In this assignment the writer is going to discuss the importance of literature review in

research as this will help us better understand it as management students when we are now
doing research for our fourth year dissertation and also for research in the field of business
management and Information technology. But before going in deep in discussing the
importance of literature review, the writer will define what research is and why do research so
that we have an idea of what we are talking about.
Research is an investigative study of a topic or area. Below are some definitions from
different sources.
Oxford Concise Dictionary defines research as the systematic investigation into and study of
materials, sources, etc., in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. b. an endeavour
to discover new or collate old facts etc. by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of
critical investigation.
C.R Kothari defines research as a search for knowledge. One can also define research as a
scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact, research
is an art of scientific investigation.
Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English lays down the meaning of research as a
careful investigation or inquiry specially through search for new facts in any branch of
knowledge.
Redman and Mory define research as a systematized effort to gain new knowledge. Some
people consider research as a movement, a movement from the known to the unknown. It is
actually a voyage of discovery.
From the different definitions from different writers we can say Research is what we do when
we have an inquiry or a problem we want to resolve, we may already think we know the
answer to our question already, we may think the answer is evident or even common sense,
but until we have subjected our problem to laborious systematic analysis, our 'knowledge'
remains little more than speculation or at best, perception.
Research is done mostly because of intellectual ambition: the yearning to know and fathom
the word, to appreciate the best that has been said and thought on the topics that grasp our
thoughts. Some do research for academic purposes when they have been given assignments at
different academic levels, in our case in Zimbabwe it can be in primary, secondary or tertiary
institutions.
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There are 11 types of research which are applied, fundamental, futuristic, descriptive,
explanatory, predictive, analytical, quantitative, qualitative, conceptual and empirical but the
writer will just look at 3 types of research.
1. Applied research it also known as decisional research which is where known or
existing knowledge is used to solve a particular problem.
2. Fundamental research - is technical research aimed to improve scientific theories for
improved understanding or prediction of natural or other occurrences.
3. Futuristic research this is a study of possible future conditions. For example, those
in the field of information technologies maybe researching on other ways of storing
data in computers or how to increase the speed of data transportation from one point
to another.
Literature Review
Dena Taylor defines a literature review as A literature review is an account of what has been
published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers.
Wikipedia.org defines literature review as a text of a scholarly paper, which includes the
current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological
contributions to a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and do not report
new or original experimental work. Most often associated with academic-oriented literature,
such reviews are found in academic journals, and are not to be confused with book reviews
that may also appear in the same publication. Literature reviews are a basis for research in
nearly every academic field.
The University of North Carolina say A literature review discusses published information in
a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a
certain time period.
Literature review shows published information by different scholars on a particular topic
being researched and is very helpful in giving highlight to the current research being done by
a researcher. In a way we can say it is a guideline to the research being conducted. Without a
literature review in research, the research being conducted is not credible because there is no
place were the researcher is referring from or we can say there is no foundation and support
of the new insight in that particular topic.

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Importance of Literature review in research

Literature reviews can give you a synopsis or act as a stepping stone. They are useful
accounts that keep them up to date with what is up-to-date in the field. For researchers, the
depth and scope of the literature review stresses the integrity of the writer in his or her field.
Literature reviews also provide a firm background for a research papers investigation.
Krathwohl, 1988 says Review of literature in any study is not a cup of tea; it requires
scholarly maturity. Good review of literature is a sign of professional maturity; it shows ones
grasp of the field, ones methodological sophistication in critiquing others research, and the
breadth and depth of ones reading
Literature reviews help the researcher to avoid replication, recognize the gaps in other studies
with the aim of filling them, borrow from the research design and methodology used to
examine that particular problem and to interpret his or her own findings. The review plays a
dire role in analysing the existing literature and giving reason as to how ones research fits
into the current body of knowledge. This suggests that the literature review provides the
general understanding which gives meaning to the discussion of findings, conclusions, and
recommendations. This allows the writer to show how his / her research is related to
previous efforts and how it extends to build on better understanding. The Literature review is
more than just a summary of publications. It provides evidence that your research will be a
unique and relevant influence to statistics.
In simple terms, the literature review helps to provide a framework for the research, validate
the research, ensure the research hasnt been done, show where the research fits into the
existing body of knowledge, enable the researcher to learn from previous theory on the topic,
demonstrate how the subject has previously been studied, highlight errors in previous
research, outline cracks in previous research, show that the work is adding to the
understanding and knowledge of the field, refocus or even change the topic.
The enticement of being shallow, and even to copy and paste in review of literature is great.
Therefore, scholars of research, practitioners and academics too are encouraged to avoid from
being drawn into scholarly mediocrity.

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References
1. Jankowicz, D. (2006). Business research Methods for Business
Management. Great Britain.
2. Kothari, C. (2004). Research Methodology Methods and Techniques. In C.
Kothari, Research Methodology (p. 14). New Age International publishers.
3. Literature_review. (2016, 05 03). Retrieved from wikipedia.org:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature_review
4. research - definition of research in English from the Oxford dictionary.
(2016, 05 03). Retrieved from Oxforddictionaries.com:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/research
5. research noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes |
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com.
(2016, 05 03). Retrieved from oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/research_1?
q=research
6. the-argonaut-features-ict-futuristic-research-and-technologies. (2016, 05
03). Retrieved from projects.ict.usc.edu:
http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/blog/the-argonaut-features-ict-futuristicresearch-and-technologies/
7. Wanjohi, A. M. (2016, 05 03). Retrieved from www.kenpro.org:
http://www.kenpro.org/importance-of-literature-review/
8. What is a literature review? (2016, 05 03). Retrieved from www.rlf.org.uk:
https://www.rlf.org.uk/resources/what-is-a-literature-review/

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