Writing the literature review is a very important part of our research study. A literature review is needed to develop our research proposal, refine our methodology and analysis and is essential for writing up our research findings. It is important to understand the difference between a literature review and a review of the literature as an introduction for a research study.

A literature review of the specific subject has to be the comprehensive review of the particular research proposal subject. But when we are doing a review of the literature for our research proposal, we start by doing a comprehensive literature review of our topic to explore the knowledge available.

We have to identify gaps in the literature so that we can develop our research concept. Then you can proceed with the review of specific parts of the literature for our research study focusing on our research question.

In the research proposal, we may simply be required to show proof of awareness of the existing knowledge of our field. The major authors and researchers and their ideas or findings are to be in consideration of writing the research proposal.

However, this knowledge is expected to cover all aspects of the literature review that we will deal with in the main project after making the proper literature review for the research proposal.

Our literature review may include the concepts of the theoretical authors; conceptual authors as well as empirical researchers. At the stage of the proposal, the review section is not always definite as we will come across even with a bigger literature picture as we start the research work.

We can also take part in some of the presentations that are related to our field of work so that we can gather the name of the authors whom we might have never known before. We can even go through the work of such authors and write the literature review of our research proposal.

Ideas for writing the reference literature review:

1. The literature review is written to place our study within the context of existing knowledge and other studies in our discipline.
2. It gives recognition to other scholars and it also allows us to point out what is new about our research.
3. We should be sure to indicate if we are building on a previous study or a well-established theory; addressing certain gaps in knowledge that exist; or adding to existing knowledge by doing a study with a different or more complete methodology.
4. Ideally, twenty other studies should be discussed in the literature review of the research proposal. After we have written the literature review read it carefully and make sure it is clear.
5. Notice whether we can easily determine how the proposal is building on earlier studies, as well as exploring a line of research that is new for our research proposal.
6. When we mention other studies that are usually cited by the author’s last name and the date of publication. Later on, in the bibliography, we will provide a full citation to all the studies we cited in our proposal.
7. An effective review will summarize all the current articles of the recent years (2-3 years), critically review their content and point out the gaps in the literature requiring further research.
8. The gaps then lead to our research question and what our study will potentially add to the literature.

It is important for us to realize that a review of the literature is not something that is done once-off and then left as completed. The whole time while we are writing our proposal and developing our research idea, we go back to the literature that we have already reviewed, read some more, refine our summaries and add more articles to our review for our research proposal.

There must be a thread that can be followed through our review of the literature and link to our research question, our methods, our variables etc. Everything must link up and therefore, often when we write our method section.

We will look back at our review of the literature to ensure that it reflects what we mention it in the method section. This step will concentrate on developing review of the literature for a research proposal.

In a review of the literature for a scientific research proposal it must demonstrate that we should do the following listed below:

1. Understand the context of the research and from where it is being undertaken.
2. Are able to identify what is known or what is not known about the research subject.
3. Identify key definitions and variables that are already established in the literature.
4. Critically analyze the limitations and the difficulties that are faced in the previous studies.
5. Identify the research opportunities in the field.
6. Justify our research concept.

In addition to the above, a review of the literature is also useful in discovering information that can be used in sample size calculations, appropriate methodology, data collection tools and analytical methods.

Therefore remember it is an iterative process that we do our review of the literature, but then when we come to sample size calculation, we go back to review of the literature to see what other studies have used for sample size for their literature of research proposal.

The same we have to go through checking with data collection tools, analysis etc., for exceeding the checking process of the mentioned literature review in different studies in order to get our literature review for our research proposal.

This is a very vast task and that takes lots of practice to get the correct balance between too much information and too little information. Common mistakes and repeated flows that causes fault in writing the review for a scientific research proposal are:

1. Too much data or information.
2. Too little data.
3. Failing to clear exactly what our study will contribute to the literature.
4. Confusing structure of the literature review.
5. Re-evaluate and re-write making changes that destructs the originality of evolving message.

We have to check the site to compare, contrast and conclude with the correct data to write in the literature review of our research proposal.