part4

• Literature


  A collection of published information/materials on a particular area of research or topic, such as books and journal articles of academic value
• Literature review


  Identifies, evaluates and synthesizes the relevant literature within a particular field of research
• Literature review


  • Illuminates how knowledge has evolved within the field
  • What has already been done
  • What is generally accepted
  • What is emerging
  • What is the current state of thinking on the topic
• Why do we write a literature review?

  • Give a convenient guide to a particular topic
  • Can provide an overview or summary if there's limited time to conduct research
  • Analyze, synthesize and critically evaluate information to give a clear picture of the subject
• How do we write a literature review?

  1. Search for relevant literature

  2. Evaluate sources

  3. Identify themes, debates and gaps

  4. Outline the structures

  5. Write your literature review
• Search for relevant literature


  • Clearly define your topic
  • Choose a focus
  • Develop a central question to direct your search
• Evaluate sources


  • Make sure the sources you use are credible
• Identify themes, debates and gaps

  • Understand the connections and relationships between the sources you've read
• Outline structures


  • Chronological Outline
  • Thematic Outline
  • Methodological Outline
  • Theoretical Outline
• Write your literature review

  1. Introduction

  2. Body

  3. Conclusions/Recommendations
• Introduction


  Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern
• Body


  Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically
• Conclusions/Recommendations


  • Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far
  • Where might the discussion proceed?