What should be included in a “scholarly literature”? Select all that apply.
A. Primary and secondary sources.
B. Conceptual and theoretical literature from primary sources only.
C. Published and unpublished reports of research.
D.Research reports reported in primary sources only.
E. Sources relevant to the research questions.
Correct Answers: A, C, & E
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing the researcher to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.
Option A: Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time period and are considered to be authoritative. They represent original thinking, reports on discoveries or events, or they can share new information. Often these sources are created at the time the events occurred but they can also include sources that are created later. They are usually the first formal appearance of original research. Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources.
Option B: Secondary sources are good for gaining a full overview of the topic and understanding how other researchers have approached it. They often synthesize a large number of primary sources that would be difficult and time-consuming to gather alone.
Option C: Secondary data is usually gathered from the published (printed) sources. A few major sources of published information are published articles of local bodies, and central and state governments; statistical synopses, census records, and other reports issued by the different departments of the government; magazines, journals, and periodicals, etc. Statistical data can be obtained from several unpublished references. Some of the major unpublished sources from which secondary data can be gathered are research works conducted by teachers, professors, and professionals or statistics maintained by different departments and agencies of the central and the state government, undertakings, corporations, etc.
Option D: Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how the work relates to existing research.
Option E: If the researcher is writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, he should search for literature related to the research problem and questions.