2/22/ · Conducting a literature review involves collecting, evaluating and analysing publications (such as books and journal articles) that relate to your research question. There are five main steps in the process of writing a literature review: Search for relevant literature 2/22/ · Writing a literature review involves finding relevant publications (such as books and journal articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining what you found. There are five key steps: Search for relevant literature 12/2/ · Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages: Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being blogger.com: George Koors
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This how to start a lit review has been viewedtimes. Learn more Some people might think of a literature review as reading a book and then giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Nope, not so. A literature review is a review of various pieces of literature on one topic, ranging from series of books to shorter pieces like pamphlets. Sometimes, the literary review is a part of a larger research paper. Its purpose is to prevent duplication of efforts, resolve conflicts, and point the way for further research.
To do a literature review, start by finding a variety of reliable sources that all relate to one topic or theme. Then, read through the sources and come up with a thesis statement for your paper. Once you have your thesis, explain how the sources you used back up your thesis in the body of your literature review.
You can arrange the sources chronologically, by publication, or even thematically, how to start a lit review. For help writing an introduction and conclusion for a literature review, keep reading!
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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Education and Communications College University and Postgraduate Academic Writing Literature Reviews How to Do a Literature Review. Download Article Explore this Article parts.
Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Author Info Last Updated: June 2, how to start a lit review, References Approved. Part 1 of All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.
and how to start a lit review copyright laws. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Clarify your professor's requirements. Some instructors may ask you to do a literature review and not get more specific than that. Or, maybe they did and you were playing Plants vs Zombies. Either way, knowing precisely what your professor is looking for is the first step to getting that A.
How many sources should you include? Do they have to be at least semi-current? In discussing your themes, are you just summarizing or critiquing? Some reviews require a thesis, some may not. Should you offer your opinion how to start a lit review your sources? Do you need to provide background information, such as definitions or histories, to aid in your audience's understanding?
Is there a page or word requirement? Narrow your topic. Get as narrow as you possibly can how to start a lit review still having the amount of sources necessary. Studying birth order may lead you to dozens of books; studying birth order of same-sex siblings will make your search for sources much quicker and more manageable.
Get current. If you are writing a review in the humanities, history, or social sciences, you can afford to be less concerned with timing in fact, how to start a lit review, changing opinions throughout history may be an aspect of your paper. But if you are writing a literary review for the sciences, say, on treating diabetes, information from 5 years ago could already be obsolete. Sort through current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects.
Find a focus. Unfortunately, you are not just gathering sources and summing up what they have to say. You should be considering what themes and ideas connect your sources together. Think of these books as your group of friends all arguing on the same topic. What are they all assuming? How are they the same and how are they different?
Read between the lines. You're not necessarily looking for explicit content. Is there an aspect of the field that is missing? Are your sources all prescribing to one specific theory? Do you see trends being revealed? This will help you structure your paper immensely, zeroing in on what will give your paper purpose.
Construct your thesis. Now that you've found your focus, it's time to construct a thesis statement. You may be thinking that literature reviews don't have thesis statements. That's both partly true and false: They have theses, but they're quite different. Your thesis statement will not necessarily argue for a position or an opinion; rather, it will argue for a particular perspective on the material.
What if the assumed theories are wrong? Again, this is not new information. You are not analyzing the material and coming up with your own, fresh perspective on it. You are simply acting like a computer--noting patterns, holes, and assumptions all your sources are taking.
Assess your sources. You can have the best of intentions and a form of prose that convinces the staunchest of skeptics, but if your sources aren't viable, that's it. Make sure your sources are evaluated on a number of levels.
What are the author's credentials? How are their arguments supported narratives, statistics, historical findings, etc.
Is the author's perspective unbiased and objective? Are they ignoring any data to make their points seem stronger? How persuasive are they? Do any of their points leave a bit to be desired? Does their work lead to a greater understanding of the subject? Part 2 of Start with a solid introduction.
As with everything, first impressions matter, how to start a lit review. Your intro should give a quick idea of the topic of your review, be it thematically or by organizational pattern.
Help the reader along by letting them know what kind of ride they're in for. If you are employing a thesis statement, place it toward the end of your introductory paragraph.
How to Write a Literature Review in 30 Minutes or Less
, time: 17:12Starting your literature review - Literature reviews - LibGuides at University of Reading
1/6/ · One common way to approach a literature review is to start out broad and then become more specific. Think of it as an inverted triangle: Think of it as an inverted triangle: First briefly explain the broad issues related to your investigation; you don't need to write much about this, just demonstrate that you are aware of the breadth of your blogger.com: Sarah Britland 2/22/ · Conducting a literature review involves collecting, evaluating and analysing publications (such as books and journal articles) that relate to your research question. There are five main steps in the process of writing a literature review: Search for relevant literature 12/2/ · Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages: Problem formulation—which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues? Literature search—finding materials relevant to the subject being blogger.com: George Koors
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