Writing a literature review

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Writing a literature review

Dr Cheryl Lange
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Integral aspects of academic work
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Developing a literature review

• There are a number of stages in writing a
  literature review.
• Survey the literature
• Develop an understanding of the issues
• Subject your understanding to critical thinking
  processes
• Develop a series of reasoned arguments that lead
  to your hypothesis/research question
• Begin writing your review

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Managing information

• If you are going to be collecting a large number
  of journal articles, book chapters etc, you will
  need a system for managing it all.
• What is your system?
• My approach to collecting and organising the
  literature I need for my research is

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Reading and making notes towards writing
critically

• These tips may help.
• Read with a clear purpose.
• Ask yourself What do I already know?, What do
  I predict? before you start each article etc.
• Note make/mind map main points, i.e. actively
  engage with what you read.
• Make tentative evaluations about the content as
  you read.
• Summarise similarities/differences in
  perspective, etc of articles you read

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Effective reading and note making
turns
Information
into
Knowledge
and
Understanding
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Thinking about your literature review

• Prompts to focus your thinking
• My research is important because
• What I propose to do in this study is
• What am I looking for in the literature is
• My present understanding of my research area is
• The main schools of thought/theoretical
  perspectives in my area are
• The great debates my area are ...
• When reading the literature I wonder about
• What remains unclear is ...

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Introduction

• Identify general topic set context
• Mention overall trends or theoretical/methodologic
  al conflicts or gaps or new perspectives
• Explain criteria used in analysing/comparing
  literature
• Describe how review will be organised.

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Body

• Group studies according to common denominators
  e.g. methodology, themes, chronology, benchmark
  studies
• Summarize individual studies /articles according
  to importance (number of words denotes
  significance)
• Use clear
• umbrella statements (topic sentences) at
  beginning of paragraphs
• signposts in each paragraph
• Conclude key paragraphs with brief so what
  statements to aid readers understanding of
  analyses and comparisons

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Conclusion

• Summarize major contributions of significant
  studies maintain focus established in
  introduction
• Evaluate current state of knowledge under review
  e.g.
• flaws in methodology
• inconsistencies in theories/finding
• areas of pertinent future study
• Provide some insight into relationship between
  topic of literature review and larger area of
  study e.g. discipline, profession etc.

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Judging the quality of a literature review
High quality dissertation Marginal dissertation
Expert use of the literature in design of the study and discussion of the findings. Thorough, clear and incisive reporting of the literature, comprehensive and definitive. Inadequate coverage or focus of the literature in relation to the study. Inaccuracies and omissions in referencing. Discussion that was devoid of reference to the literature.
Literature review Use and application - Centre
for the Study of Research Training Impact,
University of Newcastle
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Some useful links

• UWA library holdings of Masters and PhD theses
  http//www.library.uwa.edu.au/students/postgraduat
  es/theses
• PhD focused http//www.newcastle.edu.au/research-c
  entre/sorti/publications/phd-2008.html
• University of Wisconsin http//writing.wisc.edu/Ha
  ndbook/CriReadingBook.html
• How to read and engineering research paper
  http//cseweb.ucsd.edu/wgg/CSE210/howtoread.html
• Blog by Jo Edmonston, UWA- Graduate Education
  Officer http//myresearchspace.grs.uwa.edu.au/pgwr
  itinggroup/

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Searching for answers? What are your
questions?

• Drop in 1pm - 2pm during semester teaching weeks
  Reid Library Mon, Wed, Thurs Science
  Library Tues Fri
• Individual consultations make your appointment
  and submit your draft at least 2 days prior to
  when you want your consultation.
• Lunch time workshops (see STUDYSmarter Workshop
  Calendar)
• Contact detailsPhone 6488 2423 - Student
  Support Reception www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.austu
  dy.smarter_at_uwa.edu.aucheryl.lange_at_uwa.edu.au