Literature review of a research paper comes in the first half of the paper and it is one of the most important sections. This section says in brief about the different works already been done in this field.
After choosing the topic and phrasing the research problem statement the next most important work is extensive literature survey. For this you need to go through different books on the subject, different journals, magazines, research articles and related web sites. This will give you a lot of idea about the topic and the way to approach any research problem. If you can do your literature survey in a well planned manner you will get all the important cues to start your custom research project .
The literature survey of the custom research paper is followed by the sampling design, collection of data and the analysis of the data to arrive at a conclusion. The sampling design help us to determine the sample in the most efficient manner so we can collect the required data within our budget and time and still get the accurate result.
There are different methods for data collection. They are
a) By Observation: This method implies the collection of data by way of investigator’s own observation, without interviewing the respondents. The information obtained relates to what is currently happening and is not complicated by either the past behavior or future intentions or attitudes of respondents. This method is no doubt an expensive method and the information provided by this method is also very limited. As such this method is not suitable in inquiries where large samples are concerned.
b) Through personal Interview: The investigator follows a rigid procedure and seeks answers to a set of pre conceived questions through personal interviews. This method of collecting data is usually carried out in a structured way where output depends upon the ability of the interviewer to a large extent.
c) Through telephonic Interview: This method of collecting information involves contacting the respondents on telephone itself. This is not a very widely used method but it plays an important role in industrial surveys in developed regions, particularly, when the survey has to be accomplished in a very limited time.
d) By mailing questionnaire: The researcher and the respondents do not come in contact with each other if this method of survey is adopted. Questionnaires are mailed to the respondents with a request to return after completing the same. It is the most extensively used method in various economic and business surveys. Before applying this method, usually a pilot study for testing the questionnaire is conducted this reveals the weaknesses, if any, of the questionnaire.
e) Questionnaires to be used must be prepared very carefully so that it may prove to be effective in collecting the relevant information. Often this method is employed for a good research paper.
The analysis of this data is very important and a lot of statistical tools are now available to make a correct analysis.
Literature review of a research paper is one of the most important sections and it usually comes just after the introduction section of the research paper .