Regarding this matter on literature review, one has to read A LOT to understand the issue(s) and thus chart out how one can advance the body of knowledge i.e. add something new.
Some advocate doing enough literature review to have a good idea of relevant work carried out by others before the end of first year.
It makes sense except that there is no end to reading especially when you do even know what exactly you are doing. And what you read is not as memorable when it is just for information as compared to for immediate application.
I came across this helpful advice from “Doing Qualitative Research” by David Silverman, which gave me some assurance that I am not too off (I hope I am not finding excuse for not doing a more comprehensive lit review).
Anyway, relevant extracts from book:
- Completing the li survey in yr 1 and writing it up can mean a lot of wasted effort — until you have done your data analysis, you do not know what stuff will be relevant.
- …lit review…delay getting down to the data analysis on which you will be judged…
- …One book will surely have a list of further ‘crucial’ references…whether they have the willpower to stop reading…
These considerations mean that the bulk of your reading is usually best done in and around your data collection and analysis.
Tags: advice on doing literature review, david silverman, doing qualitative research, literature review, novice researcher, research
