Many students believe that the literature review portion of their research projects is the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of the research work they are required to complete. In point of fact, one could say that it was a trying experience, and the reason for this is that there were objective challenges involved in the have to search through a significant amount of literature and process it critically. The reality of the situation is, nevertheless, that it assists pupils and researchers in general to comprehend how to appropriately structure their ideas.
It also functions as the initial section of a paper (a course assignment, diploma paper, or dissertation, etc.) that is delivered to a supervisor, and on the basis of that section, he creates an opinion about your talents.
Because of this, ensuring that it is implemented correctly is of the utmost importance. On the other hand, it has been seen that a significant number of students are unsuccessful at this step. It is for this reason that we have compiled a list of the most common errors that students should steer clear of when doing a review of the literature.
The following is a list of the 12 most common errors that should be avoided when writing a literature review:
There are a dozen important things to take note of here, including the following:
The absence of a central concept
Before beginning the process of creating a literature review, it is extremely crucial to first summarize the most important takeaways from the research. The primary purpose of the review is to first provide a description of the works that have been completed before your period of study so that you may determine the contribution that your research will make to existing bodies of knowledge.
absence of a requirement for more study
Students have a habit, the majority of the time, of reviewing relevant material without first proving the necessity of the research. When you are conducting the literature review, you need to make sure that you define the significance of your research. This will help you avoid making the mistake that was just described. This is to establish that the research you intend to pursue is promising and relevant to the existing body of knowledge. It is also to demonstrate the one-of-a-kind nature of your work by demonstrating that there has been insufficient research done on that particular topic. In order to prevent making this mistake, one needs to become acquainted with the primary focus of the research paper, which can only be demonstrated by having a well-organized section devoted to the examination of the relevant literature.
The incorrect mode of presenting
When conducting a literature review, one of the most common mistakes that many students make is presenting the literature in a manner that is not conventional. It will not be possible to understand the primary point of the review if it is not properly structured; therefore, it is necessary to properly structure it. If you ask a lot of researchers, and even the people in charge of supervising projects, they will all agree that having a clear framework makes it easier to view the material, and it also makes the subjective view of the job significantly better.
an inappropriate manner of writing
This is a common error that is committed by a great number of students. They consider this to be the appropriate venue for opinions and commentary. The fact of the matter is, however, that it is an academic work, and as such, it ought to be written in an academic style. It is strongly recommended that you avoid using colloquial words and phrases at all costs. The review is vulnerable to criticism due to the author’s failure to follow the right writing style.
The inaccurate material that was provided
When it comes to writing a literature review, this has been determined to be one of the most prevalent blunders that students do. They evaluate works that have little to do with the primary concept of the work being discussed. The content of a literature review needs to be accurate; more specifically, the works that are going to be examined need to be relevant to the subject matter that is being researched. Deep research should be done on the problems that are brought up by the subject matter, and attention should also be paid to the fundamental questions. When it comes down to it, the content of the review of the literature should be a primary priority, just like it should be for each and every other part of the project writing phase.
falling short of the requirements set forth by the supervisor
Given that the review of the literature is eventually graded by the supervisor, it is of the utmost importance to familiarize oneself as soon as possible with the standards that the supervisor has established for the review’s content. This will make it possible to prevent a scenario in which the supervisor is not happy with the content of the literature review, and it will also make it possible to considerably minimize the amount of time and labor resources that are required for its preparation.
Failing to comply with the standards for the amount of work to be completed
In point of fact, there is no established threshold for the minimum amount of previous work that must be reviewed. On the other hand, when it comes to things like dissertations and diploma works, a literature review that is anywhere from 25 to 30 pages long is significantly regarded more positively as a normal work. Despite this, it is essential to talk about it with the person in charge of your project because he or she may have their own ideas about what a typical literature review entails.
The in-text links have been formatted incorrectly.
Given that this is a review of the existing body of work, accurately drawing up linkages to the various sources that were consulted is of the utmost importance. Students will occasionally make errors, such as formatting their work incorrectly. It is strongly suggested that you stick stringently to the type of in-text formatting utilized by your division. For some departments in the college, you will use endnotes or footnotes, however for others, you will use a format such as “last name, year,” for instance (Johnson, 2001).
9. A bibliography that is either insufficient or erroneous
This is an error that is committed by many pupils. On the other hand, the vast majority of them are unaware of the fact that the supervisor of that project places a greater emphasis, in addition to the content itself, on the list of references that were used for the review. However, a significant number of students do not place an emphasis on the importance of its correct layout. On the other hand, the structure of the literature review is considered to be a crucial component of the review. When evaluating, some of the factors that are taken into consideration include the number of literary sources that were utilized, the percentage of foreign literature sources that were utilized, the age of the utilized literature sources, and the completeness of the literature.
The review was submitted past its due date.
A significant number of pupils do not meet the deadline that has been set for the submission of the work. It is essential to emphasize the necessity of strictly adhering to the deadline in this context if one wishes for their work to have a high probability of receiving a satisfactory grade. Even if the paper itself is excellent, the chances of getting a decent grade will be diminished if it is not turned in at the allotted time.
When looking for information to support your work, choose reliable sources.
The databases that we are going over in this session are going to be your greatest bet for finding appropriate legal resources to assist your research. Steer clear of blogs and other such texts, as pieces sent to magazines, whether national or international, are subjected to stringent reviews before being circulated, and as a result, your text will be given greater credibility as a result of this.
Make sure that your evaluation is written in a lucid and impartial manner.
Avoid formatting your work like a reading sheet by steering clear of statements like “Author A stated this, Author B said this, and Author C said that.” The fact that you uncover areas of agreement and disagreement between many authors on the subject of your research is an interesting aspect of the whole affair. In addition to what was mentioned previously, many students have the habit of making their literature review nothing more than a narrative of the works that are being evaluated. In point of fact, it is essential to present a synopsis of the work that is now being edited. However, rather than making it a narrative, make it a study of the situation.
Conclusion
In this piece, we have highlighted the most common flaws that teachers have pointed out students need to avoid in order to construct a beautiful literature review. These mistakes have been pointed out by teachers to students. You have a great chance of getting a decent score for your literature review if you follow the advice that we have offered in this piece and put it into practice.
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