So . .
.you’ve reached the point where you need to compose a literature review.
The
purpose of a literature review is two-fold: to familiarize yourself with the
available secondary materials related to your choice of topic and to place your
work in context with the already vast research into your topic. This purpose
directly impacts the content of your literature review; specifically, your
literature review will be made up of summary and analysis.
Many
people ask: How much of my literature review consists of summary versus
analysis? ANSWER: There is no set answer to this question. What I can tell you
is that a common error is to treat the literature review like an
annotated bibliography. By this I mean, many people will write a summary
paragraph for every secondary source that they find and then paste all of these
summaries together. Avoid this error!
When it
comes to sitting down and writing your literature review, many resources
recommend a similar strategy:
1. Read
and understand a piece of research
2. Compose
a summary of the research
** This
summary is strictly for yourself – it is not being put into the literature
review . . . yet
3. Repeat
steps 1 and 2 for every secondary source that you have found
**Only after
you have read all of the research do you begin to analyze various sources and
begin to identify a strategy for organizing your content in your literature
review – such as chronological, thematic, or methodological
**Only after
you have read all of the research do you begin to analyze various sources and
begin to identify a strategy for organizing your content in your literature
review – such as chronological, thematic, or methodological
**Only after
you have read all of the research do you begin to analyze various sources and
begin to identify a strategy for organizing your content in your literature
review – such as chronological, thematic, or methodological
**Only after
you have read all of the research do you begin to analyze various sources and
begin to identify a strategy for organizing your content in your literature
review – such as chronological, thematic, or methodological
**Only after
you have read all of the research do you begin to analyze various sources and
begin to identify a strategy for organizing your content in your literature
review – such as chronological, thematic, or methodological
4. Organize
your summaries
**
Depending on your organization strategy, you may need only bits and pieces of
some notes, or you may need entire summary paragraphs that you’ve composed.
** When
you organize this information, do not put them into paragraph form yet.
5. Analyze
and evaluate your research
**
According to Walden University, this step should include:
·
Discussing
strengths and weaknesses of sources or the field
·
Compare
and contrast methods, approaches, and findings of authors
·
Evaluate
and interpret what is known in your field and what, if anything, is missing
·
Provide
rationale for why each is a part of your literature review and what role each
plays within your field.
Remember: a crucial feature of the literature
review involves contextualizing your research, or positioning your study within
your field.
Another
common question: how many secondary sources do I need to include in my
literature review? ANSWER: It depends. Are you writing a literature review as
part of your proposal/prospectus? Are you writing a literature review as part
of your thesis or dissertation? Are you writing a stand-alone literature
review?
If you
are writing either a stand-alone literature review or a literature review for
your proposal/prospectus, then you should prioritize the most recent sources
related to your topic – in order to emphasize your familiarity with recent
data, arguments, and trends – and sources that are considered the definitive
work done on the topic – a.k.a. the sources that all other sources cite on
their references page.
If you
are writing a literature review for your thesis or dissertation, then there is
no limit on the number of sources that you might include in a literature
review.
Don’t
forget that your literature review chapter will require an introduction and
conclusion.
Since I
am a graduate student in the English department, I would be remiss if I didn’t
add the last step– proofread! If you would like help with this, I
recommend visiting the Writing Center (click here
for hours) or coming to the Thesis and Dissertation office during office hours
(Monday through Thursday 10am until 2pm).
There are
numerous models online (too many to include here) that can be found through a
simple search if you wish to see an example of a literature review in your
field.
Feel free
to post a comment if you have any additional questions or concerns about writing
a literature review, or feel free to consult the resources listed below.
Resources-
-
Writing
a literature review according to the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill (click here)
-
How
to write a literature review according to the University of Wisconsin - Madison
(click here)
-
Step-by-step
explanation of how to write a literature review according to North Carolina
Agricultural & Technical State University (click here)
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