2015Howtowritealiteraturereview.pptVIP

How to Write Literature Review What is a review of the literature? Stages of writing literature review Skills of writing literature review Tasks a literature review must do Elements comprised in literature review What is a review of the literature? A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by scholars and researchers. What is a review of the literature? In writing the literature review, your purpose is to demostrate a clear understanding of the topic being investigated, namely: what has been done on the topic? what different scholars have said about their own research? what major finding have been published? what controversial area exist? Ask yourself questions before writing a literature review What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review helps to define? 2. What type of literature review am I conducting? Am I looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative research (e.g. on the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g., studies )? Ask yourself questions before writing a literature review What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g., nursing psychology, sociology, medicine)? Ask yourself questions before writing a literature review 4. How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide enough to ensure Ive found all the relevant material? Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources Ive used appropriate for the length of my paper? Ask yourself questions before writing a literature review 5. Have I critically analysed the literature I use? Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses? Ask your