A strong literature review plays a foundational role in setting up a research proposal or a dissertation. Therefore, for any research, it is important to understand how to structure the literature review and include all the key pieces of information on which the research proposal will be built.

In your literature review, you should do the following:

• Integrate and evaluate the literature by examining the patterns existing among the articles.
• Discuss which studies were stronger.
• Identify the weaknesses or gaps found in the literature.
• Discuss the academic and practical significance of prior research.
• Reiterate the need for your study by showing how your proposed study will fill a gap in the current body of knowledge.

When writing a literature review, it is important that you do not simply summarize each article. You have to synthesize the information you have gathered from all the articles that you reviewed. Integrating the information will allow you to come to a better understanding of the topic and identify areas in the field where there is a lack of research.

In this assignment, you will practice writing a literature review. In addition, as you review the three given articles for your literature review, you will get the opportunity to take a closer look at the use of qualitative research in the human services field.

Tasks:

Read the following articles from the Argosy University online library resources:

• Evaluation of evaluation studies using qualitative research methods in the social work literature (1990–2003): Evidence that constitutes a wake-up call
• The contribution of qualitative research to the development of tailor-made community-based interventions in primary care: a review
• What is good qualitative research? A first step towards a comprehensive approach to judging rigour/quality

As you read these articles, practice your note-taking skills. Based on the information you gather, create a 2- to 3-page literature review addressing the following issues:

• Benefits and weaknesses of using qualitative research in the area of human services research
• Strategies for judging the quality of a qualitative research study to decide which articles should be included in a literature review and which should not be included