SciTech School of Advanced Learners

Literature Review Studying the previous research work is a vital step in a research. The researcher must understand about the present status of the research area in order to move forward and discover new knowledge. In the previous articles, the initial steps such as background study, problem statement, aim and objectives were discussed. These steps lay the foundation for the research so that the way forward is reasonably clear. After the first stage, the research should advance to the second stage, which is the literature review (also known as the literature survey). This is the fifth step of the flowchart presented in the first article .  The purpose of conducting a review of literature is to search and evaluate the present knowledge. Here, the idea is not to develop any new arguments or theories, but to summarize what others have done without changing the original idea/findings. A properly conducted literature review will show the progress of the considered research area, means h...

Planning a research prior to the commencement of any research related work is considered a good case practice in the academia. This is especially recommended for the students who are conducting a research for the first time (e.g.: undergraduates). Setting up an action plan along with a timeline helps the student to conclude the research in time without any delay. It also makes sure that the study is going on according to the plan without any lags during the study period.  After selecting a research topic while understanding the background, the researchers can come up with a suitable timeline for their study. Some of the tasks such as setting objectives, literature review, etc. are mandatory for any research. However, some tasks such as data collection or data analysis can be unique to the research. In such cases, the research team should be able to clearly identify the specific tasks and arrange them according to the order of occurrence. It is highly recommended that the student...

Every undergraduate who follows a bachelor's degree has to do a research or a project in their final year of study. As it is the first time the students are experiencing a course module which requires the student discover new knowledge through a research, most of them finds it difficult to conduct the study properly in order to obtain the intended objectives. This series of articles on 'Undergraduate Research Project' will cover the basics of a research. There are several steps involved in a research which are common to all levels: B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. and even post-doctoral studies. The following figure is an illustration of the flow of a research. Flow of a research Step 1 & 2: Selection of a topic & Understanding the background The very first step of a research is selecting a topic. Usually at the undergraduate level, research topics are given to the students by the institution. Every topic has a supervisor who will guide the student throughout t...