Beyond Bibliometrics: The Value of Literature Reviews in Management Research

I recall a story told by my dear friend, Professor Rebecca Arkader, who earned her Ph.D. in the 1990s at COPPEAD/UFRJ. To conduct the literature review for her dissertation, she had to travel to England for a sandwich Ph.D. program and isolate herself for weeks in a university library, where the most relevant articles in her field were physically available. Until just a few years ago, accessing scientific knowledge required significant time, travel, and logistical effort. Today, with just a few clicks, researchers can digitally access much of the world’s scientific output. This radical shift has introduced new challenges. As Jesson et al. (2011), point out, the problem is no longer how to access information, but how to filter, interpret, and organize it meaningfully. In this context, well-conducted literature reviews serve as true cognitive ‘hubs’ — much like Google organizes web content or Amazon connects products to user interests — enabling researchers to identify patterns, gaps, and future directions amidst the overwhelming volume of publications. Their value, therefore, lies not only in describing what is known, but in illuminating what we still need to understand.