Sample Literature Reviews Auckland Uniservices Ltd. When to stop It is important to keep control of the reading process, and to keep your research focus in mind. Notice how the author demonstrated analysis and synthesis in just a few additional sentences. Plagiarism Plagiarism is regarded as a serious offence by all Universities, and you need to make sure that you do not, even accidentally, commit plagiarism. This can involve further review with perhaps a slightly different focus from that of your initial review. For example, in To Kill A Mockingbird, the entire novel was centralized around racism; in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it was one of many themes. Your title must be typed with upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper part of the page.
So, all university and college students can use our sample literature reviews for reference. There was some comparison between later and earlier explanations and the synthesised conclusions that can be drawn. Next four paragraphs described the contents and purpose of each section of the thesis. It is an important showcase of your talents of: understanding, interpretation, analysis, clarity of thought, synthesis, and development of argument. Although summarizing is an element of a literature review, you will want to approach this assignment as a comprehensive representation of your understanding of a topic or field, such as what has already been done or what has been found. You need to be able to demonstrate that you are aware of current issues and research, and to show how your research is relevant within a changing context.
The Writing Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Also, it helps in tracking and figuring out the flaws associated or linked with the previous research. Also, it helps in marking the loops or gaps of previous research. We are 100% assured that our above sample literature reviews have provided the essential help needed. In a more complex study with several variables and particularly when using an advanced statistical method such as Structural Equation Modeling, rather than research questions or hypothesis testing, research articles report on the development and testing of a proposed, theoretical or conceptual model.
It may therefore be advantageous to also investigate the effects of co-witness information using Natural Discussion Groups as this methodology has high ecological validity. There may also be key sources of publications for your subject that are accessible electronically, such as collections of policy documents, standards, archive material, videos, and audio-recordings. You will also need to be ready to answer them in a viva if you will be having one. In order to demonstrate your knowledge on a field through a review of literature, the key component is synthesis. It can be difficult, however, to demonstrate analysis without inserting one's opinions or beliefs.
This applies especially to people doing PhDs on a part-time basis, where their research might extend over six or more years. Read on for more information about writing a strong literature review! Ploughing a little-known furrow as a novice researcher is going to be very difficult, and you may find it difficult to get much support or help. If this produces a more relevant and streamlined argument it is well worth the effort. Just like in an annotated bibliography, you will want to all of the material you present in a literature review. The thread running through the story is the explanation of why you decided to do the study that you are doing. Although Earnhart's 1996 vision is ideal, Harper takes a more practical stance. Understand what it is exactly you are trying to say, and structure the source comparison accordingly.
You need to be ready to cross out whole paragraphs or even whole sections if they do not pass the above tests. Guidance will be available via your own department or school and via the relevant Information Librarian. Thought went into the choice of order. If you do decide to go ahead, then take extra care designing your research, in the absence of guidance from previous studies. Decisions need to be made about where to focus your reading, and where you can refer briefly to an area but explain why you will not be going into it in more detail. The literature review will basically summarize the key points, arguments and ideas contained in the literature. There may be specific guidance on structure within your department, or you may need to devise your own.
What is a literature review? Writing Center at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Lastly, a literature review should combine a summary and a synthesis of the documents it is using. Check out whether there is an important reason why the research has not been done, which would make it sensible for you to choose a different focus. For example, you might cite specific studies and research used in the literature to support your paragraph that discusses the potential health benefits of caffeine consumption. If this is the case, follow the instructions above using all sources and relate them to each other occasionally throughout the review. Step 8 Conclude your review in the final paragraph.
Often, the literature review will end with a statement of the research question s. Try to fit in 12 words avoiding abbreviations and useless words. To some extent, particularly with postgraduate research, the literature review can become a project in itself. Make sure your figure is done professionally, using PowerPoint, Visio, or another graphic software program. Instead, organize your sources by your identified themes and patterns.
From that point, we finish off with a breadcrumb trail. Your interpretation of each piece of evidence is just that: an interpretation. Literature Review Examples You can find two well-written literature reviews by the below. If you attend a conference or workshop with a wider group of people, perhaps from other universities, you can take the opportunity to ask other attendees for recommendations of articles or books relevant to your area of research. Faculty members do not have the time, and students are not that forthcoming with their learning preferences Harper, 2001. Each department or school has assigned to it a specialist Information Librarian. It contains a brief note on literature review including definition, elements, strategies, and its types.
They will help you understand what the final product should ideally look like. Next, you will provide your research questions or hypothesis. Having a lot of literature to report on can feel overwhelming. Body Paragraphs Generally, each body paragraph will focus on a specific source of literature, laid out in the. Consider the following, analysis-free excerpt. This means that the writing should either be structured chronologically, thematically or methodologically.