Writing a Literature Review
Monica Fernandes ask@brunel.ac.uk
Session Overview • What is a literature review • What should a literature review accomplish • How do I write and structure a literature review
A literature review is‌ A critical and structured evaluation of scholarly research, i.e. articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations etc) that are relevant to a particular topic, area of research or theory.
The basics…
There is an issue – a research problem
Researchers are debating this issue
Your role is to critique this literature and identify a gap in that research and construct a question
The Literature Review
Develop a research methodology to investigate that question
Analyse the results of your research to find an intervention into the research debate
Why do a literature review?
The PURPOSE of the lit. review is to… • Provide a historical background of the research • Provide an overview of the debates and controversies surrounding your topic • Provide a context and rationale for your work
• Introduce terminology and definitions AND…
Also to…
• Summarise, evaluate and demonstrate the significance of other people’s work • •
Identify gaps which your work might fill Show how your work relates to existing research
• Demonstrate an understanding of theory and method • Demonstrate your research skills – it must be logical, systematic and accurate
A literature review is NOT… • An exhaustive bibliography on everything ever written on the topic • A repetition of what each article / book reported • Unconnected extracts without comment • A list of quotations or summarised abstracts • Absent of your voice
The funnel metaphor‌ Context Research history
Debates Main studies
Concepts Definitions Methodologies Your project/aims
One easy way to write a great lit review‌
Read other literature reviews!
Activity • Read the following literature review. • How is it structured?
4 steps to a great review 1. Find relevant literature on your topic and follow trails of references 2. Identify key themes/ideas/stages in the approach to the topic – keep a notebook so you can keep adding to as you read 3. Cluster relevant points together, using subheadings (not too many) and signposting 4. Check you have provided sufficient context and justification for your research project
Organising your review, I Chronological • Show advances • Changes over time • Issues to be addressed Thematic • Key issues, themes, debates • Isolate key issues Methodological • Different methods – evaluate • Identify key method
Organising your review, II • Introduction (some people write this last) • What are the origins of my topic? Paragraph on history of my topic • What are the main issues and debates about the topic? Why are they controversial? • What are the main theories and concepts? • Give definitions • Who has written what about my topic? Evaluate!
Organising your review, III • What questions have been addressed to date? • How have answers to these questions increased our understanding and knowledge about the topic? • Are these answers still relevant/valid? Why/why not? • Your research: are you going to do anything differently or in the same way? Why?
What are the relevant policies?
This means… • You may critique some works in depth
• Others, you may just refer to • However, the very fact of pulling together the literature, recognising correlations and patterns and organising it together in order to show how your work fits IS critical thinking
Being critical is… • a refusal to accept the conclusions of other scholars at face value • a balanced presentation of reasons why the conclusions of other scholars may be accepted or treated with caution
• a clear presentation of your own evidence and argument, leading to your conclusion • a recognition of the limitations in your own evidence, argument, and conclusion
So, being critical is about… …asking questions: • • • • •
How? Why? What? When? Where?
• To what effect?
• Says who? • So what?
Remember…
TAKE A STANCE!
How exactly? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
What does the author want you to believe? What are his/her motivations for this work? What is the proposed answer/solution? What arguments, evidence or experiments are presented in support of the solution? Are they convincing? Why/why not? How does the paper contribute to your discipline? What future directions for research does it suggest? What questions remain unanswered?
Yes, but how do I actually do it? YOU need to control the information and how it is presented, and thus avoid the trap of merely summarising.
1 Use language to take a stance
Significant research has shown that…
As a response, a number of studies…
Yet, these studies did not consider…
Researchers argued…
Conversely, other research has come from a predominately… Additional research has suggested…
As a consequence, in this study…
Activity • Read again the literature review. • What words/phrases are used to introduce a work?
Stuck for words?
www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk
Summary • A literature review is not just a list of sources. It needs to summarise, synthesise and evaluate. • The review needs to be organised and structured appropriately. It is not just a collection of paragraphs or bullet points! • The review must discuss different schools of thought and arguments and present a balanced picture of any debates. • It must ‘tell the story’ leading to your project and provide a rationale for it.
Web resources ASK @ Brunel Dissertation blog http://dissertationforum.wordpress.com Birmingham University (2010) Companion for Undergraduate Dissertations (Online) http://www.socscidiss.bham.ac.uk/s11.html#a10 University of Toronto (no date) The Literature Review: A Few Tips on Conducting It (Online) http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-ofwriting/literature-review ASK Academic Skills ask@brunel.ac.uk
Contact us… • Check out the ASK website, Blackboard section and interactive resources, including Skills4Study • Join us at our central workshops. – Check online at: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/services/library/ask
• Visit ASK appointments: – Monday- Friday 1-3 pm – Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5-6 pm (during term time) – This needs to be booked online at: http://libcalendar.brunel.ac.uk/booking/ask
• Email: ask@brunel.ac.uk