Play around with the order of main points - it is best to write a general key statement for every group of arguments

What is the purpose of a literature review? CHAPTER 2

The main function of a literary review is to give an idea of what has already been done on this issue earlier and to explain your decision to explore the topic. By including a literature review in the project, you can earn credibility for your research and demonstrate the scope of work you have done so far. Without this resource of trust, your research results may be perceived as nothing more than your personal opinion based on some basic methodologies. A poorly performed review of scientific literature can ruin research work.

Here are some of the main functions a review performs: Share

Proves that you have done the preparatory work; Outlines the materials on the theme that are currently available;

Functions as a proof of research you have run; Assists you in justifying the position of the study you proposed;

Fills in the identified gap, eliminates the identified shortcomings in someone else’s work, expands the existing study. Helps you develop a convincing structure for the material that you want to present as the basis for your work;

A literature review is also a good introductory component of your work that serves as a bridge between a topic and research results.

Literature review outline CHAPTER 3

The easiest and most effective way to handle literature review writing is to develop an outline covering the main points. Having such an assistant at hand, you will not only spend less time collecting material but also be able to qualitatively complete the work. Here is what to focus on before developing an outline for your review:

The number of sources; The nature of the source description (analytical, comparative, etc.); The size of the review (calculated in the number of pages, words, characters without spaces, etc.); The exact wording of the topic, which will narrow down your search for the right sources; Citation style, which includes the nuances associated with a citation, the use of fonts, line spacing and indentation, etc.

In order to write a good literary review, collect the necessary information and group it in the logical sequence. Take the following actions to develop an all covering outline for your literature review.

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Research the topic and collect the sources relevant to the subject being studied;

Write down every statement on a separate sheet of paper, indicate source information as well (these shouldn’t necessarily be full sentences; you can write separate phrases or combination of words);

Group all the main points from the research data based on the angle they address the main theme;

Write down a thesis statement (the key idea of your work);

Play around with the order of main points - it is best to write a general key statement for every group of arguments.

Once you are done with the order of main points, you can develop it into a draft by adding some details or going deeper into the question.

How to write a literature review step-by-step

Literature review writing can become an easy task if you know how to approach it step-by-step and what to focus on at every stage.

Step 1 - Start evaluating sources

Once you have created a list of keywords and terms related to your topic, run research, and already have a collection of relevant sources, it is time to evaluate and group them. In case you are stuck with research, here are some useful databases that will help you find any data you need:

Your university’s library catalog;

Google Scholar;

JSTOR;

EBSCO; Project Muse (humanities and social sciences);

Medline (life sciences and biomedicine);

EconLit (economics);

Inspec (physics, engineering, and computer science).

To evaluate the source, it is not necessary to read every article/ publication in full. Instead, check the abstract to determine whether the source is accord. When evaluating the entry, check the following criteria:

The question/ problem the author addresses;

Key concepts outlined in the work;

Key theories, models, and methods discussed; Innovative approach;

Study results and conclusions;

Strengths and weaknesses of the research.

Before using any source, make sure that it is credible.

Step 2 - Group the data

Develop an outline for your literature review - find logical connections between arguments and organize them. To group key ideas in the best way, look for:

Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results);

Topic questions or concepts; Debates, conflicts, and contradictions;

Data gaps;

By grouping the key points, you will develop the structure of your literature review and will smoothly integrate your own research into the already existing concepts.

Step 3 - Plan the literature review structure

There are several strategies of how to best arrange content in literature review:

Chronological - trace the development of the topic over time. However, you shouldn’t list or summarize the sources. Instead, analyze the pattern and highlight the logical bridges between the points.

Thematic - address different aspects of the topic in separate subsections of a literature review.

Methodological - group the results and compare them from different approaches.

Theoretical - discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. Argue the relevance of a particular theoretical approach, combine different theoretical concepts in order to establish a framework for your research.

Step 4 - Check a literature review example

If you cannot write a review and do not know what to start with, feel free to check the review samples. You can easily find them on the Internet or ask your tutor to share some examples. By checking them, you will have a clear idea of how to arrange data in a literature review and what formulations are best to use.

A review of the research literature is the key to familiarizing your audience with the topic of the study. Thus, it should be done with a thorough knowledge of the topic and be carefully approached. Having done it once, writing a literature review for your research project should not be too difficult for you. Otherwise, many tutorials will help organize your thoughts in the most effective way.

Final say