What is a Literature Review? Explained with a REAL Example | Scribbr 🎓

Summary

This video script introduces the concept of a literature review, emphasizing its importance in academic research. It explains that a literature review is a critical recap of existing research on a topic, using 'social media's impact on younger generation's mental health' as an example. The script outlines the three key purposes of a literature review: to understand existing knowledge, to provide a critical overview of research methods, and to identify gaps for original contributions. It then teases the next segment, which will cover the five steps to writing an effective literature review.

Takeaways

• 📚 A literature review is a critical recap of existing research on a topic.
• 🎓 It helps to understand what has already been researched and how.
• 🔍 It provides insights into how other researchers have approached similar topics.
• 📊 It offers a critical overview of existing knowledge to situate new research.
• 🔎 It helps identify gaps in current knowledge for potential original contributions.
• 📈 The example given is the impact of social media on the mental health of the younger generation.
• 📝 It's important to examine methodological approaches used in previous studies.
• 📑 Literature reviews can be sourced from books, journal articles, or other materials.
• 🧩 The process of a literature review involves analyzing what's been done and what's missing.
• 📈 It can help to narrow down a research focus, such as linking social media to eating disorders in a specific age group.
• 👩‍🏫 Jessica from Scribbr guides viewers on how to write a literature review in a video tutorial.

Q & A

What is the purpose of a literature review?

A literature review is a critical recap of previous research on a topic, which can include books, journal articles, or other sources.

How does a literature review help in academic research?

It helps by identifying what is already known about a topic, how other researchers have approached it, and what gaps exist in the current knowledge.

What is an example of a research problem discussed in the script?

The example given is the impact of social media on the mental health of the younger generation.

Why is it important to understand existing research before conducting your own?

Understanding existing research helps to avoid duplication, provides context for new research, and identifies areas where further investigation is needed.

What role does social media play according to the existing research mentioned?

The existing research suggests that social media plays a role in affecting the body image of the younger generation.

What is the second purpose of a literature review as per the script?

The second purpose is to provide a critical overview of existing knowledge, showing how new research fits into the broader context.

How can a literature review help in refining a research topic?

It can help by identifying specific areas within a broader topic that have not been sufficiently explored, such as narrowing down to eating disorders and a specific age group.

What is the significance of finding gaps in current knowledge during a literature review?

Finding gaps allows researchers to contribute something original by addressing those areas that have not been covered in existing research.

What are some sources that can be included in a literature review?

Sources can include books, journal articles, and other scholarly materials that have been previously published on the topic.

Why is it beneficial to compare methodological approaches in existing research?

Comparing methodological approaches can reveal different perspectives and methodologies, which can inform and strengthen the design of new research.

What are the five steps of writing a good literature review mentioned in the script?

The script does not explicitly list the five steps but encourages the viewer to click a link to learn about them.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Literature Review

Jessica from Scribbr introduces the concept of a literature review, explaining it as a critical recap of existing research on a topic. She uses the example of social media's impact on the mental health of the younger generation to illustrate how a literature review works. The importance of a literature review is highlighted as a means to understand what is already known about a topic, how other researchers have approached it, and to identify gaps in current knowledge that one's own research can address.

Keywords

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive summary and critical analysis of existing research on a specific topic. In the context of the video, it serves as a means to understand the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of social media on the younger generation's mental health. It is used to identify gaps in the research and to position new research within the existing body of work.

💡Critical Recap

A critical recap involves not just summarizing previous research but also critically evaluating it. In the video, this term is used to describe the process of reviewing literature, where one assesses the quality, methodology, and conclusions of previous studies to understand the current landscape of knowledge on a topic.

💡Research Problem

A research problem is a question or issue that a study aims to address. In the transcript, the research problem 'what does social media do to the younger generation’s mental health?' is used to illustrate the starting point for conducting a literature review.

💡Existing Knowledge

Existing knowledge refers to the body of information and research that has already been conducted on a topic. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding existing knowledge to build upon it and to identify areas where new research can contribute.

💡Methodological Approaches

Methodological approaches refer to the methods and techniques used in research. The video script mentions comparing these approaches to understand how different studies have tackled similar issues, which is crucial for a literature review to assess the validity and reliability of previous research.

💡Social Media

Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. In the video, it is the central topic of the literature review, with a focus on its impact on the younger generation's body image and mental health.

💡Mental Health

Mental health refers to a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video discusses how a literature review can help understand the effects of social media on this aspect of the younger generation's life.

💡Younger Generation

The younger generation typically refers to people who are currently young adults or adolescents. In the context of the video, it is the demographic group that the literature review is focusing on in relation to the effects of social media on mental health.

💡Original Contribution

An original contribution is new knowledge or insights that a researcher adds to a field. The video encourages finding gaps in the current knowledge to make an original contribution, such as narrowing the focus to 'eating disorders' and a specific age group.

💡Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are mental health conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. In the video, it is an example of a specific area within mental health that might not have been extensively studied in relation to social media use by the younger generation.

💡Age Group

An age group is a range of years used to categorize people based on their age. The video script uses 'age group of 16 to 20' as an example of how a researcher might narrow down their focus to a specific demographic for a more detailed study.

Highlights

Introduction to literature review writing assistance

Definition of a literature review

Literature review as a critical recap of existing research

Example research problem: impact of social media on younger generation's mental health

Importance of literature review to understand existing knowledge

Literature review helps in identifying how other researchers have approached the topic

Findings on social media's role in affecting body image

Purpose of literature review to provide a critical overview of existing knowledge

Evaluating methodological approaches in existing research

Identifying gaps in current knowledge to contribute original research

Narrowing down research to specific areas like eating disorders and age group 16 to 20

Transition to the 5 steps of writing a literature review

Invitation to click for more information on writing a literature review

Introduction of Jessica from Scribbr

Welcome message for new and returning viewers

Emphasis on the academic goal of the video

Explanation of how literature review fits into research

Highlighting the importance of understanding methodological approaches

Encouragement to find original contributions in research gaps

Teaser for the next part of the video with '5 steps'

Transcripts

Do you need to write a literature review, but don’t know how to begin?

Don't worry, that's what we are here for!

You'll understand what a literature review is after this video.

Welcome back Subscribbrs!

Or welcome if it's your first video with us!

I'm Jessica from Scribbr, here to help you achieve your academic goals.

So what is a literature review?

It’s a critical recap of what has already been researched on a topic, it could be anything

from books, journal articles or other sources.

Now let’s make it more concrete and see how it works with this research problem

what does social media do to the younger generation’s mental health?

But why is a literature review so important?

to find out what's already known about your topic and how other researchers have approached it.

Through this, you find out that social media plays a role in affecting the younger generation’s body image.

Second, to give your reader a critical overview of the existing knowledge

which shows how your research fits in.

It’s good to look at the methodological approaches

are they comparing the same kind of social media or mental health issues?

Third, to find out what's missing from current knowledge

so that you can contribute something original.

You can then narrow down to eating disorder and the age group of 16 to 20

because it’s not been done before.

Nice, now that we have a solid foundation, you're ready to move onto

the 5 steps of writing a good literature review!

Click here!

I'll see you there.