Organizing and Writing the Literature Review Drs. Bowser, Russom, and Allsop

Purpose of Literature Review Provide theoretical framework Provide a deep understanding of the needs of your intended audience Provide a deep understanding of your prospective audience Provide a background for all aspects of your topic Serve as a source for comparing the results of your own study

Exhaustive Literature Review Must be at least 30 pages in length Must contain required topics from the appropriate FCE template Must contain theoretical framework Must provide details about all aspects of your topic Must be organized by topic—not source

Exhausting the lit review Theoretical Framework--Key Concept or Idea Related Concepts Deep Dives Into Parts of Key Concept Exploration of Key Audience Best Practices to Support or Develop Key Concept

Ideas That Work to Help You Organize Your Literature Review Start by setting regular “doctor” appointments Can work by time or topic Before session ends, write yourself a short note as to where you will begin at your next “doctor’s appointment”

Tools That Work to Help You Organize Your Literature Review Outline topics using a computer or paper Can brainstorm topics and then cut and paste them to reorder them If some areas are subordinate to another topic, indent that topic under the main topic

Tools That Work to Help You Organize Your Literature Review Use post-it notes Write one aspect of reviewed literature per note Select a blank wall Group like topics together Check visual balance Organize one column of notes into a logical order. Continue. Organize sorted columns on logical order

Tools That Work to Help You Organize Your Literature Review Start with required topics from the FCE template for Chapter 2 Theoretical perspective Historical context Clear discussion of how further research should extend, differ from, or replicate past studies Indication of shortcomings that should be avoided in the design of prior research Critique of the research studies Summary of findings Research questions

Work Smarter, Not Harder No matter how you organized your topic (outline or post-it notes), write your second- and third-level headings into your template/draft Make sure all of your headings are in parallel construction Check order of topics by reading through your headings Reorder as necessary Now, you can use your headings to write your lit review in any order you choose.

Now It Is Your Turn Take the next X minutes to start the process while you have dissertation experts in the room who can help you. Take some post-it notes or start writing an outline on your computer. Organize your topics Start writing your second and third-level headings if you have time.