Literature review
What is a literature review? A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. This is often written as part of a postgraduate thesis proposal, or at the commencement of a thesis. A critical literature review is a critical assessment of the relevant literature. It is unlikely that you will be able to write a truly critical assessment of the literature until you have a good grasp of the subject, usually at some point near the end of your thesis.
The review, like other forms of expository writing, has an introduction, body and conclusion, well-formed paragraphs, and a logical structure. However, in other kinds of expository writing, you use relevant literature to support the discussion of your thesis; in a literature review, the literature itself is the subject of discussion.
What counts as 'literature'? ‘Literature’ covers everything relevant that is written on a topic: books, journal articles, newspaper articles, historical records, government reports, theses and dissertations, etc. The important word is 'relevant'. Check with your supervisor or tutor when in doubt.
Why do a literature review? A literature review is written to highlight specific arguments and ideas in a field of study. By highlighting these arguments, the writer attempts to show what has been studied in the field, and also where the weaknesses, gaps, or areas needing further study are. The review should therefore also demonstrate to the reader why the writer’s research is useful, necessary, important, and valid.
A review of the literature has the following functions: ? To justify your choice of research question, theoretical or conceptual framework, and method ? To establish the importance of the topic
? To provide background information needed to understand the study
? To show readers you are familiar with significant and/or up-to-date research relevant to the topic
? To establish your study as one link in a chain of research that is developing knowledge in your field
How many references to look for? This depends on what the literature review is for, and what stage you are at in your studies. Your supervisor or tutor should specify a minimum number of references.
Generally speaking, a reasonable number of references in a literature review would be:
undergraduate review: 5-20 titles depending on level. Honours dissertation: 20+ titles. Masters thesis: 40+ titles Doctoral thesis: 50+ titles.
How to write a literature review
1. The literature search
2. Noting the bibliographical details 3. Finding the literature 4. Reading the literature
Take notes as you read the literature. You are reading to find out how each piece of writing approaches the subject of your research, what it has to say about it, and (especially for research students) how it relates to your own thesis:
Is it a general textbook or does it deal with a specific issue(s)?
Is it an empirical report, a theoretical study, a sociological or political account, a historical overview, etc? All or some of these?
Does it follow a particular school of thought? What is its theoretical basis? What definitions does it use?
What is its general methodological approach? What methods are used? What kinds of data does it use to back up its argument? What conclusions does it come to? 5. Writing the review Having gathered the relevant details about the literature, you now need to write the review. The kind of review you write, and the amount of detail, will depend on the level of your studies.
Note 1: do not confuse a literature review with an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography deals with each text in turn, describing and evaluating the text, using one paragraph for each text.
In contrast, a literature review groups related works together and discusses trends and developments rather than focusing on one item at a time. It is not a summary; rather, it evaluates previous and current research in regard to how relevant and/or useful it is and how it relates to your own research.
A Literature Review is more than an Annotated Bibliography or a summary, because you are organizing and presenting your sources in terms of their overall relationship to your own project.
Note 2: think of the review as a funnel
The review must be shaped by a focus on key areas of interest, including research which provides a background to the topic (depending on whether it is for an Honours thesis or for a PhD). It should also be selective. A common mistake in writing the review is to comment on everything you have read regardless of its relevance. In your writing it is useful to think of the review as a funnel - start wide with the overview and then quickly narrow into discussing the research that relates to your specific topic.
? Another way of looking at the process, particularly if you are examining several topics (or variables), is to think of yourself as a film director (Rudestam and Newton, 1992). You can think of providing your audience with:
? long shots to provide a solid sense of the background
? middle distance shots where the key figures and elements to be examined are brought clearly into view
? close-up shots where the precise focus of your work is pinpointed
Sections of literature review Like all academic writing, A literature review is written in essay format. It must have an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should include:
1)the nature of the topic under discussion (the topic of your thesis) 2)the parameters of the topic (what does it include and exclude)? 3)the basis for your selection of the literature
The conclusion should include:
1)A summary of major agreements and disagreements in the literature 2)A summary of general conclusions that are being drawn. 3)A summary of where your thesis sits in the literature
The body paragraphs could include relevant paragraphs on: 1)historical background, including classic texts;
2)current mainstream versus alternative theoretical or ideological viewpoints, including differing theoretical assumptions, differing political outlooks, and other conflicts;
3)possible approaches to the subject (empirical, philosophical, historical, postmodernist, etc); 4)definitions in use;
5)current research studies;
6)current discoveries about the topic;
7)principal questions that are being asked; 8)general conclusions that are being drawn; 9)methodologies and methods in use;
Structure of literature review There are several ways to organize and structure a literature review. Two common ways are chronologically and thematically.
1) Chronological: group and discuss your sources in order of their appearance (usually
publication), highlighting the changes in research in the field and your specific topic over time.
e.g. metaphor—how the definition of it changes through time by giving some examples of key concepts made by scholars, and ending with current thoeries and the definition you will use in your thesis
2)Thematic: group and discuss your sources in terms of the themes or topics they cover. This method is often a stronger one organizationally, and it can help you resist the urge to summarize your sources. By grouping themes or topics of research together, you will be able to demonstrate the types of topics that are important to your research. e.g. study of Feminism in Jane Eyre—commnets on Charlotte Bronte
Writing a Literature Review
