What aspect does a comprehensive literature review typically address?

A comprehensive literature review primarily addresses the current state of knowledge on a topic. It synthesizes existing research, identifying what is already known, what has been studied, and the gaps that may exist within that body of work. This process involves reviewing a wide range of sources, including peer-reviewed articles, books, and other relevant literature, to provide an overview of the established findings in the field.

The objective of this type of review is to create context for new research, highlighting trends, debates, and unresolved issues within the topic. By summarizing and critically analyzing existing studies, a literature review lays the groundwork for justifying the need for further research or for the introduction of new hypotheses based on identified gaps in the current understanding.

While aspects such as specific methodologies and statistical analyses are important in research, they are usually discussed in the context of individual studies rather than in a broad literature review. Personal opinions of researchers are generally not a primary focus in a rigorous literature review, which relies on evidence-based findings rather than subjective assessments.