Sign In
Skip navigation links
Home
Using This Resource
Introduction
Key Topics
Additional Resources
Feedback
Skip navigation links
Productive reading
Writing effectively
Arguing convincingly
Mapping your field
Literature reviewing
Features of a 'good' literature review
What is a literature review?
Generic questions for a literature review
Reviewing the literature systematically
Developing proposals
Literature reviewing 
Networked Cranfield > AIM Research > Key Topics > Literature reviewing
 

Undertaking a review of the literature is an important part of any research project. For research to be published it should advance understanding by making a new contribution to knowledge. Achieving this is dependant upon positioning your research in the context of an already formed body of literature. A literature review provides the framework upon which your research is based, questions are formed, data are analysed and discussion / conclusions presented.

There are several purposes of a literature review.  It can help: 

  • define and describe key concepts
  • specify the focus, scope and boundaries of the research
  • identify theories that can help explain an important phenomenon
  • show which research designs and methods have been employed
  • draw attention to competing theories or philosophical assumptions
  • develop a conceptual model
  • obtain (through synthesis?) a “new” perspective on a research problem
  • highlight what we know and what we need to know, thus identifying opportunities for future research
  • justify propositions or research questions

Daft (1985) specifies the top ten reasons why 111 articles were rejected from Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Sciences Quarterly:

  1. No theory                                            
  2. Concepts & operationalisation not aligned
  3. Insufficient definition of theory  
  4. Insufficient rationale for design              
  5. Macro-structure - organisation & flow 
  6. Amateur style and tone                        
  7. Inadequate research design                  
  8. Not relevant to field                             
  9. Over-engineering of work    
  10. Conclusions not in alignment      

What does this tell you about the role of literature reviews in academic publication?

In a more recent article in a different field McKercher (2007) found 50.9% of articles were rejected for poor quality literature reviews.  The top ten reasons for rejection were:

  1. Failure to place the study in a broader context
  2. Failure to establish a theoretical framework, if needed
  3. Old and/or outdated sources
  4. No critical evaluation of the literature
  5. Literature review not relevant to the study
  6. Poor referencing
  7. Did not cite key sources
  8. Too short / too long
  9. Repetitive
  10. Reference stacking (too many references for too few points being made)

What does this tell you about the features of a 'good' literature review?

References

Daft, R.L. (1985) "Why I Recommended that Your Manuscript be Rejected and What You Can Do about It" in Publishing in the Organizational Sciences, L.L. Cummings and P.J. Frost (eds.), Homewood, IL: Irwin, pp. 193-209.

McKercher, B, Law, R., Weber, K., Song, H. and Hsu, C. (2007)‘Why Referees Reject Manuscripts’ Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Vol. 31, No. 4, 455-470.   

 

The text on this page was created by Professor David Denyer, Professor of Organizational Change, Cranfield School of Management,