Need and importance of literature review

Need of Literature Review

During your school career, you have probably written many personal. essays that presented your thoughts, feelings, and opinions and that did not refer to any other source of information or ideas. Some subjects and assignments, however, require us to go beyond our personal knowledge and experience. We undertake research when we wish to explore an idea, probe an issue, solve a problem, or make an argument that compels us to turn to outside help. We then seek out, investigate, and use materials beyond our personal resources. The findings and conclusions of such an inquiry appear in the research paper. The term research describes a presentation of research that may be in a printed, electronic, or multimedia format.

Knowledge is growing rapidly. It gets doubled in a very short span of time. Scholars, researchers, and writers go on adding knowledge through their studies and writings. There is a tremendous increase in the number of publications: books and periodicals in developed and developing countries. One who is not fully conversant with has gone before has little chance of making a worthwhile contribution. Therefore, a researcher has to survey the available literature relating to his field of study. He must keep himself updated in his field and related areas.

Research increases your knowledge and understanding of a subject. Sometimes the research will confirm your ideas and opinions; sometimes it will challenge and modify them. But almost always it will help to shape your thinking. Unless your instructor specifically directs you otherwise, a research paper should not merely review publications and extract a series of quotations from them. Rather, you should look for sources that provide new information, that helpfully surveys the various positions already taken on a specific subject, that lend authority to your viewpoint, that expand or nuance your ideas, that offer methods or modes of thought you can apply to new data or subjects, or that furnish negative examples against which you wish to argue. As you use and scrupulously acknowledge sources, however, always remember that the main purpose of doing research is to summarize the work of others but to assimilate and to build on it and to arrive at your own understanding of the subject.

Importance of the Literature Review

The present research is a link between past and future researches. The understanding of the problem of the area is very essential for a researcher, by developing a sound theoretical base. Without this his/ her research can not go within the rails, s/he will confront the problem of managing his time and materials which he has collected. Through a proper study of the available literature, the researcher will be able to proceed in his work. The research carried by a researcher during a period of time should have a link with the past researches and future researches so that the knowledge of mankind will enhance. Any research carried in any country should aim to develop knowledge in that particular subject, so we need to have the knowledge of such relevant researches.

For adding knowledge: If we dare to base our research only on the basis of our experience and perception, our work may not help to build up any foundation for future works, unlike other animals that must start a new with each generation, man builds upon the accumulated and recorded knowledge of the past. His constant addicting to the vast store of knowledge makes possible progress in all areas of human endeavor. The human relation will go and changing during a certain period, their changes would demand new analysis in the area of social sciences and humanities so that new knowledge would help to improve the status of our life.