Literature reviews help to provide boundaries of what is known about a particular field and serve to guide researchers in their quest to uncover the mysteries and nuances of a selected issue or problem. A well-developed review of literature is essential to a thorough, well-considered paper. Whether the writing is intended for a high-end scholarly journal or a student’s weekly assignment, the literature review pertains to uncovering the body of knowledge that previous researchers have generated. It is a savvy researcher who is able to take advantage of the existing base of knowledge in the creation of a new line of inquiry. A literature review should be conducted at the beginning of a research study.
Using Chapter 2 of the Creswell text as guidance, write a literature review for your preferred area of criminal justice study. To successfully complete this study, you must
Identify a particular area of criminal justice.
Define the area’s boundaries by explaining the methodologies and statistical techniques used.
Describe the specific canon of literature found.
Define the field in general.
Critique the field, including areas requiring further examination.