LA REVISIÓN DE LA LITERATURA EN LA INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA: FUNDAMENTOS EPISTEMOLÓGICOS, ALCANCES INTERPRETATIVOS Y ORIENTACIONES METODOLÓGICAS PARA SU DISEÑO

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.9391126210111

• Palavras-chave: revisión de la literatura, investigación científica, metodología de investigación

• Keywords: literature review, scientific research, research methodology

• Abstract: The literature review constitutes an essential component of the research process, as it enables the identification, interpretation, and organization of existing knowledge concerning a phenomenon. From an interpretive perspective, this exercise is not limited to the compilation of sources; rather, it involves the critical analysis of academic discourses in order to recognize advances, tensions, and gaps within the field. The aim of this article is to analyze the literature review as an interpretive, epistemological, and methodological practice within scientific research by identifying its functions, conceptual foundations, types, and guidelines for rigorous development, with the purpose of understanding its contribution to the construction, foundation, and strengthening of contemporary research processes. Specialized literature indicates that the literature review facilitates the development of the state of the art, the delimitation of the research problem, the establishment of the theoretical framework, and methodological orientation, while simultaneously strengthening the researcher’s critical thinking. Likewise, it makes it possible to situate the study within a broader epistemological context by articulating it with relevant traditions and academic debates. This article examines the literature review as a hermeneutic and epistemological practice, highlighting its functions, foundations, and contributions to qualitative research. It is argued that a rigorous literature review enables the production of more solid, relevant, and coherent knowledge in response to the contemporary challenges of the social sciences.