writing a literature review

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The Writing Development Centre

Writing a Literature Review



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Slides will be available online

Slides will be made available after the session at:

http://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle

http://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle



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Session outline

Clarifying the purpose of a Literature Review

Tips for getting started, making the most of your reading and keeping track of your reading

Strategies for reading and writing critically

Suggestions for further resources



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What is a Literature Review?

Literature Reviews answer the following questions:

What has already been done in this area? Who are the key players? What are the key

works/texts/developments? What is the current state of knowledge? (What are the main

trends, patterns, themes, approaches? What are the problems, issues and controversies in your

topic area? Have you spotted any gaps, any missed opportunities? What further research is needed? Why is it needed?



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Individual Literature Reviews

As an assignment in its own right the Literature Review:

Surveys and evaluates existing research

Provides an overview (by highlighting the trends, themes, patterns, approaches, problems, controversies and gaps)

Gives an indication ‘where we are up to’



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Dissertation/Thesis Literature Reviews

As part of a research project (thesis or dissertation), the Literature Review helps to establish and define your ‘identity’ as a researcher by:

Situating your work within a larger disciplinary context Demonstrating how you will build upon or deviate from

existing publications/findings Highlighting what your contribution will be: how will your

work extend and develop existing knowledge?



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The Literature Review: what to avoid

Effective literature reviews are critical and analytical rather than descriptive: they evaluate rather than report.

Remember that a Literature Review is not:

a descriptive list of all the work published in your field

a chronological account of existing research



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Where to start?!

Before reading texts in depth, it is important to have at least a rough idea:

What your dissertation is about/what ‘angle’ will you approach your independent literature review from?

What you are going to do What question you will answer What problem will you address

This will give you a ‘framework’ for your reading



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Where to start?!

You can track down sources by:

Discussing your reading with your supervisor

Making use of the reference lists in books and journal articles



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Where to start?!

Use your tailored subject guide to find key resources: http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/

Book your one-to-one consultancy with a member of the Library liaison team for in-depth help with your dissertation, thesis or project search: http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=6263

http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/

http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=6263



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Being critical

In terms of the Literature Review, ‘being critical’ means:

Evaluating, rather than just describing, existing research Being able to identify patterns, themes, trends and gaps Showing how existing research relates to your own project

(thesis or dissertation) Being able to develop research that addresses existing

issues/gaps (thesis or dissertation)



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Reading critically

Avoid reading purely for information

Questions are the ultimate critical tool and help focus your reading



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Critical Questions

Working in pairs (or threes), discuss:

The critical questions you could ask of sources

Also consider:

Which questions are the most important? Which one would you ask first?



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Critical questions: suggestions

Do I need to read this?

Is this a credible source?

What is the purpose of the text?

What are its main claims?

How are they argued?

Are there gaps, leaps or inconsistencies in the argument?



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Critical questions: suggestions

How is the evidence (facts, examples, research findings) used and interpreted?

Are there any hidden assumptions or agendas?

Are the conclusions consistent with the evidence presented?

What use am I going to make of this? How does it relate to my research project?



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Critical questions: further information

Leeds University has devised a very useful Critical Reading checklist:

http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/thefinalchapter/documents/printable/Critical_reading_checklist.pdf





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Organising and synthesising your material Always note the full bibliographic details of the sources you

use

Keep a working bibliography (this is a huge time saver!)

Use your notes to draw out the key points from your reading and to help you spot themes and patterns: how are sources connected?



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Reading strategies: keeping track

Author/date

Research questions/hypotheses

Theoretical frameworkadopted

Method Results Conclusions Relevance to myresearchquestions

Comments

Crow, C (2012)Gray, E (2014)



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Reference Management: Endnote

For further information and support go to:

http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/endnote






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Planning the Literature Review: structure

Every Literature Review is different depending on the type of project you’re working on and the nature of your topic. Seek guidance from your supervisor regarding the most appropriate way to approach and structure your review

Funnel structure: beginning with general references to the literature in your topic area before dealing (in greater depth) with the literature more directly related to your project

Chronological approach: early work-later developments-most recent responses (can become overly descriptive)

Patchwork structure: label each patchwork piece according to the different areas of your review



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Being critical: authorial voice

Your ‘voice’ should be foregrounded in the Literature Review. This can be achieved by:

Taking control of the text: using citations to build an argument and frame your own research project

Making your own position clear in relation to the literature that you discuss



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What to avoid: writer’s voice ‘absent’

Swales (1990: 58) defines genre as ‘a class of communicative events, the members of which share some set of communicative purposes’. Berkenkotter and Huckin (1995) list some of the generic forms through which academics communicate, such as lab reports, conference papers and journal articles. They emphasise the importance of being familiar with these genres to progress professionally. Johns (1997: 21) explains how we build up our genre knowledge by ‘repeated contextualised experiences with texts.’ For Miller (1984) genres are a means of performing social actions. She explains that genres develop as a result of our typified actions which occur in recurring and similar situations.



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Foregrounding authorial voice

Skim the extract on your handouts

What techniques does the writer use to foreground their own voice, and thus ensure that their work is critical?



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Writing critically enough? Watch out for these tell-tale signs

Unsupported statements, assumptions or generalisations: “The majority of British teenagers own Smartphones”; “Many critics have argued against this.”

Not providing reasons, explanations and/or examples: “This view is outdated and is no longer applicable.”



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Writing critically enough? Watch out for these tell-tale signs

Beginning and/or ending sentences and paragraphs with quotations

Quotation ‘dumping’: quotations in sentences all of their own

Quoting when you could easily paraphrase

Using very long quotations. It often looks as if you are just trying to fill up the space! If you do need to use a long quotation, you usually have to justify this by analysing it in detail.



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Writing the Literature Review: reporting verbs

•Argue•Claim•Demonstrate•Miscalculate•Omit•Show•Suggest

Vary your critical

vocabulary and be precise:

different reporting verbs

indicate different levels of agreement.



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Further resources

Not too sure where or how to start? Feeling overwhelmed by too many search results? Not sure how to identify useful or relevant sources? Want to know how to manage all those references? Head to the Dissertation Station:

http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/disshelp

http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/disshelp



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Further resources

Academic Phrasebank:

http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk

Leeds University Library Skills Page:

http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/thefinalchapter/

http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/thefinalchapter/



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Further resources

Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review. London: SAGE

Ridley, D. (2012) The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students. London: SAGE

Swales, J.M. and C.B. Feak (2000) English in Today’s Research World. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press



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The Writing Development CentreDevelop your academic skills

Take effective notes Think critically Interpret essay

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• Revise effectively• Critically review

literature • Structure essays• Use drafting & editing

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dissertation or PhD thesis

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writing a literature review

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