Purposes of Literature Search

The major purposes of a literature search are:

To search for investigations similar to the one you are contemplating

To search for an established theoretical framework for your study

To clarify your research idea

To operationalize your variables or clearly define your terms

To locate and learn from similar study designs

To identify useful research instruments

To identify authorities or significant personalities

To locate data sources

To define historical or associational perspectives

To determine appropriate outcome variables