review of related literature in practical research

Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey

How to Write Review of Related Literature (RRL) in Research

A review of related literature (a.k.a RRL in research) is a comprehensive review of the existing literature pertaining to a specific topic or research question. An effective review provides the reader with an organized analysis and synthesis of the existing knowledge about a subject. With the increasing amount of new information being disseminated every day, conducting a review of related literature is becoming more difficult and the purpose of review of related literature is clearer than ever.  

All new knowledge is necessarily based on previously known information, and every new scientific study must be conducted and reported in the context of previous studies. This makes a review of related literature essential for research, and although it may be tedious work at times , most researchers will complete many such reviews of varying depths during their career. So, why exactly is a review of related literature important?    

Table of Contents

Why a review of related literature in research is important  

Before thinking how to do reviews of related literature , it is necessary to understand its importance. Although the purpose of a review of related literature varies depending on the discipline and how it will be used, its importance is never in question. Here are some ways in which a review can be crucial.  

• Identify gaps in the knowledge – This is the primary purpose of a review of related literature (often called RRL in research ). To create new knowledge, you must first determine what knowledge may be missing. This also helps to identify the scope of your study.  
• Avoid duplication of research efforts – Not only will a review of related literature indicate gaps in the existing research, but it will also lead you away from duplicating research that has already been done and thus save precious resources.  
• Provide an overview of disparate and interdisciplinary research areas – Researchers cannot possibly know everything related to their disciplines. Therefore, it is very helpful to have access to a review of related literature already written and published.  
• Highlight researcher’s familiarity with their topic 1  – A strong review of related literature in a study strengthens readers’ confidence in that study and that researcher.

Tips on how to write a review of related literature in research

Given that you will probably need to produce a number of these at some point, here are a few general tips on how to write an effective review of related literature 2 .

• Define your topic, audience, and purpose: You will be spending a lot of time with this review, so choose a topic that is interesting to you. While deciding what to write in a review of related literature , think about who you expect to read the review – researchers in your discipline, other scientists, the general public – and tailor the language to the audience. Also, think about the purpose of your review of related literature .  
• Conduct a comprehensive literature search: While writing your review of related literature , emphasize more recent works but don’t forget to include some older publications as well. Cast a wide net, as you may find some interesting and relevant literature in unexpected databases or library corners. Don’t forget to search for recent conference papers.
• Review the identified articles and take notes: It is a good idea to take notes in a way such that individual items in your notes can be moved around when you organize them. For example, index cards are great tools for this. Write each individual idea on a separate card along with the source. The cards can then be easily grouped and organized.  
• Determine how to organize your review: A review of related literature should not be merely a listing of descriptions. It should be organized by some criterion, such as chronologically or thematically.  
• Be critical and objective: Don’t just report the findings of other studies in your review of related literature . Challenge the methodology, find errors in the analysis, question the conclusions. Use what you find to improve your research. However, do not insert your opinions into the review of related literature. Remain objective and open-minded.  
• Structure your review logically: Guide the reader through the information. The structure will depend on the function of the review of related literature. Creating an outline prior to writing the RRL in research is a good way to ensure the presented information flows well.  

As you read more extensively in your discipline, you will notice that the review of related literature appears in various forms in different places. For example, when you read an article about an experimental study, you will typically see a literature review or a RRL in research , in the introduction that includes brief descriptions of similar studies. In longer research studies and dissertations, especially in the social sciences, the review of related literature will typically be a separate chapter and include more information on methodologies and theory building. In addition, stand-alone review articles will be published that are extremely useful to researchers.  

The review of relevant literature or often abbreviated as, RRL in research , is an important communication tool that can be used in many forms for many purposes. It is a tool that all researchers should befriend.  

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center. Literature Reviews.  https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/  [Accessed September 8, 2022]
• Pautasso M. Ten simple rules for writing a literature review. PLoS Comput Biol. 2013, 9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003149.

Q:  Is research complete without a review of related literature?

A research project is usually considered incomplete without a proper review of related literature. The review of related literature is a crucial component of any research project as it provides context for the research question, identifies gaps in existing literature, and ensures novelty by avoiding duplication. It also helps inform research design and supports arguments, highlights the significance of a study, and demonstrates your knowledge an expertise.

Q: What is difference between RRL and RRS?

The key difference between an RRL and an RRS lies in their focus and scope. An RRL or review of related literature examines a broad range of literature, including theoretical frameworks, concepts, and empirical studies, to establish the context and significance of the research topic. On the other hand, an RRS or review of research studies specifically focuses on analyzing and summarizing previous research studies within a specific research domain to gain insights into methodologies, findings, and gaps in the existing body of knowledge. While there may be some overlap between the two, they serve distinct purposes and cover different aspects of the research process.

Q: Does review of related literature improve accuracy and validity of research?

Yes, a comprehensive review of related literature (RRL) plays a vital role in improving the accuracy and validity of research. It helps authors gain a deeper understanding and offers different perspectives on the research topic. RRL can help you identify research gaps, dictate the selection of appropriate research methodologies, enhance theoretical frameworks, avoid biases and errors, and even provide support for research design and interpretation. By building upon and critically engaging with existing related literature, researchers can ensure their work is rigorous, reliable, and contributes meaningfully to their field of study.

R Discovery is a literature search and research reading platform that accelerates your research discovery journey by keeping you updated on the latest, most relevant scholarly content. With 250M+ research articles sourced from trusted aggregators like CrossRef, Unpaywall, PubMed, PubMed Central, Open Alex and top publishing houses like Springer Nature, JAMA, IOP, Taylor & Francis, NEJM, BMJ, Karger, SAGE, Emerald Publishing and more, R Discovery puts a world of research at your fingertips.  

Try R Discovery Prime FREE for 1 week or upgrade at just US$72 a year to access premium features that let you listen to research on the go, read in your language, collaborate with peers, auto sync with reference managers, and much more. Choose a simpler, smarter way to find and read research – Download the app and start your free 7-day trial today !  

Related Posts

Article Processing Charges: Impact on Open Access Publishing

How Publishers Can Enhance Reader Engagement with R Discovery’s Article Recommendation System

• USC Libraries
• Research Guides

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• 5. The Literature Review
• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Reading Research Effectively
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
• Academic Writing Style
• Applying Critical Thinking
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• Research Process Video Series
• Executive Summary
• The C.A.R.S. Model
• Background Information
• The Research Problem/Question
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
• Content Alert Services
• Evaluating Sources
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tiertiary Sources
• Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Insiderness
• Using Non-Textual Elements
• Limitations of the Study
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Writing Concisely
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Footnotes or Endnotes?
• Further Readings
• Generative AI and Writing
• USC Libraries Tutorials and Other Guides
• Bibliography

A literature review surveys prior research published in books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have used in researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within existing scholarship about the topic.

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014.

Importance of a Good Literature Review

A literature review may consist of simply a summary of key sources, but in the social sciences, a literature review usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis, often within specific conceptual categories . A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information in a way that informs how you are planning to investigate a research problem. The analytical features of a literature review might:

• Give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations,
• Trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates,
• Depending on the situation, evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant research, or
• Usually in the conclusion of a literature review, identify where gaps exist in how a problem has been researched to date.

Given this, the purpose of a literature review is to:

• Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem being studied.
• Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
• Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
• Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
• Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
• Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
• Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2011; Knopf, Jeffrey W. "Doing a Literature Review." PS: Political Science and Politics 39 (January 2006): 127-132; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012.

Types of Literature Reviews

It is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the primary studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally among scholars that become part of the body of epistemological traditions within the field.

In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews. Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are a number of approaches you could adopt depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study.

Argumentative Review This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply embedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews [see below].

Integrative Review Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses or research problems. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication. This is the most common form of review in the social sciences.

Historical Review Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review A review does not always focus on what someone said [findings], but how they came about saying what they say [method of analysis]. Reviewing methods of analysis provides a framework of understanding at different levels [i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches, and data collection and analysis techniques], how researchers draw upon a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection, and data analysis. This approach helps highlight ethical issues which you should be aware of and consider as you go through your own study.

Systematic Review This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. The goal is to deliberately document, critically evaluate, and summarize scientifically all of the research about a clearly defined research problem . Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?" This type of literature review is primarily applied to examining prior research studies in clinical medicine and allied health fields, but it is increasingly being used in the social sciences.

Theoretical Review The purpose of this form is to examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

NOTE: Most often the literature review will incorporate some combination of types. For example, a review that examines literature supporting or refuting an argument, assumption, or philosophical problem related to the research problem will also need to include writing supported by sources that establish the history of these arguments in the literature.

Baumeister, Roy F. and Mark R. Leary. "Writing Narrative Literature Reviews."  Review of General Psychology 1 (September 1997): 311-320; Mark R. Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature." Educational Researcher 36 (April 2007): 139-147; Petticrew, Mark and Helen Roberts. Systematic Reviews in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2006; Torracro, Richard. "Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples." Human Resource Development Review 4 (September 2005): 356-367; Rocco, Tonette S. and Maria S. Plakhotnik. "Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions." Human Ressource Development Review 8 (March 2008): 120-130; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Thinking About Your Literature Review

The structure of a literature review should include the following in support of understanding the research problem :

• An overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration, along with the objectives of the literature review,
• Division of works under review into themes or categories [e.g. works that support a particular position, those against, and those offering alternative approaches entirely],
• An explanation of how each work is similar to and how it varies from the others,
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best considered in their argument, are most convincing of their opinions, and make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of their area of research.

The critical evaluation of each work should consider :

• Provenance -- what are the author's credentials? Are the author's arguments supported by evidence [e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings]?
• Methodology -- were the techniques used to identify, gather, and analyze the data appropriate to addressing the research problem? Was the sample size appropriate? Were the results effectively interpreted and reported?
• Objectivity -- is the author's perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author's point?
• Persuasiveness -- which of the author's theses are most convincing or least convincing?
• Validity -- are the author's arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?

II.  Development of the Literature Review

Four Basic Stages of Writing 1.  Problem formulation -- which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? 2.  Literature search -- finding materials relevant to the subject being explored. 3.  Data evaluation -- determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic. 4.  Analysis and interpretation -- discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature.

Consider the following issues before writing the literature review: Clarify If your assignment is not specific about what form your literature review should take, seek clarification from your professor by asking these questions: 1.  Roughly how many sources would be appropriate to include? 2.  What types of sources should I review (books, journal articles, websites; scholarly versus popular sources)? 3.  Should I summarize, synthesize, or critique sources by discussing a common theme or issue? 4.  Should I evaluate the sources in any way beyond evaluating how they relate to understanding the research problem? 5.  Should I provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitions and/or a history? Find Models Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources you've already read, such as required readings in the course syllabus, are also excellent entry points into your own research. Narrow the Topic The narrower your topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to obtain a good survey of relevant resources. Your professor will probably not expect you to read everything that's available about the topic, but you'll make the act of reviewing easier if you first limit scope of the research problem. A good strategy is to begin by searching the USC Libraries Catalog for recent books about the topic and review the table of contents for chapters that focuses on specific issues. You can also review the indexes of books to find references to specific issues that can serve as the focus of your research. For example, a book surveying the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may include a chapter on the role Egypt has played in mediating the conflict, or look in the index for the pages where Egypt is mentioned in the text. Consider Whether Your Sources are Current Some disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. This is particularly true in disciplines in medicine and the sciences where research conducted becomes obsolete very quickly as new discoveries are made. However, when writing a review in the social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be required. In other words, a complete understanding the research problem requires you to deliberately examine how knowledge and perspectives have changed over time. Sort through other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects. You can also use this method to explore what is considered by scholars to be a "hot topic" and what is not.

III.  Ways to Organize Your Literature Review

Chronology of Events If your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according to when they were published. This approach should only be followed if a clear path of research building on previous research can be identified and that these trends follow a clear chronological order of development. For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. By Publication Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend. For instance, you could order a review of literature on environmental studies of brown fields if the progression revealed, for example, a change in the soil collection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies. Thematic [“conceptual categories”] A thematic literature review is the most common approach to summarizing prior research in the social and behavioral sciences. Thematic reviews are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time, although the progression of time may still be incorporated into a thematic review. For example, a review of the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics could focus on the development of online political satire. While the study focuses on one topic, the Internet’s impact on American presidential politics, it would still be organized chronologically reflecting technological developments in media. The difference in this example between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the most: themes related to the role of the Internet in presidential politics. Note that more authentic thematic reviews tend to break away from chronological order. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point being made. Methodological A methodological approach focuses on the methods utilized by the researcher. For the Internet in American presidential politics project, one methodological approach would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of American presidents on American, British, and French websites. Or the review might focus on the fundraising impact of the Internet on a particular political party. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.

Other Sections of Your Literature Review Once you've decided on the organizational method for your literature review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be easy to figure out because they arise from your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period; a thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue. However, sometimes you may need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you. However, only include what is necessary for the reader to locate your study within the larger scholarship about the research problem.

Here are examples of other sections, usually in the form of a single paragraph, you may need to include depending on the type of review you write:

• Current Situation : Information necessary to understand the current topic or focus of the literature review.
• Sources Used : Describes the methods and resources [e.g., databases] you used to identify the literature you reviewed.
• History : The chronological progression of the field, the research literature, or an idea that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
• Selection Methods : Criteria you used to select (and perhaps exclude) sources in your literature review. For instance, you might explain that your review includes only peer-reviewed [i.e., scholarly] sources.
• Standards : Description of the way in which you present your information.
• Questions for Further Research : What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?

IV.  Writing Your Literature Review

Once you've settled on how to organize your literature review, you're ready to write each section. When writing your review, keep in mind these issues.

Use Evidence A literature review section is, in this sense, just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence [citations] that demonstrates that what you are saying is valid. Be Selective Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the research problem, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological. Related items that provide additional information, but that are not key to understanding the research problem, can be included in a list of further readings . Use Quotes Sparingly Some short quotes are appropriate if you want to emphasize a point, or if what an author stated cannot be easily paraphrased. Sometimes you may need to quote certain terminology that was coined by the author, is not common knowledge, or taken directly from the study. Do not use extensive quotes as a substitute for using your own words in reviewing the literature. Summarize and Synthesize Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each thematic paragraph as well as throughout the review. Recapitulate important features of a research study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to your own work and the work of others. Keep Your Own Voice While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice [the writer's] should remain front and center. For example, weave references to other sources into what you are writing but maintain your own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with your own ideas and wording. Use Caution When Paraphrasing When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words. Even when paraphrasing an author’s work, you still must provide a citation to that work.

V.  Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes made in reviewing social science research literature.

• Sources in your literature review do not clearly relate to the research problem;
• You do not take sufficient time to define and identify the most relevant sources to use in the literature review related to the research problem;
• Relies exclusively on secondary analytical sources rather than including relevant primary research studies or data;
• Uncritically accepts another researcher's findings and interpretations as valid, rather than examining critically all aspects of the research design and analysis;
• Does not describe the search procedures that were used in identifying the literature to review;
• Reports isolated statistical results rather than synthesizing them in chi-squared or meta-analytic methods; and,
• Only includes research that validates assumptions and does not consider contrary findings and alternative interpretations found in the literature.

Cook, Kathleen E. and Elise Murowchick. “Do Literature Review Skills Transfer from One Course to Another?” Psychology Learning and Teaching 13 (March 2014): 3-11; Fink, Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper . 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005; Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998; Jesson, Jill. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques . London: SAGE, 2011; Literature Review Handout. Online Writing Center. Liberty University; Literature Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2016; Ridley, Diana. The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students . 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2012; Randolph, Justus J. “A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature Review." Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. vol. 14, June 2009; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016; Taylor, Dena. The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Writing a Literature Review. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra.

Writing Tip

Break Out of Your Disciplinary Box!

Thinking interdisciplinarily about a research problem can be a rewarding exercise in applying new ideas, theories, or concepts to an old problem. For example, what might cultural anthropologists say about the continuing conflict in the Middle East? In what ways might geographers view the need for better distribution of social service agencies in large cities than how social workers might study the issue? You don’t want to substitute a thorough review of core research literature in your discipline for studies conducted in other fields of study. However, particularly in the social sciences, thinking about research problems from multiple vectors is a key strategy for finding new solutions to a problem or gaining a new perspective. Consult with a librarian about identifying research databases in other disciplines; almost every field of study has at least one comprehensive database devoted to indexing its research literature.

Frodeman, Robert. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity . New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Another Writing Tip

Don't Just Review for Content!

While conducting a review of the literature, maximize the time you devote to writing this part of your paper by thinking broadly about what you should be looking for and evaluating. Review not just what scholars are saying, but how are they saying it. Some questions to ask:

• How are they organizing their ideas?
• What methods have they used to study the problem?
• What theories have been used to explain, predict, or understand their research problem?
• What sources have they cited to support their conclusions?
• How have they used non-textual elements [e.g., charts, graphs, figures, etc.] to illustrate key points?

When you begin to write your literature review section, you'll be glad you dug deeper into how the research was designed and constructed because it establishes a means for developing more substantial analysis and interpretation of the research problem.

Hart, Chris. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1 998.

Yet Another Writing Tip

When Do I Know I Can Stop Looking and Move On?

Here are several strategies you can utilize to assess whether you've thoroughly reviewed the literature:

• Look for repeating patterns in the research findings . If the same thing is being said, just by different people, then this likely demonstrates that the research problem has hit a conceptual dead end. At this point consider: Does your study extend current research?  Does it forge a new path? Or, does is merely add more of the same thing being said?
• Look at sources the authors cite to in their work . If you begin to see the same researchers cited again and again, then this is often an indication that no new ideas have been generated to address the research problem.
• Search Google Scholar to identify who has subsequently cited leading scholars already identified in your literature review [see next sub-tab]. This is called citation tracking and there are a number of sources that can help you identify who has cited whom, particularly scholars from outside of your discipline. Here again, if the same authors are being cited again and again, this may indicate no new literature has been written on the topic.

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Rebecca Frels. Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review: A Multimodal and Cultural Approach . Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2016; Sutton, Anthea. Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review . Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2016.

• << Previous: Theoretical Framework
• Next: Citation Tracking >>
• Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024 10:45 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide

Review of Related Literature: Format, Example, & How to Make RRL

A review of related literature is a separate paper or a part of an article that collects and synthesizes discussion on a topic. Its purpose is to show the current state of research on the issue and highlight gaps in existing knowledge. A literature review can be included in a research paper or scholarly article, typically following the introduction and before the research methods section.

This article will clarify the definition, significance, and structure of a review of related literature. You’ll also learn how to organize your literature review and discover ideas for an RRL in different subjects.

🔤 What Is RRL?

• ❗ Significance of Literature Review
• 🔎 How to Search for Literature
• 🧩 Literature Review Structure
• 📋 Format of RRL — APA, MLA, & Others
• ✍️ How to Write an RRL
• 📚 Examples of RRL

🔗 References

A review of related literature (RRL) is a part of the research report that examines significant studies, theories, and concepts published in scholarly sources on a particular topic. An RRL includes 3 main components:

• A short overview and critique of the previous research.
• Similarities and differences between past studies and the current one.
• An explanation of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the research.

❗ Significance of Review of Related Literature

Although the goal of a review of related literature differs depending on the discipline and its intended use, its significance cannot be overstated. Here are some examples of how a review might be beneficial:

• It helps determine knowledge gaps .
• It saves from duplicating research that has already been conducted.
• It provides an overview of various research areas within the discipline.
• It demonstrates the researcher’s familiarity with the topic.

🔎 How to Perform a Literature Search

Including a description of your search strategy in the literature review section can significantly increase your grade. You can search sources with the following steps:

🧩 Literature Review Structure Example

The majority of literature reviews follow a standard introduction-body-conclusion structure. Let’s look at the RRL structure in detail.

Introduction of Review of Related Literature: Sample

An introduction should clarify the study topic and the depth of the information to be delivered. It should also explain the types of sources used. If your lit. review is part of a larger research proposal or project, you can combine its introductory paragraph with the introduction of your paper.

Here is a sample introduction to an RRL about cyberbullying:

Bullying has troubled people since the beginning of time. However, with modern technological advancements, especially social media, bullying has evolved into cyberbullying. As a result, nowadays, teenagers and adults cannot flee their bullies, which makes them feel lonely and helpless. This literature review will examine recent studies on cyberbullying.

Sample Review of Related Literature Thesis

A thesis statement should include the central idea of your literature review and the primary supporting elements you discovered in the literature. Thesis statements are typically put at the end of the introductory paragraph.

Look at a sample thesis of a review of related literature:

This literature review shows that scholars have recently covered the issues of bullies’ motivation, the impact of bullying on victims and aggressors, common cyberbullying techniques, and victims’ coping strategies. However, there is still no agreement on the best practices to address cyberbullying.

Literature Review Body Paragraph Example

The main body of a literature review should provide an overview of the existing research on the issue. Body paragraphs should not just summarize each source but analyze them. You can organize your paragraphs with these 3 elements:

• Claim . Start with a topic sentence linked to your literature review purpose.
• Evidence . Cite relevant information from your chosen sources.
• Discussion . Explain how the cited data supports your claim.

Here’s a literature review body paragraph example:

Scholars have examined the link between the aggressor and the victim. Beran et al. (2007) state that students bullied online often become cyberbullies themselves. Faucher et al. (2014) confirm this with their findings: they discovered that male and female students began engaging in cyberbullying after being subject to bullying. Hence, one can conclude that being a victim of bullying increases one’s likelihood of becoming a cyberbully.

Review of Related Literature: Conclusion

A conclusion presents a general consensus on the topic. Depending on your literature review purpose, it might include the following:

• Introduction to further research . If you write a literature review as part of a larger research project, you can present your research question in your conclusion .
• Overview of theories . You can summarize critical theories and concepts to help your reader understand the topic better.
• Discussion of the gap . If you identified a research gap in the reviewed literature, your conclusion could explain why that gap is significant.

Check out a conclusion example that discusses a research gap:

There is extensive research into bullies’ motivation, the consequences of bullying for victims and aggressors, strategies for bullying, and coping with it. Yet, scholars still have not reached a consensus on what to consider the best practices to combat cyberbullying. This question is of great importance because of the significant adverse effects of cyberbullying on victims and bullies.

📋 Format of RRL — APA, MLA, & Others

In this section, we will discuss how to format an RRL according to the most common citation styles: APA, Chicago, MLA, and Harvard.

Writing a literature review using the APA7 style requires the following text formatting:

• When using APA in-text citations , include the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses.
• For direct quotations , you must also add the page number. If you use sources without page numbers, such as websites or e-books, include a paragraph number instead.
• When referring to the author’s name in a sentence , you do not need to repeat it at the end of the sentence. Instead, include the year of publication inside the parentheses after their name.
• The reference list should be included at the end of your literature review. It is always alphabetized by the last name of the author (from A to Z), and the lines are indented one-half inch from the left margin of your paper. Do not forget to invert authors’ names (the last name should come first) and include the full titles of journals instead of their abbreviations. If you use an online source, add its URL.

The RRL format in the Chicago style is as follows:

• Author-date . You place your citations in brackets within the text, indicating the name of the author and the year of publication.
• Notes and bibliography . You place your citations in numbered footnotes or endnotes to connect the citation back to the source in the bibliography.
• The reference list, or bibliography , in Chicago style, is at the end of a literature review. The sources are arranged alphabetically and single-spaced. Each bibliography entry begins with the author’s name and the source’s title, followed by publication information, such as the city of publication, the publisher, and the year of publication.

Writing a literature review using the MLA style requires the following text formatting:

• In the MLA format, you can cite a source in the text by indicating the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses at the end of the citation. If the cited information takes several pages, you need to include all the page numbers.
• The reference list in MLA style is titled “ Works Cited .” In this section, all sources used in the paper should be listed in alphabetical order. Each entry should contain the author, title of the source, title of the journal or a larger volume, other contributors, version, number, publisher, and publication date.

The Harvard style requires you to use the following text formatting for your RRL:

• In-text citations in the Harvard style include the author’s last name and the year of publication. If you are using a direct quote in your literature review, you need to add the page number as well.
• Arrange your list of references alphabetically. Each entry should contain the author’s last name, their initials, the year of publication, the title of the source, and other publication information, like the journal title and issue number or the publisher.

✍️ How to Write Review of Related Literature – Sample

Literature reviews can be organized in many ways depending on what you want to achieve with them. In this section, we will look at 3 examples of how you can write your RRL.

Thematic Literature Review

A thematic literature review is arranged around central themes or issues discussed in the sources. If you have identified some recurring themes in the literature, you can divide your RRL into sections that address various aspects of the topic. For example, if you examine studies on e-learning, you can distinguish such themes as the cost-effectiveness of online learning, the technologies used, and its effectiveness compared to traditional education.

Chronological Literature Review

A chronological literature review is a way to track the development of the topic over time. If you use this method, avoid merely listing and summarizing sources in chronological order. Instead, try to analyze the trends, turning moments, and critical debates that have shaped the field’s path. Also, you can give your interpretation of how and why specific advances occurred.

Methodological Literature Review

A methodological literature review differs from the preceding ones in that it usually doesn’t focus on the sources’ content. Instead, it is concerned with the research methods . So, if your references come from several disciplines or fields employing various research techniques, you can compare the findings and conclusions of different methodologies, for instance:

• empirical vs. theoretical studies;
• qualitative vs. quantitative research.

📚 Examples of Review of Related Literature and Studies

We have prepared a short example of RRL on climate change for you to see how everything works in practice!

Climate change is one of the most important issues nowadays. Based on a variety of facts, it is now clearer than ever that humans are altering the Earth's climate. The atmosphere and oceans have warmed, causing sea level rise, a significant loss of Arctic ice, and other climate-related changes. This literature review provides a thorough summary of research on climate change, focusing on climate change fingerprints and evidence of human influence on the Earth's climate system.

Physical Mechanisms and Evidence of Human Influence

Scientists are convinced that climate change is directly influenced by the emission of greenhouse gases. They have carefully analyzed various climate data and evidence, concluding that the majority of the observed global warming over the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural factors alone. Instead, there is compelling evidence pointing to a significant contribution of human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases (Walker, 2014). For example, based on simple physics calculations, doubled carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere can lead to a global temperature increase of approximately 1 degree Celsius. (Elderfield, 2022). In order to determine the human influence on climate, scientists still have to analyze a lot of natural changes that affect temperature, precipitation, and other components of climate on timeframes ranging from days to decades and beyond.

Fingerprinting Climate Change

Fingerprinting climate change is a useful tool to identify the causes of global warming because different factors leave unique marks on climate records. This is evident when scientists look beyond overall temperature changes and examine how warming is distributed geographically and over time (Watson, 2022). By investigating these climate patterns, scientists can obtain a more complex understanding of the connections between natural climate variability and climate variability caused by human activity.

Modeling Climate Change and Feedback

To accurately predict the consequences of feedback mechanisms, the rate of warming, and regional climate change, scientists can employ sophisticated mathematical models of the atmosphere, ocean, land, and ice (the cryosphere). These models are grounded in well-established physical laws and incorporate the latest scientific understanding of climate-related processes (Shuckburgh, 2013). Although different climate models produce slightly varying projections for future warming, they all will agree that feedback mechanisms play a significant role in amplifying the initial warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. (Meehl, 2019).

In conclusion, the literature on global warming indicates that there are well-understood physical processes that link variations in greenhouse gas concentrations to climate change. In addition, it covers the scientific proof that the rates of these gases in the atmosphere have increased and continue to rise fast. According to the sources, the majority of this recent change is almost definitely caused by greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities. Citizens and governments can alter their energy production methods and consumption patterns to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, the magnitude of climate change. By acting now, society can prevent the worst consequences of climate change and build a more resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.

Have you ever struggled with finding the topic for an RRL in different subjects? Read the following paragraphs to get some ideas!

Nursing Literature Review Example

Many topics in the nursing field require research. For example, you can write a review of literature related to dengue fever . Give a general overview of dengue virus infections, including its clinical symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy.

Another good idea is to review related literature and studies about teenage pregnancy . This review can describe the effectiveness of specific programs for adolescent mothers and their children and summarize recommendations for preventing early pregnancy.

📝 Check out some more valuable examples below:

• Hospital Readmissions: Literature Review .
• Literature Review: Lower Sepsis Mortality Rates .
• Breast Cancer: Literature Review .
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Literature Review .
• PICO for Pressure Ulcers: Literature Review .
• COVID-19 Spread Prevention: Literature Review .
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Literature Review .
• Hypertension Treatment Adherence: Literature Review .
• Neonatal Sepsis Prevention: Literature Review .
• Healthcare-Associated Infections: Literature Review .
• Understaffing in Nursing: Literature Review .

Psychology Literature Review Example

If you look for an RRL topic in psychology , you can write a review of related literature about stress . Summarize scientific evidence about stress stages, side effects, types, or reduction strategies. Or you can write a review of related literature about computer game addiction . In this case, you may concentrate on the neural mechanisms underlying the internet gaming disorder, compare it to other addictions, or evaluate treatment strategies.

A review of related literature about cyberbullying is another interesting option. You can highlight the impact of cyberbullying on undergraduate students’ academic, social, and emotional development.

📝 Look at the examples that we have prepared for you to come up with some more ideas:

• Mindfulness in Counseling: A Literature Review .
• Team-Building Across Cultures: Literature Review .
• Anxiety and Decision Making: Literature Review .
• Literature Review on Depression .
• Literature Review on Narcissism .
• Effects of Depression Among Adolescents .
• Causes and Effects of Anxiety in Children .

Literature Review — Sociology Example

Sociological research poses critical questions about social structures and phenomena. For example, you can write a review of related literature about child labor , exploring cultural beliefs and social norms that normalize the exploitation of children. Or you can create a review of related literature about social media . It can investigate the impact of social media on relationships between adolescents or the role of social networks on immigrants’ acculturation .

📝 You can find some more ideas below!

• Single Mothers’ Experiences of Relationships with Their Adolescent Sons .
• Teachers and Students’ Gender-Based Interactions .
• Gender Identity: Biological Perspective and Social Cognitive Theory .
• Gender: Culturally-Prescribed Role or Biological Sex .
• The Influence of Opioid Misuse on Academic Achievement of Veteran Students .
• The Importance of Ethics in Research .
• The Role of Family and Social Network Support in Mental Health .

Education Literature Review Example

For your education studies , you can write a review of related literature about academic performance to determine factors that affect student achievement and highlight research gaps. One more idea is to create a review of related literature on study habits , considering their role in the student’s life and academic outcomes.

You can also evaluate a computerized grading system in a review of related literature to single out its advantages and barriers to implementation. Or you can complete a review of related literature on instructional materials to identify their most common types and effects on student achievement.

📝 Find some inspiration in the examples below:

• Literature Review on Online Learning Challenges From COVID-19 .
• Education, Leadership, and Management: Literature Review .
• Literature Review: Standardized Testing Bias .
• Bullying of Disabled Children in School .
• Interventions and Letter & Sound Recognition: A Literature Review .
• Social-Emotional Skills Program for Preschoolers .
• Effectiveness of Educational Leadership Management Skills .

Business Research Literature Review

If you’re a business student, you can focus on customer satisfaction in your review of related literature. Discuss specific customer satisfaction features and how it is affected by service quality and prices. You can also create a theoretical literature review about consumer buying behavior to evaluate theories that have significantly contributed to understanding how consumers make purchasing decisions.

📝 Look at the examples to get more exciting ideas:

• Leadership and Communication: Literature Review .
• Human Resource Development: Literature Review .
• Project Management. Literature Review .
• Strategic HRM: A Literature Review .
• Customer Relationship Management: Literature Review .
• Literature Review on International Financial Reporting Standards .
• Cultures of Management: Literature Review .

To conclude, a review of related literature is a significant genre of scholarly works that can be applied in various disciplines and for multiple goals. The sources examined in an RRL provide theoretical frameworks for future studies and help create original research questions and hypotheses.

When you finish your outstanding literature review, don’t forget to check whether it sounds logical and coherent. Our text-to-speech tool can help you with that!

• Literature Reviews | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Writing a Literature Review | Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Learn How to Write a Review of Literature | University of Wisconsin-Madison
• The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It | University of Toronto
• Writing a Literature Review | UC San Diego
• Conduct a Literature Review | The University of Arizona
• Methods for Literature Reviews | National Library of Medicine
• Literature Reviews: 5. Write the Review | Georgia State University

How to Write an Animal Testing Essay: Tips for Argumentative & Persuasive Papers

Descriptive essay topics: examples, outline, & more.

Research Methods

• Getting Started
• Literature Review Research
• Research Design
• Research Design By Discipline
• SAGE Research Methods
• Teaching with SAGE Research Methods

Literature Review

• What is a Literature Review?
• What is NOT a Literature Review?
• Purposes of a Literature Review
• Types of Literature Reviews
• Literature Reviews vs. Systematic Reviews
• Systematic vs. Meta-Analysis

Literature Review  is a comprehensive survey of the works published in a particular field of study or line of research, usually over a specific period of time, in the form of an in-depth, critical bibliographic essay or annotated list in which attention is drawn to the most significant works.

Also, we can define a literature review as the collected body of scholarly works related to a topic:

• Summarizes and analyzes previous research relevant to a topic
• Includes scholarly books and articles published in academic journals
• Can be an specific scholarly paper or a section in a research paper

The objective of a Literature Review is to find previous published scholarly works relevant to an specific topic

• Help gather ideas or information
• Keep up to date in current trends and findings
• Help develop new questions

A literature review is important because it:

• Explains the background of research on a topic.
• Demonstrates why a topic is significant to a subject area.
• Helps focus your own research questions or problems
• Discovers relationships between research studies/ideas.
• Suggests unexplored ideas or populations
• Identifies major themes, concepts, and researchers on a topic.
• Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.
• Identifies critical gaps, points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches.
• Indicates potential directions for future research.

All content in this section is from Literature Review Research from Old Dominion University 

Keep in mind the following, a literature review is NOT:

Not an essay 

Not an annotated bibliography  in which you summarize each article that you have reviewed.  A literature review goes beyond basic summarizing to focus on the critical analysis of the reviewed works and their relationship to your research question.

Not a research paper   where you select resources to support one side of an issue versus another.  A lit review should explain and consider all sides of an argument in order to avoid bias, and areas of agreement and disagreement should be highlighted.

A literature review serves several purposes. For example, it

• provides thorough knowledge of previous studies; introduces seminal works.
• helps focus one’s own research topic.
• identifies a conceptual framework for one’s own research questions or problems; indicates potential directions for future research.
• suggests previously unused or underused methodologies, designs, quantitative and qualitative strategies.
• identifies gaps in previous studies; identifies flawed methodologies and/or theoretical approaches; avoids replication of mistakes.
• helps the researcher avoid repetition of earlier research.
• suggests unexplored populations.
• determines whether past studies agree or disagree; identifies controversy in the literature.
• tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias.

As Kennedy (2007) notes*, it is important to think of knowledge in a given field as consisting of three layers. First, there are the primary studies that researchers conduct and publish. Second are the reviews of those studies that summarize and offer new interpretations built from and often extending beyond the original studies. Third, there are the perceptions, conclusions, opinion, and interpretations that are shared informally that become part of the lore of field. In composing a literature review, it is important to note that it is often this third layer of knowledge that is cited as "true" even though it often has only a loose relationship to the primary studies and secondary literature reviews.

Given this, while literature reviews are designed to provide an overview and synthesis of pertinent sources you have explored, there are several approaches to how they can be done, depending upon the type of analysis underpinning your study. Listed below are definitions of types of literature reviews:

Argumentative Review      This form examines literature selectively in order to support or refute an argument, deeply imbedded assumption, or philosophical problem already established in the literature. The purpose is to develop a body of literature that establishes a contrarian viewpoint. Given the value-laden nature of some social science research [e.g., educational reform; immigration control], argumentative approaches to analyzing the literature can be a legitimate and important form of discourse. However, note that they can also introduce problems of bias when they are used to to make summary claims of the sort found in systematic reviews.

Integrative Review      Considered a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated. The body of literature includes all studies that address related or identical hypotheses. A well-done integrative review meets the same standards as primary research in regard to clarity, rigor, and replication.

Historical Review      Few things rest in isolation from historical precedent. Historical reviews are focused on examining research throughout a period of time, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, phenomena emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and to identify the likely directions for future research.

Methodological Review      A review does not always focus on what someone said [content], but how they said it [method of analysis]. This approach provides a framework of understanding at different levels (i.e. those of theory, substantive fields, research approaches and data collection and analysis techniques), enables researchers to draw on a wide variety of knowledge ranging from the conceptual level to practical documents for use in fieldwork in the areas of ontological and epistemological consideration, quantitative and qualitative integration, sampling, interviewing, data collection and data analysis, and helps highlight many ethical issues which we should be aware of and consider as we go through our study.

Systematic Review      This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect, report, and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review. Typically it focuses on a very specific empirical question, often posed in a cause-and-effect form, such as "To what extent does A contribute to B?"

Theoretical Review      The purpose of this form is to concretely examine the corpus of theory that has accumulated in regard to an issue, concept, theory, phenomena. The theoretical literature review help establish what theories already exist, the relationships between them, to what degree the existing theories have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested. Often this form is used to help establish a lack of appropriate theories or reveal that current theories are inadequate for explaining new or emerging research problems. The unit of analysis can focus on a theoretical concept or a whole theory or framework.

* Kennedy, Mary M. "Defining a Literature."  Educational Researcher  36 (April 2007): 139-147.

All content in this section is from The Literature Review created by Dr. Robert Larabee USC

Robinson, P. and Lowe, J. (2015),  Literature reviews vs systematic reviews.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 39: 103-103. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12393

What's in the name? The difference between a Systematic Review and a Literature Review, and why it matters . By Lynn Kysh from University of Southern California

Systematic review or meta-analysis?

A  systematic review  answers a defined research question by collecting and summarizing all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria.

A  meta-analysis  is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of these studies.

Systematic reviews, just like other research articles, can be of varying quality. They are a significant piece of work (the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York estimates that a team will take 9-24 months), and to be useful to other researchers and practitioners they should have:

• clearly stated objectives with pre-defined eligibility criteria for studies
• explicit, reproducible methodology
• a systematic search that attempts to identify all studies
• assessment of the validity of the findings of the included studies (e.g. risk of bias)
• systematic presentation, and synthesis, of the characteristics and findings of the included studies

Not all systematic reviews contain meta-analysis. 

Meta-analysis is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analysis can provide more precise estimates of the effects of health care than those derived from the individual studies included within a review.  More information on meta-analyses can be found in  Cochrane Handbook, Chapter 9 .

A meta-analysis goes beyond critique and integration and conducts secondary statistical analysis on the outcomes of similar studies.  It is a systematic review that uses quantitative methods to synthesize and summarize the results.

An advantage of a meta-analysis is the ability to be completely objective in evaluating research findings.  Not all topics, however, have sufficient research evidence to allow a meta-analysis to be conducted.  In that case, an integrative review is an appropriate strategy. 

Some of the content in this section is from Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: step by step guide created by Kate McAllister.

• << Previous: Getting Started
• Next: Research Design >>
• Last Updated: Aug 21, 2023 4:07 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.udel.edu/researchmethods

Practical Research Module: Conceptual Framework and Review of Related Literature

This Senior High School Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. illustrate and explain the research framework (CS_RS12-If-j-6) ;

2. define terms used in the study (CS_RS12-If-j-7);

3. list research hypothesis (if appropriate) (CS_RS12-If-j-8) and

4. present a written review of related literature and conceptual framework (CS_RS12-If-j-9) .

Senior High School Quarter 1 Self-Learning Module Practical Research 2 – Conceptual Framework and Review of Related Literature

Can't find what you're looking for.

We are here to help - please use the search box below.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Lesson 23: The Process of Review of Related Literature

Your search for knowledge happens in every stage of your research work, but it is in the research stage of review of related literature where you spend considerable time searching knowledge about the topic. Exposed to various sources of knowledge and conditioned by a timeframe of the research work, it is necessary that you adopt a certain method in reviewing or reading varied works of literature that are related to your research problem or topic.

Going methodical in your review of related literature means you have to go through the following related stages of the process of review of related literature that are true for any style of review (traditional or systematic) that you want to adopt. (Lappuci 2013; Robyler 2013; Freinbell 2012)

Stage 1: Search for the Literature

This is the stage of review of related literature where you devote much of your time in looking for sources of knowledge, data, or information to answer your research questions or to support your assumptions about your research topic.

Generally, there are three basic types of literature sources:

1.     General references that will direct you to the location of other sources;

2.     Primary sources that directly report or present a person’s own experiences; and

3.     Secondary sources that report or describe other people’s experiences or worldviews.

Secondary sources of knowledge give the most number of materials such as the Internet, books, peer-reviewed articles in journals, published literary reviews of a field, grey literature or unpublished and non-peer reviewed materials like theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, leaflets and posters, research studies in progress, and other library materials.

Websites introducing materials whose quality depends solely on every individual, social media networks (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, video, etc.) and other online encyclopedia are the other sources of information that you can consult during this stage.

You can have an access to these various sources of data in two methods: manually , or getting hold of the printed form of the material, and electronically or having a computer or online reading of the sources of knowledge.

Here are the pointers you have to remember in searching for the best sources of information or data: (Fraenbell 2012)

1.     Choose previous research findings that are closely related to your research.

2.     Give more weight to studies done by people possessing expertise or authority in the field of knowledge to which the research studies belong.

3.     Consider sources of knowledge that refer more to primary data than to secondary data.

4.     Prefer getting information from peer-reviewed materials than from general reading materials.

Stage 2: Reading the Source Material

Reading, understanding, or making the materials meaningful to you is what will preoccupy you on the second stage of reading RRL.

You can only benefit much from your reading activities if you confront the reading materials with the help of your HOTS. In understanding the sources of knowledge with your HOTS, you need to think interpretatively through these ways of inferential thinking: predicting, generalizing, concluding, and assuming.

On top of these should be your ability to criticize or evaluate, apply, and create things about what you have read.

Hence, reading or making sense of the source materials does not only make you list down ideas from the materials, but also permits you to modify, construct, or reconstruct ideas based on a certain principle, theory, pattern, method, or theme underlying your research.

Stage 3: Writing the Review

You do a great deal of idea connection and organization in this last stage of RRL to form an overall understanding of the material by paraphrasing or summarizing the it. In doing either of these two, you get to change the arrangement of ideas, structures of the language, and the format of the text using appropriate organizational techniques of comparison-contrast, chronological order, spatial relationship, inductive-deductive order, and transitional devices. Also, you make effective changes not only on language structures and format but also the quality of ideas incorporated into the summary or paraphrase as well. This means that in writing the review, based on the focus, theme, or theory underlying your research, you are free to fuse your opinions with the author’s ideas. (Corti 2014)

A simple presentation of the findings or argumentations of the writers on a particular topic with no incorporation of your own inferential, analytical, and comparative- contrastive thinking about other people’s ideas indicates poor literature review writing . This mere description, transfer, or listing of writer’s ideas that is devoid of or not reflective of your thinking is called dump or stringing method.

Good literature review writing shuns presenting ideas in serial abstracts, which means every paragraph merely consists of one article. This is a source-by-source literature writing that fails to link, compare, and contrast series of articles based on a theory or a theme around which the research questions revolve. (Remlen 2011)

Juxtaposing or dealing with studies with respect to each other is your way of proving the extent of the validity of the findings of previous studies vis-à-vis the recent ones. Reading the source material and writing the review analytically, argumentatively, or critically, you give yourself the chance to express your genuine or opinionated knowledge about the topic; thereby, increasing the enthusiasm of people in reading your work. (Radylyer 2013)

Another good approach to writing an excellent review is adopting good opening sentences of articles that should chronologically appear in the paper. Opening examples is not good.

Aquino (2015) said...

Roxas (2016) stated…

Perez (2017) wrote...

Mendoza (2018) asserted...

Examples of better article openings manifesting critical thinking through analysis, comparison and contrast of ideas and findings are as follows:

One early work by (Castro, 2017) proves that...

Another study on the topic by (Torres, 2017) maintains that...

The latest study by (Gomez, 2018) reveals that...

A research study by (Rivera, 2017) explains that...

Coming from various books on literature review writing are the following transitional devices and active verbs to link or express authors’ ideas in your paper. Using correct words to link ideas will make you synthesize your literature review, in a way that evidence coming from various sources of data, will present an overall understanding of the context or of the present circumstances affecting the research problem.

1.     Transitional devices – also, additionally, again, similarly, a similar opinion, however, conversely, on the other hand, nevertheless, a contrasting opinion, a different approach, etc.

2.     Active verbs – analyze, argues, assess, assert, assume, claim, compare, contrast, conclude, criticize, debate, defend, define, demonstrate, discuss, distinguish, differentiate, evaluate, examine, emphasize, expand, explain, exhibit, identify, illustrate, imply, indicate, judge, justify, narrate, outline, persuade, propose, question, relate to, report, review, suggest, summarize.

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Article Menu

• Subscribe SciFeed
• Recommended Articles
• Google Scholar
• on Google Scholar
• Table of Contents

Find support for a specific problem in the support section of our website.

Please let us know what you think of our products and services.

Visit our dedicated information section to learn more about MDPI.

JSmol Viewer

Examining the response to covid-19 in logistics and supply chain processes: insights from a state-of-the-art literature review and case study analysis.

1. Introduction

• RQ1 (scientific): How have researchers studied the impact of COVID-19 on logistics and supply chain processes? Which industrial sectors were mostly studied and why? Which additional topics can be related to COVID-19 and logistics/supply chain?
• RQ2 (practical): What effects of COVID-19 on logistics and supply chain processes were experienced by companies?

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. systematic literature review, 2.1.1. sample creation, 2.1.2. descriptive analyses, 2.1.3. paper classification.

• Macro theme: sustainability, resilience, risk, information technology, economics, performance, planning and food security. This classification represents paper’s core topic.
• Industrial sector: aerospace, agri-food, apparel, automotive, construction, e-commerce, electronic, energy, fast-moving consumer goods, food, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing and service.
• Data collection method: questionnaire/interview, third-party sources or case study. This classification represents the method used by the authors to collect the data useful to their study.
• Research method: statistical, decision-making, simulation, empirical, literature review or economic. This category describes the tool used by the authors to conduct the study and reach the related goals.
• Specific method, e.g., descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling (SEM), multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), etc.; this feature describes more accurately the type of work carried out by the authors and the tools used.
• Country: it reflects the geographical area in which the study was carried out, in terms, for instance, of the country in which a sample of people has been interviewed or where empirical data were collected, or where the simulation was set. This method of classification, although more elaborated, was preferred over traditional approaches, in which the country of the study is defined based merely on the affiliation of the first author of the paper, because the exact knowledge of the country in which the study was carried out is, for sure, a more representative source of information about the research. This is true in general, but it is even more important for this subject matter, as the management of the COVID-19 pandemic was made on a country or regional basis, with significant differences from country to country; knowing the exact location of the study helps in better interpreting the research outcomes. Possible entries in this field also include “multiple countries” and “not specified”, with the obvious meanings of the terms.

2.1.4. Cross-Analyses

2.1.5. interrelated aspects, 2.2. case study, 2.2.1. data collection.

• Economic data: some key economic data were retrieved from the company’s balance sheet, from 2019 up to the latest available document, which refers to 2022.
• Organizational data: these data describe changes in the operational, decision-making and business structure of the company in terms, e.g., of number of employees hired, number of drivers, etc.
• The related data were collected and elaborated between July and September 2023.

2.2.2. Survey Phase

2.2.3. analysis and summary, 3. results—systematic literature review, 3.1. descriptive statistics, 3.2. common classification fields, 3.2.1. macro theme, 3.2.2. industrial sector, 3.2.3. data collection method, 3.2.4. research method, 3.2.5. country, 3.3. cross-analyses, 3.3.1. macro theme vs. industrial sector, 3.3.2. research method vs. macro theme, 3.4. interrelated aspects, 4. results—case study, 4.1. company overview, 4.2. pre-covid-19 period, 4.3. covid-19 period, 4.4. post-covid-19 period, 4.5. analysis and summary.

• Strengths : at present, Company A benefits from a robust network of relationships with customers and suppliers (e.g., drivers), which was leveraged during the pandemic period to provide a rapid response to the increased request by the consumers. The company has also leveraged the usage of digital technologies, which made logistics activities more efficient and, again, allowed the company to respond to consumer demand in the pandemic period.
• Weaknesses : Company A has suffered from low economic results, in particular in the post-COVID-19 period, mainly due to the high production costs. Efforts must be made by the company to reduce expenses. At the same time, however, the service level, in terms of delivery lead time or on-time delivery, should be safeguarded.
• Opportunities : the growth of e-commerce, experienced in the COVID-19 period but expected to last over time, creates opportunities for increasing the volume of items handled by Company A. Indeed, the survey phase demonstrated that the company’s consumers have shifted towards the usage of online sales; hence, the company could consider investing in this area to increase its market share. By leveraging the e-commerce logistics and diversifying service, expansions could also be possible at an international level. Even if the company has already embraced the implementation of digital technologies, some emerging technologies (e.g., drones or advanced traceability systems) could also be introduced for further improving the logistics efficiency. Finally, sustainability is another opportunity to be leveraged, because of the current push towards the adoption of environmental-friendly logistics solutions. Examples of those solutions include a reduction in CO 2 emissions, and the usage of electric vehicles or zero-impact materials.
• Threats : the growth of e-commerce can be seen as an opportunity, but because many logistics companies have already entered this field, the sector is characterized by very high competition, which could limit the market share of Company A; this could instead be seen as a threat needing to be properly managed. Another threat comes from the increased cost of fuel, which, for sure, for a logistics company plays an important role in determining the cost of the transport activities (also, having previously observed that the company suffered from a limited revenue in recent years). This factor could further push towards the adoption of environmentally friendly transport modes (e.g., electric vehicles), which have been previously mentioned as an opportunity for leveraging in the logistics sector.

5. Conclusions

5.1. answer to the research questions, 5.2. scientific and practical implications, 5.3. suggestions for future research directions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

• Christopher, M. Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Strategies for Reducing Cost and Improving Service Financial Times ; Pitman Publishing: London, UK, 1998; ISBN 0 273 63049 0. [ Google Scholar ]
• Gechevski, D.; Kochov, A.; Popovska-Vasilevska, S.; Polenakovik, R.; Donev, V. Reverse Logistics and Green Logistics Way to Improving the Environmental Sustainability. Acta Tech. Corviniensis-Bull. Eng. 2016 , 9 , 63. [ Google Scholar ]
• Mbang, A. A New Introduction to Supply Chains and Supply Chain Management: Definitions and Theories Perspective. Int. Bus. Res. 2011 , 5 , 194–207. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Jones, T.C.; Riley, D.W. Using Inventory for Competitive Advantage through Supply Chain Management. Int. J. Phys. Distrib. Mater. Manag. 1985 , 15 , 16–26. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Monczka, R.M.; Trent, R.J.; Handfield, R.B. Purchasing and Supply Chain Management ; South Western Educational Publishing: Natorp Blvd Cincinnati, OH, USA, 2002; ISBN 0-324-02315-4. [ Google Scholar ]
• Belhadi, D.; Peiffer-Smadja, N.; Lescure, F.-X.; Yazdanpanah, Y.; Mentré, F.; Laouénan, C. A Brief Review of Antiviral Drugs Evaluated in Registered Clinical Trials for COVID-19. MedRxiv 2020 . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Shen, Z.; Sun, Y. Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience during COVID-19: A Case Study of JD.Com. J. Oper. Manag. 2021 , 69 , 359–383. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Dohale, V.; Verma, P.; Gunasekaran, A.; Ambilkar, P. COVID-19 and Supply Chain Risk Mitigation: A Case Study from India. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2023 , 34 , 417–442. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mishra, P.K. COVID-19, Black Swan Events and the Future of Disaster Risk Management in India. Prog. Disaster Sci. 2020 , 8 , 100137. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Badhotiya, G.K.; Soni, G.; Jain, V.; Joshi, R.; Mittal, S. Assessing Supply Chain Resilience to the Outbreak of COVID-19 in Indian Manufacturing Firms. Oper. Manag. Res. 2022 , 15 , 1161–1180. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mahmoud, M.A.; Mahmoud, A.; Abubakar, S.L.; Garba, A.S.; Daneji, B.A. COVID-19 Operational Disruption and SMEs’ Performance: The Moderating Role of Disruption Orientation and Government Support. Benchmarking Int. J. 2022 , 29 , 2641–2664. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Aldrighetti, R.; Battini, D.; Ivanov, D. Increasing Supply Chain Resilience through Efficient Redundancy Allocation: A Risk-Averse Mathematical Model. Ifac-papersonline 2021 , 54 , 1011–1016. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tang, O.; Nurmaya Musa, S. Identifying Risk Issues and Research Advancements in Supply Chain Risk Management. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2011 , 133 , 25–34. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Rinaldi, M.; Murino, T.; Gebennini, E.; Morea, D.; Bottani, E. A Literature Review on Quantitative Models for Supply Chain Risk Management: Can They Be Applied to Pandemic Disruptions? Comput. Ind. Eng. 2022 , 170 , 108329. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Corallo, A.; Lazoi, M.; Lezzi, M.; Luperto, A. Cybersecurity Awareness in the Context of the Industrial Internet of Things: A Systematic Literature Review. Comput. Ind. 2022 , 137 , 103614. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Rinaldi, M.; Bottani, E. How Did COVID-19 Affect Logistics and Supply Chain Processes? Immediate, Short and Medium-Term Evidence from Some Industrial Fields of Italy. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2023 , 262 , 108915. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Chowdhury, P.; Paul, S.K.; Kaisar, S.; Moktadir, M.A. COVID-19 pandemic related supply chain studies: A systematic review. Transp. Res. Part E—Logist. Transp. Rev. 2021 , 148 , 102271. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nandi, S.; Sarkis, J.; Hervani, A.A.; Helms, M.M. Redesigning supply chains using blockchain-enabled circular economy and COVID-19 experiences. Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2021 , 27 , 10–22. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kraus, S.; Clauss, T.; Breier, M.; Gast, J.; Zardini, A.; Tiberius, V. The economics of COVID-19: Initial empirical evidence on how family firms in five European countries cope with the corona crisis. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 2020 , 26 , 1067–1092. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• De Vet, J.M.; Nigohosyan, D.; Ferrer, J.N.; Gross, A.K.; Kuehl, S.; Flickenschild, M. Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on EU Industries. 2021. Available online: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2021/662903/IPOL_STU(2021)662903_EN.pdf (accessed on 29 April 2024).
• Manuj, I.; Mentzer, J.T. Global Supply Chain Risk Management. J. Bus. Logist. 2008 , 29 , 133–155. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ali, I.; Golgeci, I.; Arslan, A. Achieving Resilience through Knowledge Management Practices and Risk Management Culture in Agri-Food Supply Chains. Supply Chain. Manag. Int. J. 2023 , 28 , 284–299. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Madhavika, N.; Jayasinghe, N.; Ehalapitiya, S.; Wickramage, T.; Fernando, D.; Jayasinghe, V. Operationalizing Resilience through Collaboration: The Case of Sri Lankan Tea Supply Chain during Covid-19. Qual. Quant. 2023 , 57 , 2981–3018. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Aman, S.; Seuring, S. Analysing Developing Countries Approaches of Supply Chain Resilience to COVID-19. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2023 , 34 , 909–934. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Maharjan, R.; Kato, H. Resilient Supply Chain Network Design: A Systematic Literature Review. Transp. Rev. 2022 , 42 , 739–761. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Zidi, S.; Hamani, N.; Kermad, L. Antecedents and Enablers of Supply Chain Reconfigurability and Their Effects on Performance. Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol. 2022 , 120 , 3027–3043. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nabipour, M.; Ülkü, M.A. On Deploying Blockchain Technologies in Supply Chain Strategies and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Outlook. Sustainability 2021 , 13 , 10566. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Rokicki, T.; Bórawski, P.; Bełdycka-Bórawska, A.; Szeberényi, A.; Perkowska, A. Changes in Logistics Activities in Poland as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 10303. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Figura, J.; Gądek-Hawlena, T. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Development of Electromobility in Poland. The Perspective of Companies in the Transport-Shipping-Logistics Sector: A Case Study. Energies 2022 , 15 , 1461. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Baldrighi, E.; Monferdini, L.; Bottani, E. The Response to COVID-19 in Logistics and Supply Chain Processes: Evidence from a Review of the Literature. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Harbour, Maritime and Multimodal Logistics Modelling and Simulation, Athens, Greece, 18–20 September 2023. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bottani, E.; Monferdini, L. Studies related to Covid-19 in logistics and supply chain processes (2021–2023). Mendeley Data 2024 , V1. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kesmodel, U.S. Cross-Sectional Studies—What Are They Good For? Acta Obstet. Gynecol. Scand. 2018 , 97 , 388–393. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Thompson, M.L.; Myers, J.; Kriebel, D. Prevalence Odds Ratio or Prevalence Ratio in the Analysis of Cross Sectional Data: What Is to Be Done? Occup. Environ. Med. 1998 , 55 , 272–277. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Robson, C. Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers ; Blackwell Publishing: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 1993; ISBN 978-0-631-17689-3. [ Google Scholar ]
• Yin, R. Case Studies. Int. Encycl. Soc. Behav. Sci. 2015 , 2 , 194–201. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Wohlin, C. Case Study Research in Software Engineering—It Is a Case, and It Is a Study, but Is It a Case Study? Inf. Softw. Technol. 2021 , 133 , 106514. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Grabot, B.; Vallespir, B.; Samuel, G.; Bouras, A.; Kiritsis, D. Advances in Production Management Systems: Innovative and Knowledge-Based Production Management in a Global-Local World: IFIP WG 5.7 International Conference, APMS 2014, Ajaccio, France, 20–24 September 2014, Proceedings, Part II ; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2014; Volume 439, ISBN 3-662-44736-3. [ Google Scholar ]
• Alicke, K.; Azcue, X.; Barriball, E.; Supply-Chain Recovery in Coronavirus Times—Plan for Now and the Future. McKinsey & Company. 2020. Available online: https://www.mckinsey.com (accessed on 29 April 2024).
• Ivanov, D. Supply Chain Viability and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Conceptual and Formal Generalisation of Four Major Adaptation Strategies. Int. J. Prod. Res. 2021 , 59 , 3535–3552. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Adobor, H.; McMullen, R.S. Supply Chain Resilience: A Dynamic and Multidimensional Approach. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2018 , 29 , 1451–1471. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Singh, C.S.; Soni, G.; Badhotiya, G.K. Performance Indicators for Supply Chain Resilience: Review and Conceptual Framework. J. Ind. Eng. Int. 2019 , 15 , 105–117. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mohammed, A.; Jabbour, A.B.L.D.S.; Diabat, A. COVID-19 Pandemic Disruption: A Matter of Building Companies’ Internal and External Resilience. Int. J. Prod. Res. 2023 , 61 , 2716–2737. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• El Khoury, R.; Nasrallah, N.; Atayah, O.F.; Dhiaf, M.M.; Frederico, G.F. The Impact of Green Supply Chain Management Practices on Environmental Performance during COVID-19 Period: The Case of Discretionary Companies in the G-20 Countries. Benchmarking Int. J. 2022 . ahead of print . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Sharma, V.; Singh, A.; Rai, S.S. Disruptions in Sourcing and Distribution Practices of Supply Chains Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Sustainability Paradigm. J. Glob. Oper. Strateg. Sourc. 2022 , 15 , 235–261. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Karmaker, C.L.; Bari, A.B.M.M.; Anam, M.Z.; Ahmed, T.; Ali, S.M.; de Jesus Pacheco, D.A.; Moktadir, M.A. Industry 5.0 Challenges for Post-Pandemic Supply Chain Sustainability in an Emerging Economy. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2023 , 258 , 108806. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Paul, A.; Shukla, N.; Trianni, A. Modelling Supply Chain Sustainability Challenges in the Food Processing Sector amid the COVID-19 Outbreak. Socio-Econ. Plan. Sci. 2023 , 87 , 101535. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Siuta, K.; Kaszyński, D. The Principal-Agent Problem in Supply Chain Management—The Simulation Based Framework. Control. Cybern. 2021 , 50 , 195–221. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kumar, P.; Singh, S.S.; Pandey, A.K.; Singh, R.K.; Srivastava, P.K.; Kumar, M.; Dubey, S.K.; Sah, U.; Nandan, R.; Singh, S.K.; et al. Multi-Level Impacts of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Agricultural Systems in India: The Case of Uttar Pradesh. Agric. Syst. 2021 , 187 , 103027. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Atayah, O.F.; Dhiaf, M.M.; Najaf, K.; Frederico, G.F. Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Performance of Logistics Firms: Evidence from G-20 Countries. J. Glob. Oper. Strateg. Sourc. 2022 , 15 , 172–196. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Israfilov, N.; Druzyanova, V.; Ermakova, M.; Sinitsyna, A. Key Directions for Transforming Supply Chain Management in Emerging Markets during the PostCOVID-19 Pandemic Period. Oper. Supply Chain. Manag. 2023 , 16 , 498–508. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Dwivedi, A.; Chowdhury, P.; Paul, S.K.; Agrawal, D. Sustaining Circular Economy Practices in Supply Chains during a Global Disruption. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2023 , 34 , 644–673. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ghadge, D.A.; Er, M.; Ivanov, D.; Chaudhuri, A. Visualisation of Ripple Effect in Supply Chains under Long-Term, Simultaneous Disruptions: A System Dynamics Approach. Int. J. Prod. Res. 2021 , 60 , 1987547. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Eldem, B.; Kluczek, A.; Bagiński, J. The COVID-19 Impact on Supply Chain Operations of Automotive Industry: A Case Study of Sustainability 4.0 Based on Sense–Adapt–Transform Framework. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 5855. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Gui, D.; Wang, H.; Yu, M. Risk Assessment of Port Congestion Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022 , 10 , 150. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Brdulak, H.; Brdulak, A. Challenges and Threats Faced in 2020 by International Logistics Companies Operating on the Polish Market. Sustainability 2021 , 13 , 359. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Paul, S.K.; Chowdhury, P.; Chowdhury, M.T.; Chakrabortty, R.K.; Moktadir, M.A. Operational Challenges during a Pandemic: An Investigation in the Electronics Industry. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2023 , 34 , 336–362. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Klein, M.; Gutowska, E.; Gutowski, P. Innovations in the T&L (Transport and Logistics) Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden, Germany and Poland. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 3323. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mishrif, A.; Khan, A. Technology Adoption as Survival Strategy for Small and Medium Enterprises during COVID-19. J. Innov. Entrep. 2023 , 12 , 53. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ishak, S.; Shaharudin, M.R.; Salim, N.A.M.; Zainoddin, A.I.; Deng, Z. The Effect of Supply Chain Adaptive Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Firm Performance in Malaysia’s Semiconductor Industries. Glob. J. Flex. Syst. Manag. 2023 , 24 , 439–458. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Hendijani, R.; Norouzi, M. Supply Chain Integration and Firm Performance in the COVID-19 Era: The Mediating Role of Resilience and Robustness. J. Glob. Oper. Strateg. Sourc. 2023 , 16 , 337–367. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Vilko, J.; Hallikas, J. Impact of COVID-19 on Logistics Sector Companies. Int. J. Ind. Eng. Oper. Manag. 2024 , 6 , 25–42. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Palouj, M.; Lavaei Adaryani, R.; Alambeigi, A.; Movarej, M.; Safi Sis, Y. Surveying the Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Poultry Supply Chain: A Mixed Methods Study. Food Control 2021 , 126 , 108084. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ali, I.; Arslan, A.; Khan, Z.; Tarba, S. The Role of Industry 4.0 Technologies in Mitigating Supply Chain Disruption: Empirical Evidence From the Australian Food Processing Industry. IEEE Trans. Eng. Manag. 2021 , 71 , 10600–10610. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Grigorescu, I.; Popovici, E.-A.; Damian, N.; Dumitraşcu, M.; Sima, M.; Mitrică, B.; Mocanu, I. The Resilience of Sub-Urban Small Farming in Bucharest Metropolitan Area in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Land Use Policy 2022 , 122 , 106351. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Perrin, A.; Martin, G. Resilience of French Organic Dairy Cattle Farms and Supply Chains to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Agric. Syst. 2021 , 190 , 103082. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Coopmans, I.; Bijttebier, J.; Marchand, F.; Mathijs, E.; Messely, L.; Rogge, E.; Sanders, A.; Wauters, E. COVID-19 Impacts on Flemish Food Supply Chains and Lessons for Agri-Food System Resilience. Agric. Syst. 2021 , 190 , 103136. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ababulgu, N.; Abajobir, N.; Wana, H. The Embarking of COVID-19 and the Perishable Products’ Value Chain in Ethiopia. J. Innov. Entrep. 2022 , 11 , 34. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Eileen Bogweh, N.; Lutomia, C. COVID-19 Challenges to Sustainable Food Production and Consumption: Future Lessons for Food Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa from a Gender Lens. Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2021 , 27 , 2208–2220. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Igberi, C.; Omenyi, L.; Osuji, E.; Egwu, P.; Ibrahim-olesin, S. Comparative Analysis of the Sustainable Dimensions of Food Security with COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Case Study. Int. J. Adv. Appl. Sci. 2022 , 9 , 9–15. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mugabe, P.A.; Renkamp, T.M.; Rybak, C.; Mbwana, H.; Gordon, C.; Sieber, S.; Löhr, K. Governing COVID-19: Analyzing the Effects of Policy Responses on Food Systems in Tanzania. Agric. Food Secur. 2022 , 11 , 47. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nunes, M.; Abreu, A.; Bagnjuk, J.; Nunes, E.; Saraiva, C. A Strategic Process to Manage Collaborative Risks in Supply Chain Networks (SCN) to Improve Resilience and Sustainability. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 5237. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• World Economic Forum (WEF). How to Rebound Stronger from COVID-19—Resilience in Manufacturing and Supply Systems ; World Economic Forum: Cologny, Switzerland, 2020. [ Google Scholar ]
• Zulkiffli, S.N.; Zaidi, N.F.; Padlee, S.F.; Sukri, N.K. Eco-Innovation Capabilities and Sustainable Business Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 7525. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Moosavi, J.; Hosseini, S. Simulation-Based Assessment of Supply Chain Resilience with Consideration of Recovery Strategies in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context. Comput. Ind. Eng. 2021 , 160 , 107593. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ho, W.; Zheng, T.; Yildiz, H.; Talluri, S. Supply Chain Risk Management: A Literature Review. Int. J. Prod. Res. 2015 , 53 , 1030467. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Dogbe, C.S.K.; Iddris, F.; Duah, E.; Boateng, P.A.; Kparl, E.M. Analyzing the Health Supply Chain Risks during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Risk Management. Cogent Bus. Manag. 2023 , 10 , 2281716. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Shenoi, V.; Dath, S.; Rajendran, C. Supply Chain Risk Management in Indian Manufacturing Industries: An Empirical Study and a Fuzzy Approach ; Springer Nature Switzerland: Cham, Switzerland, 2021; pp. 107–145. ISBN 978-3-030-69264-3. [ Google Scholar ]
• Jifar, W.; Geneti, G.; Dubale, S. The Impact of COVID-19 on Pharmaceutical Shortages and Supply Disruptions for Non-Communicable Diseases Among Public Hospitals of South West, Oromia, Ethiopia. J. Multidiscip. Healthc. 2022 , 15 , 1933–1943. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Goodarzian, F.; Taleizadeh, A.; Ghasemi, P.; Abraham, A. An Integrated Sustainable Medical Supply Chain Network during COVID-19 ; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2021; Volume 100. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bump, J.B.; Friberg, P.; Harper, D.R. International Collaboration and Covid-19: What Are We Doing and Where Are We Going? BMJ 2021 , 372 , n180. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Abu-Elmagd, K.; Fung, J.; Bueno, J.; Martin, D.; Madariaga, J.R.; Mazariegos, G.; Bond, G.; Molmenti, E.; Corry, R.J.; Starzl, T.E. Logistics and Technique for Procurement of Intestinal, Pancreatic, and Hepatic Grafts from the Same Donor. Ann. Surg. 2000 , 232 , 680–687. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Fu, H.; Ke, G.Y.; Lian, Z.; Zhang, L. 3PL Firm’s Equity Financing for Technology Innovation in a Platform Supply Chain. Transp. Res. Part E Logist. Transp. Rev. 2021 , 147 , 102239. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ferrari, P. The Reasons for the Success of Freight Rail Transport through the Swiss Alps|Le Ragioni Del Successo Del Trasporto Ferroviario Delle Merci Attraverso Le Alpi Svizzere. Ing. Ferrov. 2019 , 74 , 9–26. [ Google Scholar ]
• Hess, A.-K.; Schubert, I. Functional Perceptions, Barriers, and Demographics Concerning e-Cargo Bike Sharing in Switzerland. Transp. Res. Part D Transp. Environ. 2019 , 71 , 153–168. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Eurostat Sustainable Development in the European Union: Monitoring Report on Progress towards the SDGS in an EU Context ; Publications office of the European Union: Maastricht, The Netherlands, 2017; ISBN 92-79-72288-3.
• European Union. European Union Horizon 2020 in Brief. In The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation ; European Union: Maastricht, The Netherlands, 2014. [ Google Scholar ]
• Stoll, J.; Harrison, H.; De Sousa, E.; Callaway, D.; Collier, M.; Harrell, K.; Jones, B.; Kastlunger, J.; Kramer, E.; Kurian, S.; et al. Alternative Seafood Networks During COVID-19: Implications for Resilience and Sustainability. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 2021 , 5 , 614368. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Tendall, D.; Joerin, J.; Kopainsky, B.; Edwards, P.; Shreck, A.; Le, Q.B.; Krütli, P.; Grant, M.; Six, J. Food System Resilience: Defining the Concept. Glob. Food Secur. 2015 , 6 , 17–23. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Li, D.; Wang, X.; Chan, H.K.; Manzini, R. Sustainable Food Supply Chain Management. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2014 , 152 , 1–8. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Neven, D. Developing Sustainable Food Value Chains ; FAO: Rome, Italy, 2014; ISBN 92-5-108481-5. [ Google Scholar ]
• Mishra, D.; Gunasekaran, A.; Papadopoulos, T.; Dubey, R. Supply Chain Performance Measures and Metrics: A Bibliometric Study. Benchmarking Int. J. 2018 , 25 , 932–967. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Guersola, M.; Pinheiro de Lima, E.; Steiner, M. Supply Chain Performance Measurement: A Systematic Literature Review. Int. J. Logist. Syst. Manag. 2018 , 31 , 109. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Perdana, T.; Onggo, B.; Sadeli, A.; Chaerani, D.; Achmad, A.; Rahayu, F.; Gong, Y. Food Supply Chain Management in Disaster Events: A Systematic Literature Review. Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 2022 , 79 , 103183. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Rahbari, M.; Arshadi Khamseh, A.; Mohammadi, M. Robust Optimization and Strategic Analysis for Agri-Food Supply Chain under Pandemic Crisis: Case Study from an Emerging Economy. Expert Syst. Appl. 2023 , 225 , 120081. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Singh, R.; Sinha, V.; Joshi, P.; Kumar, M. Modelling Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) in Response to Climate Change Scenarios for the SAARC Nations. Environ. Monit. Assess. 2020 , 192 , 1–18. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Divergences, N.G. World Economic Outlook. 2023. Available online: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2023/10/10/world-economic-outlook-october-2023 (accessed on 29 April 2024).
• Ponomarov, S.; Holcomb, M. Understanding the Concept of Supply Chain Resilience. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 2009 , 20 , 124–143. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Tarigan, Z.J.H.; Siagian, H.; Jie, F. Impact of Internal Integration, Supply Chain Partnership, Supply Chain Agility, and Supply Chain Resilience on Sustainable Advantage. Sustainability 2021 , 13 , 5460. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Zidi, S.; Hamani, N.; Kermad, L. New Metrics for Measuring Supply Chain Reconfigurability. J. Intell. Manuf. 2022 , 33 , 2371–2392. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Zhang, S.; Wang, H.; Li, G.; Wang, J. Modeling of the Resilient Supply Chain System from a Perspective of Production Design Changes. Front. Eng. Manag. 2023 , 10 , 96–106. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Brundtland, G.H. World Commission on Environment and Development. Environ. Policy Law 1985 , 14 , 26–30. [ Google Scholar ]
• Yao, Q.; Liu, J.; Sheng, S.; Fang, H. Does Eco-Innovation Lift Firm Value? The Contingent Role of Institutions in Emerging Markets. J. Bus. Ind. Mark. 2019 . ahead of print . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Althaf, S.; Babbitt, C.W. Disruption Risks to Material Supply Chains in the Electronics Sector. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2021 , 167 , 105248. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Zeng, X.; Mathews, J.A.; Li, J. Urban Mining of E-Waste Is Becoming More Cost-Effective than Virgin Mining. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2018 , 52 , 4835–4841. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nosalska, K.; Piątek, Z.; Mazurek, G.; Rządca, R. Industry 4.0: Coherent Definition Framework with Technological and Organizational Interdependencies. J. Manuf. Technol. Manag. [ CrossRef ]
• Munongo, S.; Pooe, D. Small and Medium Enterprises’ Adoption of 4IR Technologies for Supply Chain Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J. Transp. Supply Chain. Manag. 2022 , 14 , 747. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Kumar, A.; Singh, R.K. Supply Chain Management Practices, Retail Outlets Attributes and Organisational Performance: A Case of Organised Food Retailers in India. J. Glob. Oper. Strateg. Sourc. 2023 , 16 , 568–589. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Nisar, Q.A.; Haider, S.; Ameer, I.; Hussain, M.S.; Gill, S.S.; Usama, A. Sustainable Supply Chain Management Performance in Post COVID-19 Era in an Emerging Economy: A Big Data Perspective. Int. J. Emerg. Mark. 2022; ahead of print . [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Miljenović, D.; Beriša, B. Pandemics Trends in E-Commerce: Drop Shipping Entrepreneurship during COVID-19 Pandemic. Pomorstvo 2022 , 36 , 31–43. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Laborde, D.; Martin, W.; Swinnen, J.; Vos, R. COVID-19 Risks to Global Food Security. Science 2020 , 369 , 500–502. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Yearbook, F.S. World Food and Agriculture ; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy, 2013; Volume 15. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kim, B.; Kim, G.; Kang, M. Study on Comparing the Performance of Fully Automated Container Terminals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 9415. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• ISO 9001:2015 ; Quality Management Systems-Requirements. International Organization for Standardization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2015. Available online: https://committee.iso.org/standard/62085.html (accessed on 13 June 2024).

Click here to enlarge figure

Share and Cite

Monferdini, L.; Bottani, E. Examining the Response to COVID-19 in Logistics and Supply Chain Processes: Insights from a State-of-the-Art Literature Review and Case Study Analysis. Appl. Sci. 2024 , 14 , 5317. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125317

Monferdini L, Bottani E. Examining the Response to COVID-19 in Logistics and Supply Chain Processes: Insights from a State-of-the-Art Literature Review and Case Study Analysis. Applied Sciences . 2024; 14(12):5317. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125317

Monferdini, Laura, and Eleonora Bottani. 2024. "Examining the Response to COVID-19 in Logistics and Supply Chain Processes: Insights from a State-of-the-Art Literature Review and Case Study Analysis" Applied Sciences 14, no. 12: 5317. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125317

Article Metrics

Article access statistics, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals

Advertisement

Change is safer: a dynamic safety stock model for inventory management of large manufacturing enterprise based on intermittent time series forecasting

• Published: 15 June 2024

Cite this article

• Lilin Fan 1 , 2 ,
• Zhaoyu Song 1 ,
• Wentao Mao   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5335-9517 1 , 2 ,
• Tiejun Luo 3 ,
• Wanting Wang 1 ,
• Kai Yang 1 &
• Fukang Cao 1  

61 Accesses

Explore all metrics

As a key issue of inventory management for enterprise after-sales service, safety stock is dedicated to ensuring maintenance reliability while keeping low inventory cost. Existing researches of safety stock are mainly designed for frequent and stable spare parts demand (SPD) rather than fluctuating and intermittent demands in practical operation and maintenance of large manufacturing enterprises. Consequently, emergency restocking will be frequently triggered, or an over-safe inventory level with excessive inventory cost will be set. This paper proposes a dynamic safety stock model for after-sales service of large manufacturing enterprise. First, this paper builds a multi-objective safety stock optimization model based on a three-level warehousing architecture. The multi-objective genetic algorithm is adopted to calculate the static values of reorder point (RP) and maximum stock (MS) by simultaneously minimizing excessive inventory cost and shortage cost. Second, this paper proposes a robust forecasting algorithm for multi-variable intermittent time series by integrating the inter-sequence structured information and temporal evolution information of sequence itself. Finally, this paper designs a dynamic information fusion mechanism by integrating the demand prediction values into the static stock. An actual after-sales spare parts dataset from a Chinese large rail transit manufacturing enterprise is introduced for validation. The experimental results show that the proposed model can accurately predict the demand trend of spare parts, and improve the inventory turnover rate as well as requirement coverage. This work is then believed to provide a new idea for inventory management: dynamic information can boost maintenance efficiency and safety, that is, Change is Safer .

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Inventory Management: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Optimization of Inventory Management: A Literature Review

Extending ConWIP by flexible capacity and WIP-Cap adjustment for a make-to-order multi-item multi-stage production system

Data availibility statement.

The data set used in this study is not publicly available at this time and may be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and permission of the authors.

Abbasimehr, H., Shabani, M., & Yousefi, M. (2020). An optimized model using lstm network for demand forecasting. Computers & industrial engineering, 143 , 106435.

Article   Google Scholar  

Ahmad, T., & Chen, H. (2019). Nonlinear autoregressive and random forest approaches to forecasting electricity load for utility energy management systems. Sustainable Cities and Society, 45 , 460–473.

Arrow, K.J., Harris, T., & Marschak, J. (1951). Optimal inventory policy. Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society , 250–272

Assimakopoulos, V., & Nikolopoulos, K. (2000). The theta model: a decomposition approach to forecasting. International journal of forecasting, 16 (4), 521–530.

Babai, M. Z., Ali, M. M., Boylan, J. E., & Syntetos, A. A. (2013). Forecasting and inventory performance in a two-stage supply chain with arima (0, 1, 1) demand: Theory and empirical analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 143 (2), 463–471.

Beutel, A.-L., & Minner, S. (2012). Safety stock planning under causal demand forecasting. International Journal of Production Economics, 140 (2), 637–645.

Boylan, J. E., & Syntetos, A. A. (2007). The accuracy of a modified croston procedure. International Journal of Production Economics, 107 (2), 511–517.

Chatfield, C. (1978). The holt-winters forecasting procedure. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series C (Applied Statistics), 27 (3), 264–279.

Google Scholar  

Chica, M., Bautista, J., Cordón, Ó., & Damas, S. (2016). A multiobjective model and evolutionary algorithms for robust time and space assembly line balancing under uncertain demand. Omega, 58 , 55–68.

Closs, D. J., Nyaga, G. N., & Voss, M. D. (2010). The differential impact of product complexity, inventory level, and configuration capacity on unit and order fill rate performance. Journal of Operations Management, 28 (1), 47–57.

Crone, S. F. (2003). Artificial neural networks for time series prediction-a novel approach to inventory management using asymmetric cost functions. In: IC-AI, pp. 193–199

Croston, J. D. (1972). Forecasting and stock control for intermittent demands. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 23 (3), 289–303.

Deb, K., Agrawal, S., Pratap, A., & Meyarivan, T. (2000). A fast elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm for multi-objective optimization: Nsga-ii. In: Parallel Problem Solving from Nature PPSN VI: 6th International Conference Paris, France, September 18–20, 2000 Proceedings 6, pp. 849–858

Duc, T. T. H., Luong, H. T., & Kim, Y.-D. (2008). A measure of bullwhip effect in supply chains with a mixed autoregressive-moving average demand process. European Journal of Operational Research, 187 (1), 243–256.

Gaur, V., Fisher, M. L., & Raman, A. (2005). An econometric analysis of inventory turnover performance in retail services. Management science, 51 (2), 181–194.

Ghadimi, F., & Aouam, T. (2021). Planning capacity and safety stocks in a serial production-distribution system with multiple products. European Journal of Operational Research, 289 (2), 533–552.

Gutierrez, R. S., Solis, A. O., & Mukhopadhyay, S. (2008). Lumpy demand forecasting using neural networks. International journal of production economics, 111 (2), 409–420.

Hua, Z., & Zhang, B. (2006). A hybrid support vector machines and logistic regression approach for forecasting intermittent demand of spare parts. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 181 (2), 1035–1048.

Jha, B.K., & Pande, S. (2021). Time series forecasting model for supermarket sales using fb-prophet. In: 2021 5th International Conference on Computing Methodologies and Communication (ICCMC), pp. 547–554 IEEE

Kampen, T. J., Akkerman, R., & Donk, D. P. (2012). Sku classification: a literature review and conceptual framework. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 32 , 850–876.

Kania, A., Afsar, B., Miettinen, K., & Sipilä, J. (2024). Desmils: a decision support approach for multi-item lot sizing using interactive multiobjective optimization. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 35 , 1373–1387.

Karmy, J. P., & Maldonado, S. (2019). Hierarchical time series forecasting via support vector regression in the european travel retail industry. Expert Systems with Applications, 137 , 59–73.

Ke, G., Meng, Q., Finley, T., Wang, T., Chen, W., Ma, W., Ye, Q., & Liu, T.-Y. (2017). Lightgbm: A highly efficient gradient boosting decision tree. Advances in neural information processing systems, 30 , 3149–3157.

Keskin, G. A., Omurca, S. İ, Aydın, N., & Ekinci, E. (2015). A comparative study of production-inventory model for determining effective production quantity and safety stock level. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 39 (20), 6359–6374.

Kiefer, D., Grimm, F., Bauer, M., & Van Dinther, C. (2021). Demand forecasting intermittent and lumpy time series: Comparing statistical, machine learning and deep learning methods

Liu, B. (2022). Demand forecasting and inventory planning: A practitioner’s perspective . Beijing: China Machine Press.

Loffredo, A., May, M.C., Matta, A., & Lanza, G. (2023). Reinforcement learning for sustainability enhancement of production lines. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing , 1–7

Luo, X. M., Li, J. B., & Hu, P. (2014). E-commerce inventory optimization strategy based on time series forecasting. Systems Engineering, 32 (06), 91–98.

Mao, W., Chen, Z., Zhang, Y., & Liang, X. (2023). Tensor-daad: When tensor meets online early fault detection with transfer learning. Measurement, 208 , 112478.

Mello, J. (2013). Demand and supply integration: The key to world-class demand forecasting by mark a. moon. Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting (31), 35–37

Nain, G., Pattanaik, K. K., & Sharma, G. K. (2022). Towards edge computing in intelligent manufacturing: Past, present and future. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 62 , 588–611.

Nematollahi, M., Hosseini-Motlagh, S.-M., Cárdenas-Barrón, L. E., & Tiwari, S. (2022). Coordinating visit interval and safety stock decisions in a two-level supply chain with shelf-life considerations. Computers & Operations Research, 139 , 105651.

Pinçe, Ç., Turrini, L., & Meissner, J. (2021). Intermittent demand forecasting for spare parts: a critical review. Omega, 105 , 102513.

Prestwich, S. D., Tarim, S. A., & Rossi, R. (2021). Intermittency and obsolescence: A croston method with linear decay. International Journal of Forecasting, 37 (2), 708–715.

Qin, H., Simchi-Levi, D., Ferer, R., Mays, J., Merriam, K., Forrester, M., & Hamrick, A. (2022). Trading safety stock for service response time in inventory positioning. Production and Operations Management, 31 (12), 4462–4474.

Salinas, D., Flunkert, V., Gasthaus, J., & Januschowski, T. (2020). Deepar: Probabilistic forecasting with autoregressive recurrent networks. International Journal of Forecasting, 36 (3), 1181–1191.

Saracoglu, I., Topaloglu, S., & Keskinturk, T. (2014). A genetic algorithm approach for multi-product multi-period continuous review inventory models. Expert Systems with Applications, 41 (18), 8189–8202.

Scarf, H., Arrow, K., Karlin, S., & Suppes, P. (1960). The optimality of (s, s) policies in the dynamic inventory problem. Optimal pricing, inflation, and the cost of price adjustment , 49–56

Schoenmeyr, T., & Graves, S. C. (2009). Strategic safety stocks in supply chains with evolving forecasts. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 11 (4), 657–673.

Sethi, S. P., & Cheng, F. (1997). Optimality of (s, s) policies in inventory models with markovian demand. Operations Research, 45 (6), 931–939.

Shi, Q., Yin, J., Cai, J., Cichocki, A., Yokota, T., Chen, L., Yuan, M., & Zeng, J. (2020). Block hankel tensor arima for multiple short time series forecasting. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 34 , 5758–5766.

Snyder, R. D., Koehler, A. B., & Ord, J. K. (2002). Forecasting for inventory control with exponential smoothing. International Journal of Forecasting, 18 (1), 5–18.

Song, J., Lee, Y. C., & Lee, J. (2022). Deep generative model with time series-image encoding for manufacturing fault detection in die casting process. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 34 , 3001–3014.

Syntetos, A. A., & Boylan, J. E. (2001). On the bias of intermittent demand estimates. International journal of production economics, 71 (1–3), 457–466.

Syntetos, A. A., & Boylan, J. E. (2005). The accuracy of intermittent demand estimates. International Journal of Forecasting, 21 , 303–314.

Syntetos, A. A., Boylan, J. E., & Croston, J. (2005). On the categorization of demand patterns. Journal of the operational research society, 56 , 495–503.

Teunter, R. H., Syntetos, A. A., & Babai, M. Z. (2011). Intermittent demand: Linking forecasting to inventory obsolescence. European Journal of Operational Research, 214 (3), 606–615.

Transchel, S., Buisman, M. E., & Haijema, R. (2022). Joint assortment and inventory optimization for vertically differentiated products under consumer-driven substitution. European Journal of Operational Research, 301 (1), 163–179.

Trapero, J. R., Cardós, M., & Kourentzes, N. (2019). Quantile forecast optimal combination to enhance safety stock estimation. International Journal of Forecasting, 35 (1), 239–250.

Tsou, C.-S. (2009). Evolutionary pareto optimizers for continuous review stochastic inventory systems. European Journal of Operational Research, 195 (2), 364–371.

Wang, C., Sun, Y., & Wang, X. (2023). Image deep learning in fault diagnosis of mechanical equipment. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing , 1–41

Wang, Y., & Guo, Y. (2020). Forecasting method of stock market volatility in time series data based on mixed model of arima and xgboost. China Communications, 17 (3), 205–221.

Willemain, T. R., Smart, C. N., Shockor, J. H., & DeSautels, P. A. (1994). Forecasting intermittent demand in manufacturing: a comparative evaluation of croston’s method. International Journal of forecasting, 10 (4), 529–538.

Yildirim, E., & Denizhan, B. (2022). A two-echelon pharmaceutical supply chain optimization via genetic algorithm. Recent Advances in Intelligent Manufacturing and Service Systems , 77–87

Yokota, T., Erem, B., Guler, S., Warfield, S.K., & Hontani, H. (2018). Missing slice recovery for tensors using a low-rank model in embedded space. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pp. 8251–8259

Yokota, T., Hontani, H., Zhao, Q., & Cichocki, A. (2020). Manifold modeling in embedded space: An interpretable alternative to deep image prior. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, 33 (3), 1022–1036.

Download references

This work was supported in part by the National Key R &D Program of China under Grant 2020YFB1712105, in part by the Key Technology Research Development Joint Foundation of Henan Province under Grant 225101610001, and in part by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province under Grant No. 242300420286.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

College of Computer and Information Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China

Lilin Fan, Zhaoyu Song, Wentao Mao, Wanting Wang, Kai Yang & Fukang Cao

Engineering Laboratory of Intelligence Business and Internet of Things, Xinxiang, 453007, China

Lilin Fan & Wentao Mao

Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co., LTD, Zhuzhou, 412001, China

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: Mao; Methodology: Mao, Song; Formal analysis and investigation: Mao, Song, Luo, Yang, Cao; Writing-original draft preparation: Mao, Song; Writing-review and editing: Mao, Wang, Song; Supervision: Fan, Mao.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wentao Mao .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

No potential Conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Fan, L., Song, Z., Mao, W. et al. Change is safer: a dynamic safety stock model for inventory management of large manufacturing enterprise based on intermittent time series forecasting. J Intell Manuf (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-024-02442-y

Download citation

Received : 26 October 2023

Accepted : 04 June 2024

Published : 15 June 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-024-02442-y

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Inventory optimization
• Multi-objective optimization
• Safety stock
• Intermittent sequences
• Time series forecasting
• Machine learning
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research