Review of Related Literature

        Meaning

Literature review is a comprehensive summary of of previous research on a topic.  The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings and other resources which are relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory and provides context for a dissertation by identifying past research.

  It should give a theoretical base for the research and helps to determine the nature of the research.  It involves the systematic identification,  location and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem.  The term is also used to describe the written component of a research plan or report that discusses the reviewed documents.

A literature review is usually written as a part of postgraduate thesis proposal or at the beginning of a dissertation.  It gives  an overview of the area of study: what has already been said on the topic; who the key writers are; what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses are;  what questions are being asked;  and what methodologies are appropriate and useful.