Formal Literature Review
Definition
A formal literature review is an organized summary and evaluation of existing scholarly research on a particular topic. It involves analyzing multiple studies to identify trends, gaps, and areas for further investigation.
Analogy
Imagine you're planning to throw an epic party. Before doing so, you ask around for recommendations on what food, music, and activities are popular among your friends. Similarly, conducting a formal literature review allows you to gather insights from previous studies before embarking on your own research journey.
Related terms
Meta-analysis: A meta-analysis is a type of systematic review that statistically combines data from multiple studies to draw more robust conclusions.
Systematic Review: A systematic review follows strict guidelines for searching and evaluating relevant studies on a specific topic.
Secondary Research: Secondary research involves analyzing existing data collected by others rather than collecting new data yourself. This can include literature reviews or analyzing publicly available datasets.
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