Response to Anderson & Kanuka (2003)

Daniel’s Response to Anderson & Kanuka (2003)

The Literature review is a process of reporting published material based on existing conceptual frameworks, theories, and previous research related to the topic under investigation (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p39). The literature review, even in the time of e-research era, is more carefully implemented for the sake of accessibility for other e-researchers. They contact the information given or other related information with the assurance that the information provided is reliable and authorized.

This article’s contribution is to make us think about a part of the theses writing: literature review. Even though literature review may sound a bit unfamiliar to non-thesis writers, it is an essential part in the process of writing MA thesis. Most of all, it shows why some of the literature is noteworthy and which literature has made important theoretical contributions to the field being studied (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p39).

An excellent literature review includes the statements of the theory that guides the research and helps to frame the research question; the methodology used, including the development of technique and tools used for analyzing and interpreting the results; and the means by which the results are disseminated. (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p40). There are five basic elements of information sources for literature review such as accessibility, timeliness, readability, relevance, and authority. (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p40). Being able to evaluate and authenticate net-based information properly guarantees reliability and credibility of the information. Skills of critical thinking are required to present a quality literature review. Especially because no information is unbiased (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p44), MA theses writers need to review literature from a critical perspective.

E-researcher use not only formal online sources but also informal online sources for their legitimate writing. Therefore, citing net-based resources in the literature review is an important skill to acquire for academic theses writers. Concerning plagiarism, academic theses writers also need have skills for direct quotations from the works of others to lend authenticity to the literature review and enhance the readability of the literature review. (Anderson, T. & Kanuka, H., 2003, p51).

In a nut shell, this chapter provides useful tips and suggestions for maximizing the effectiveness of the literature review process. The ability to integrate available information for relevant literature leads to improvements to the quality of the research paper. In order to put into practice what we obtained as useful knowledge from this article, though, a lot of consistent practice of presenting information, analyzed and based on the reliable sources, needs to be made.