How many paragraphs is an academic book review?

Literature review for a scientific article

Starting any new research, the scientist first of all asks himself what is already known about the problem under consideration. Scientific works are often based on the works of predecessors, gradually expanding and deepening existing knowledge, which refutes them and offers something fundamentally new.

A literature review places current research in the context of pre-existing knowledge. The justification of a research question is based on what is known at the moment, what gaps there are in this knowledge and why it is important to fill these gaps. The main purpose of a literature review in a scientific article is to avoid spending effort, time, and money on the rediscovery of already known facts.

We dedicate this article to a review of the literature in a scientific publication. Let's talk about what a good literature review should be, how to look for sources and how to write a review that is useful for readers and impeccable from the point of view of the editor of a scientific journal.

1. What are the signs of a good literature review?

There is an opinion that a good literature review should be great. Thirty pages and a hundred sources are serious. In fact, if size is important, it cannot be the only indicator of quality. Signs of a good literature review are:

• Relevance to the research topic. The main purpose of the review is to tell what is known about a particular issue. To be distracted by extraneous subjects means simply to confuse the reader and demonstrate to the reviewer the lack of logic and common sense.
• Sufficient breadth and depth of coverage. Perhaps the main word here is sufficient. The review should include all important papers on the research topic. However, you should not start with Adam and Eve. If you are not going to debate with luminaries and refute established theories, focus on the key works of recent years.
• Consistency and clarity. Starting with the characterization of a broad scientific field, narrow the focus to a specific problem. The reader should understand how the cited works relate to each other and to the current research.
• Brevity. The volume of a literature review is a controversial issue. It is important that the reader does not have time to get tired, bored and lose his thought.
• Analysis and synthesis. A review is not equal to a simple retelling of sources. Paying tribute to his predecessors, the author should identify a gap in the available body of knowledge, substantiate the research question and ways to solve the problem.

The quality of the literature review can be assessed based on the following features:

1. The theme is clearly formulated.
2. The main studies on the topic are identified and considered.
3. Different points of view are discussed.
4. Adequate conclusions have been drawn from previous studies.
5. The research question is clearly formulated.
6. Reasonable ways to solve the problem are proposed.

A literature review should be done before the start of the study, and, of course, before writing the article. Despite the seeming obviousness of this requirement, it is not always observed. For novice scientists, a literary review sometimes seems to be the icing on the cake, which can be put down at the last moment.

However, planning a scientific work without knowing what your predecessors have already done is a big risk. Reinventing the bicycle can be fun and creative, but people who have been riding bikes for a long time won't appreciate your efforts. Before you plan your research, you need to make sure that the question you want to answer is really relevant.

2. The procedure for working on the literature review.

Do you know the feeling of confusion and disorientation in the library? If so, then of course you have thought that one life may not be enough to read all the important literature. This is true if the search is "continuous scratching", according to the principle "we look through everything in the hope of stumbling upon the right one".

Experienced researchers advise you to act according to a plan. Starting with a broad perspective and gradually narrowing the focus can ensure that you do not miss anything important and do not include anything superfluous.

It is rational to start the literature review with sources that consider the key issues on the topic. These include:

• Tutorials. It is recommended to choose those that have withstood several reprints. They give a general idea of the available body of knowledge.

A good textbook shows the main ideas and concepts, their criticism, mentions works that have made a significant contribution to the issue under study. It is these works that will be the next stage of the literary review.

Keep in mind that no textbook reports on recent research, in this sense it is only a starting point.

• Encyclopedias and reference books, especially specialized thematic publications. Their articles provide a brief overview of the current state of the topic and provide links to sources that reveal the issue in more detail. They are what you need. The works referred to in textbooks, encyclopedias and reference books are fundamental.

After studying the main authoritative sources, it is necessary to find out what has appeared in the scientific field since their publication. To do this, go to logs and databases. First of all, look for review and analytical articles in them.

Do not exclude from the literature review works that contradict your results and conclusions. In the interests of the development of science, such conflicts should be discussed, and not swept under the carpet.

When the manuscript is finished, review the latest publications to ensure that all the latest research in your field is covered.

You can endlessly look at the fire, talk with a friend who has returned from a long journey and swim in the sea of scientific literature. Every scientist who collects material for a literature review faces the question: when should he stop? After all, in modern science it is impossible to embrace the immensity, especially in areas that have been actively developed for a long time. Unfortunately, there are no firm criteria here. It's always a matter of experience and common sense.

3. Search for sources for literature review.

In the modern world, a huge amount of scientific literature is published. If there is no system in the search, there is a serious risk of missing important resources and spending a lot of time on secondary ones.

To search for sources, the following are used:

• Library catalogs. If you know the name of the author, his works can be found in the alphabetical catalog. The subject catalogue offers a search by job titles and keywords.

At present, library catalogs exist not only in paper, but also in electronic form. You can enter the electronic catalog from any computer, you do not need to go to the library to search.

Electronic catalogs can unite all libraries of the city and even the region. They contain not only paper, but also electronic sources. In the catalogs you can find textbooks, monographs, dissertations, essays, periodicals.

• Databases. They are large aggregators of scientific publications around the world. The most popular are Web of science, Scopus, Google Scholar. Articles that are in the public domain can be found on Sci Hub. Pubmed, which accumulates publications on biology and medicine, stands apart.

Publications that are not in the public domain can be obtained from ResearchGate, a free social network used by scientists around the world. Through it, you can contact the author of the desired article and ask for private access.

• Online search. To find sources for a literature review on the Internet, first of all, use your topic and keywords.

The task becomes more complicated if you get several pages of links in response to a search query. Information about the journal and the author will help you understand whether it is worth reading a particular publication. The following facts speak in favor of a careful study of the article:

• The journal is peer-reviewed.
• He specializes in your scientific field.
• It is good if the journal belongs to the first or second quartile and has a high impact factor.
• The article has high citation rates.
• The author is a recognized authority in your field of science.
• If at least half of these conditions are met, the article is likely worth exploring.

Important! If you are going to publish an article in a foreign scientific journal, the citation list should include the works of scientists who are authorities in the country of publication.

The best way to expand the range of sources is to use the bibliography of those articles that you have already found.

Finding sources of information for literature review outside of one's field of science can yield interesting results and lead to non-trivial ideas. The number of interdisciplinary studies in modern science is growing rapidly.

The study of scientific articles begins with abstracts. Your goal is to determine if this work is actually related to your research question. To search for abstracts, you can use the abstract journal, which is published monthly in paper and electronic form. It contains abstracts, annotations and bibliographic descriptions of Russian and foreign publications in natural, exact, technical sciences, biology and medicine. The abstract journal covers articles, books, reports of scientific conferences, dissertations, patent and regulatory and technical documents.

Paper cards or electronic files can be used to keep records. For any method of note-taking, indicate the source (preferably in a specific citation style), the main idea, and the keyword to which it is associated. Don't limit yourself to simple copying when collecting material. Express your thoughts in your own words, show how quotes are related to the topic of your work. 

4. How to write a literature review?

When the main material is collected, it is time to structure the information and present it in the form of a coherent text. The review is not a simple enumeration of sources and a statement of facts. He must present an analysis, identify trends and substantiate the theoretical basis of his own research.

It is logical to begin the review of the literature with the definition of the framework of the study and the formulation of the main research questions. Identify the problem and show that it is really relevant. Tell us what approaches to solving the problem exist and what new things you yourself offer.

Follow logic and consistency. Each work under consideration should be related to the previous and subsequent ones. Works can be grouped by time or place of research, the position of the authors or other characteristics.

Don't quote large chunks of text unless absolutely necessary. Formulate the main theses of the authors and link them to your work. Remember that the purpose of a literature review is not to retell sources, but to analyze and describe the overall picture.

The style of writing should correspond to the nature of the target audience:

• If you are writing a dissertation, your audience is your supervisor, the academic council of the university, and the higher attestation commission. The style must comply with the established rules.
• Publication in the journal should take into account the editorial requirements and interests of readers. Articles by other authors in the same edition can serve as a guide.
• If a book is written for a wide audience, then its goal is to attract as many people as possible with different training and interests.

If you are preparing an article for a foreign scientific journal, take into account the specifics of academic English. Order proofreading by a native English speaker to be sure that the editor will not have any complaints about the style.

5. How to cite correctly in a literature review?

One of the most important points that determine the quality of a scientific text in general and, especially, a literature review is correct citation. Its goal is to give the reader enough information so that they can find the source and conduct a critical analysis on their own, without relying only on the opinion of the author of the article.

The most common problems of citation are insufficient completeness and accuracy. Important! The author is solely responsible for the accuracy of citations. Neither the editor, reviewer, nor publisher should check the accuracy of references and should not expect them to do so.

Errors in citation can be attributed to two classes: incorrect indication of the source and shortcomings in the design of the quotation. In the first case, there is a serious problem, since the reader cannot find the source at all from the specified link. In the second case, we are talking about the incorrect use of punctuation marks, mistakes in names, titles, and similar inaccuracies. You can still find a source at such a link, but it requires a lot of effort.

How not to overload the work with citations and at the same time prevent plagiarism?

• Quote only those sources that you really consider necessary. There is no need to automatically transfer bibliographic lists from the articles you refer to into your work. This leads to the fact that errors in citation wander from one article to another and are never corrected. Some authors limit themselves to reading the annotations, which also cannot be considered correct. If you haven't read the entire source, don't cite it.
• Select authoritative authors and articles from peer-reviewed journals: these sources are analyzed by serious experts and can be relied upon. How to find out citation indicators, read here.
• Don't quote friends and colleagues just because you've been asked to. It would seem that this petty service costs you nothing, but the person is pleased. However, if you want to be taken seriously, your own approach to research needs to be appropriate. One of the worst things that spoil the reputation of a scientist is the presence in the list of references of sources that are not related to the study.

How do you know that the number of quotes is enough? Imagine that your article is being read by a university graduate or graduate student. Will he be able to understand your ideas well after studying the sources referenced in the article?

At the same time, the number of links should not be excessive. I think many people have come across articles whose bibliographic lists take up more space than the text itself. There is an opinion that an author who has shoveled through a mountain of literature deserves trust and respect. However, look at it from the reader's point of view. Is there much benefit from such a citation:

related work on the technique has been carried out by numerous researchers1–101

Before adding a dozen more sources to your citation list, consider whether reading ALL of these articles would be helpful.

All of the above applies to self-citation as well. It is appropriate to refer to your own work only when it really helps to understand the issues discussed in the current article.

Check the accuracy of citations and the correctness of the design of your links immediately. In the future, this will save a lot of time and demonstrate to the editor your accuracy and attention to detail.

Conclusion

The main criteria for the quality of a literary review are simple language, logical development of the narrative, and clarity of argumentation. To check if your review meets them, do a simple test. Ask a scientist who is not an expert in your field to read the text. If he finds it interesting and understandable, the goal is achieved.

Start your literature review with basic resources such as textbooks, encyclopedias, and reference books. Research the sources they refer to. Then, move on to searching industry journals and databases. Pay maximum attention to publications of recent years.

In terms of content, a good literature review should show that:

• the author is familiar with previous works on the topic;
• understands their strengths and weaknesses;
• the research question posed does reflect the existing gap in knowledge;
• convincing arguments are made why it is important to fill this gap.

The volume and style of the review should meet the needs of the target audience: an article for a specialized journal, a dissertation and a popular science book have different requirements.

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