Transcript Conducting Literature Review

Conducting Literature
Review
LITERATURE….
review…
Hmmm….so I just dust off a novel and a book of
poetry, settle down in your chair, and get
ready to issue a “thumbs up” or “thumbs
down” as I leaf through the pages. “Literature
review” done. Right?
NOPE!
So what is a literature review?
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A literature review is an account of what has been
published on a topic by accredited scholars and
researchers
As a piece of writing, the literature review must be
defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research
objective, the problem or issue you are discussing,
or your argumentative thesis).
The purpose:
- to convey to your reader what knowledge and
ideas have been established on a topic
- their strengths and weaknesses.
It is NOT just a descriptive list of the material
available, or a set of summaries
Why do we write literature
reviews?
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Literature reviews provide you with a handy
guide to a particular topic
overview or act as a stepping stone
Literature reviews also provide a solid
background for a research paper’s
investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of
the literature of the field is essential to most
research papers.
A literature review must do these
things:
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be organized around and related directly to
the thesis or research question you are
developing
synthesize results into a summary of what is
and is not known
identify areas of controversy in the literature
What should I do now?
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Clarify
- Roughly how many sources should you include?
- What types of sources (books, journal articles,
websites)?
- Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique your
sources by discussing a common theme or issue?
Find Models
- Look for other literature reviews in your area of
interest or in the discipline and read them
Narrow your topic
Current material
Steps for Writing a Lit Review
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Planning
Reading and Research
Analyzing
Drafting
Revising
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Find a focus
- As you read widely but selectively in your topic area,
consider instead what themes or issues connect your
sources together.
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Construct a working thesis statement
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Consider organization
- Intro, body, conclusion
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Be selective
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Use quotes sparingly
- Some short quotes here and there are okay,
though, if you want to emphasize a point, or if what
the author said just cannot be rewritten in your own
words.
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Summarize and synthesize
- When paraphrasing a source that is not your own,
be sure to represent the author’s information or
opinions accurately and in your own words.
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Revise, revise, revise
QUOTING
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Quotations must be identical to the original,
using a narrow segment of the source. They
must match the source document word for
word and must be attributed to the original
author.
Use quotation marks!
≤ 3 lines, same paragraph
≥lines, a separate paragraph
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In fact, Rumelhart (1981) suggests that schemata "truly are
the building blocks of cognition" (33)
In fact, Rumelhart (1981) suggests that schemata
 “truly are the building blocks of cognition. They are the
fundamental elements upon which all information processing
depends. Schemata are employed in the process of
interpreting sensory data (both linguistic and non linguistic),
in retrieving information from memory, in organising actions,
in determining goals and subgoals, in allocating resources,
and generally, in guiding the flow of processing in the system”
(33-34).
PARAPHRASING
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Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from
source material into your own words. A
paraphrase must also be attributed to the
original source.
Slightly same length with original source
SUMMARIZING
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Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s)
into your own words, including only the main
point(s). Once again, it is necessary to
attribute summarized ideas to the original
source. Summaries are significantly shorter
than the original and take a broad overview of
the source material.
WHY?
Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes.
You might use them to . . .
 Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
 Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
 Give examples of several points of view on a subject
 Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree
with
 Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage
by quoting the original
 Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to
cue readers that the words are not your own
 Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
What is Plagiarism
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Rewriting someone else’s script without
quoting the source.
Rewriting someone else’s script as if it is your
own
Cutting and Pasting internet materials
Publishing someone else’s result without
permission
Reproducing someone else’s figure or table
without quoting source (as after Author,
year)
LAST NOTE!
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A literature review is a piece of discursive
prose, not a list describing or summarizing
one piece of literature after another. It's
usually a bad sign to see every paragraph
beginning with the name of a researcher.
Topic:_________________________________
Main Ideas
1) Definition
2) Causes
3) Effects
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Thank You