NUR 611 The Literature Review

Sample Answer

Research plays a vital role in fields such as healthcare and nursing. It helps researchers to dig deeper into a topic of interest and explore the existing information or what has been done regarding a particular topic of interest. One important part of research is a literature review, which forms the foundation of a research process. Through literature review, a researcher analyzes principles, assumptions, and theoretical frameworks and uses such analysis to shape the approach to the research question of interest (Cuthbertson et al.,2020).

The implication is that researchers should focus on formulating a solid literature review since it enhances the research’s credibility and gives the research more focus. In addition, the dynamic nature of research areas in nursing and patient care requires that an individual read wide and dig deeper to come up with a relevant literature review. A literature review is important in different ways. One of them is that it gives a comprehensive insight and overview of what has been done on the topic of interest.

The previous studies performed in such an area of interest can offer information such as existing gaps, trends, and patterns, which then allows the researcher to perform informed new research. In addition, the new research builds upon the earlier findings and avoids falling into the trap of duplication (Booth et al.,2021). The implication is that the new research becomes original and contributes to advancing knowledge in the selected area.

Performing a literature review also enhances a researcher’s analytical and critical thinking skills since the researcher has to undertake various activities such as research critique, exploring the existing research strengths and weaknesses, and identifying potential biases with the major intention of determining the validity and credibility of the sources and the findings obtained. As such, the researchers acquire and improve critical thinking and analytical skills (Booth et al.,2021).

The analytical and critical thinking skills are important if an individual is to be an established researcher. A literature review also helps in determining methodologies that have been applied in past studies regarding similar or the same areas of interest. The process of literature review allows researchers to explore the methodologies applied or used by researchers in previous studies and choose the best that can be used in the current topic of interest as well as the best approaches that can be used to further develop the topic. Besides, the process can also help in determining the potential new angle for approaching research.

It is evident that a literature review is an important part of the research process. As such, researchers should avoid various things when conducting a literature review. One of them is being biased and selective reporting. For example, the researcher should not selectively cite studies that only support a preconceived hypothesis. The implication is that the review needs to be balanced and reflect different findings and perspectives, even those with unexpected results. It is also important to properly cite all the sources used and avoid plagiarism by ensuring that the citations are consistent and all the references are complete and accurate (Aveyard, 2023).

Poor organization of writing should also be avoided since it contributes to disorganization, which ends up confusing readers. As such, the literature review write-up should have a coherent flow and be logically structured. It is also important to avoid the trap of simply summarizing studies without critically evaluating the literature since it leads to a lack of critical analysis.

References

• Aveyard, H. (2023). Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care A Practical Guide 5e.
• Booth, A., James, M. S., Clowes, M., & Sutton, A. (2021). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review.
• Cuthbertson, L. M., Robb, Y. A., & Blair, S. (2020). Theory and application of research principles and philosophical underpinning for a study utilising interpretative phenomenological analysis. Radiography, 26(2), e94-e102. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2019.11.092