SOC 341 Research Methods I: Home

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 What is a Literature Review?

A thorough and comprehensive examination of the research and/or theory relevant to a topic. A literature review analyzes and integrates scholarly research and theory in an organized, prose fashion. 

Purpose of a Literature Review

As a means of disseminating information to scholars in a particular discipline the literature review has four purposes:

• to describe work done on a specific area of research
  
• to evaluate this work
  
• to identify areas of controversy in the literature
  
• to formulate questions that need to be addressed further
  

Nex Step:  See Structure of a Literature Review

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