; you must begin work in a timely to omit the unnecessary burden. Remember that you need patience and good analytical skills to write a better analysis.
So, here comes the million-dollar question.
Where do I find data for the literature review?
If you have got an idea about what literature review is, you must now think of inquiring about the sources from where you can get data to analyze. That is a valid question, as most students find themselves stuck in the middle of differentiating the right and wrong literature to review and cite in their paper.
Before exploring the five main sources of literature, you must know that you are lucky to explore and get access to a wide range of literature through the internet. You do not have to visit multiple libraries and search shelf by shelf and book by the book. The electronic is a godsend technological advancement for students.
There are basically two types of sources of literature:
1. Primary source:
The primary source refers to all sources that are original. They offer first-hand information about the subject of study. In natural and social science, the primary source can be academic journals. The academic journals provide explanatory descriptions and information about the research. Generally, the examples of the primary source can be letters, speeches, diaries, autobiographies, interviews, etc.
2. Secondary source:
The secondary source refers to the no-original data. They offer second-hand information about the subject of the study. A secondary source usually discusses a primary source. For example, the secondary source can be a research paper that is about any other research paper(primary source). Some of the examples of secondary resources are textbooks, magazines, newspapers, reference books, etc.
Also Read : How to Craft a Successful Literature Review Writing.
Five Acceptable sources for literature review:
Peer-reviewed journal articles:
A peer-reviewed journal article is a paper that is submitted to a scholarly journal, accepted, and published. Peer review is a process where the article is reviewed and verified by a group of scholars before it is published. When authors send their articles to a peer-reviewed journal, the set of experts in the discipline evaluate the paper against all the quality standards and verify it out for publishing. Using peer-reviewed journal articles is an acceptable source for literature because the expert checks the article to see if the sources are reliable and the information it provides is useful and meaningful.
Journal Articles:
A journal article is a set of multiple articles published on a regular basis. They are shorter than books and are written on a very specific theme. The journal articles are written by experts, so they are reliable sources of data for writing literature reviews. You find them in the form of print, digital, or both. But it is advised to use the journal articles cautiously and sparingly because trade journals are not usually peer-reviewed. It means that they may have flaws in terms of the sources and information presented in the article. However, you can easily find out if they are peer-reviewed articles or not by reading about the journal or simply filtering your research for peer-reviewed ones.
Edited academic Books:
The edited book is a set of articles written by different authors on the same subject, and it can also be a collection of a set of published articles by the same author. They are original papers that go through a process of stringent review. Therefore, the edited academic books are a great source of data for writing a literature review. However, there is always a need to check if it contains peer reviews journal papers or not.
Statistical data from government or international organizations:
You may also find different statistical data produced as a survey on a large scale by government or international organizations that have a very high level of credibility. You can rely on all kinds of govt reports as long as they are not accused of being rigged. However, you can rely on papers produced by international organizations such as the world health organization, United Nations, and European Union, etc.
Reports on websites:
You can also rely on the reports published on different websites. Websites carryout research on different scales and post findings on their websites. It can be an excellent source of data for literature review. However, it is essential to understand the difference between a credible and unreliable source. Check and evaluate the professionalism and credibility of the website, and use the statistical data if it is any worth it.
Bottom Line:
In sum, it should be clear that there are two kinds of sources, primary and secondary, that you can use for writing a literature review. Some of the most valuable sources of data that you can use for the literature review are peer-reviewed journal articles, journal articles, edited academic books, statistical data from government institutions, and reports on websites.
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