ELEMENTS IN A LITERATURE REVIEW

 ELEMENTS IN A LITERATURE REVIEW : 3 ESSENTAILS  CATEGORIES

             No matter how you decide to organize your literature review (chronologically, thematically, etc.), it follows a format you will immediately recognize: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.  We will look at each section individually.

 INTRODUCTION

The introduction to the literature review contains a statement or statements about the overall topic of your dissertation or theses.  This might be an paragraph or section that lets your reader know what your literature review is going to address.  You will describe how the literature review will be organized (for example, what are the main points you are going to address and in what order will they appear?).  You may choose to briefly describe search criteria (keywords, databases, journals) in this section, or you may do it in different parts of the review.  It is suggested that this introductory section be no longer than two pages in length.  The purpose is to lead your reader further into the body of the literature review.

In the introduction, you will:

• Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern thereby providing an appropriate context for the remainder of the review
• Point out overall trends in what has been previously published on the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, conclusions, or gaps in research and scholarship
• Establish your reason for reviewing this research (point of view); explain the criteria used to search the literature; the organization of the review (sequence); and – if necessary – why certain literature either is or is not included (scope)
• Demonstrate how your research either closes a gap in the literature, extends earlier work, or replicates an important study thereby contributing new knowledge to your discipline.

More tips for the Introduction:

1. Consider presenting a historical frame of reference
2. Point out a landmark or seminal study
3. Provide definitions for important terms
4. Describe how your literature review was conducted
5. Describe any inclusion or exclusion criteria used

Not to be confused with a book review, a literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.

 BODY

Some general tips for writing the body of your literature review:

• Start broad and then narrow to show how past research relates to your project.
• Make it clear to your reader where you’re going, follow a logical progression of ideas
• When appropriate, cite two or more sources for a single point but avoid long strings of references for a single point.
• Use quotes sparingly.
• Keep your own formal academic voice throughout and keep the review focused and objective, following a logical structure.
• Point out consistent findings AND emphasize stronger studies over weaker ones.  Point out important strengths and weaknesses of research studies OR contradictions and inconsistent findings.
• Implications and suggestions for further research, or where there are gaps in the current literature, should be specific.

 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 explored
• Data evaluation—determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic
• Analysis and interpretation—discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature

        The body contains the evaluation or synthesis of the materials.  Discuss and compare common themes and gaps in the literature. You may also want to include a section on "questions for further research" and discuss what issues the review has sparked about the topic/field or offer suggestions for future studies that build on your current findings.

CONCLUSION

Summarize your literature review, discuss implications, and create a space for future or further research needed in this area.  Like the introduction, this section should be around 3-5 pages in length.  How do you know when you’re done?  Can you answer these 11 questions:

1. Have you clearly defined your topic and audience?
2. Did you search and re-search the literature?
3. Took notes while reading?
4. Chosen the type of review you want to write?
5. Have you kept the review focused throughout?
6. Were you critical and consistent in your evaluation and synthesis?
7. Is the structure of your review logical?
8. Did you make use of feedback?
9. Were you able to stay relevant and objective throughout?
10. Did you maintain an objective voice?
11. Did you cite current and older studies.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A summary of your analysis and evaluation of the reviewed works and how it is related to its parent discipline, scientific endeavor, or profession.

REFERENCES

https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/write-a-literature-review
https://press.rebus.community/literaturereviewsedunursing/chapter/chapter-8-writing-the-literature-review/
https://research.library.gsu.edu/c.php?g=115595&p=754162

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