1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/light_seeker/5349830135/

2. You have been told to write a literature review but you have no idea what this really means! Eek! Do not panic; this short guide will help you get started once you have selected your topic.

3. What is a literature review? Written summary of the findings of a literature search. Clear justification for why you are researching your topic. Demonstrates you have investigated the historical and/or current literature surrounding your subject. Assesses literature based on issues regarding disciplinary knowledge, theory or methodology. Key aspects : summarising, synthesising and evaluating. SUMMARY: recap on the core information and highlight main issues. It is informative for the reader and provides a context. SYNTHESIS: compare and contrast and form a new part. So show your understanding. EVALUATE: make your own judgement through analysis. Puts your research in context of existing work. It can also identify areas where further research is needed. IT IS NOT just a list of all the work published on your topic and who argues what.

4. Skills you will need to use Record and note take Locate information READ; actually read properly Categorise; so bring ideas together Critical thinking Evaluate other people’s findings Reflect Analyse Synthesis Interpret

5. Steps in a Literature Review Identifying your topic and keywordsSearching for information and recording references. The search bitSkimming, sifting and reflectingReviewing, reading and note-takingWriting your literature reviewReferring back to your readingRevising your literature search after you have moved onto other chapters

6. Different ways to organise? 1) Chronologically: so you could write about the materials according to when they were published. 2) Thematically so by theory, trend, topic or grouping authors together. 3) Methodologically by models of research or approach.

7. When you are reading you might want to : – Jot down ideas – Carefully record quotations you might want to use – Create links between books, journal articles and the other things you have found. – Create a visual mind map for keywords, search strategies or notes from the text.

8. MIND MAPPING – breaking your topic down Generated on https://bubbl.us/

9. Skim, read properly, reflect, read again

10. Writing your literature review You will need to be selective. Decide on a structure and where your argument/direction is going. Begin with an overview. State the aim(s) of the review and indicate the structure of the evolving argument. Show the argument (themes, trends, theories, approaches – you might want to choose these as sub headings.) Show both sides of the argument and illustrate with evidence. Draft and redraft.

11. A common mistake is to put your citations in a simple list followed by quotes from the original sources e.g. Smith found that….. Brown identified…….. Jones argues that… The review is a critical evaluation so you need to indicate this in your paragraphs. You also need to consider how your words might be interpreted by those reading it. You might want to consider using phrases which make clear your interpretations of the work e.g. In a landmark study, Jones argues that. (positive) This research made a significant contribution to… (positive) Brown identified…(neutral) Smith overlooks…(negative) A major limitation of this approach is… (negative)

12. Use of citations in the literature review There can be two types of in-text citations: Integral: The author’s name appears in the sentence. – Example: Gordon (2014) argues that for both undergraduate and postgraduate students it is worthwhile asking in the Library for help in locating relevant information sources. Non-integral: The author’s name appears outside sentence. – Example: For undergraduate and postgraduate students it is worthwhile asking in the Library for help in locating relevant information sources. (Gordon, 2014) Is there a reason why we should use one or the other in certain cases?

13. Citation and writer’s voice Whose voice is most prominent?The writers or the original author’s? The moon is made of cheese (Brie 1999). - Writer’s voice is dominant. Brie (1999) argues that the moon is made of cheese. – Original author’s voice is dominant. As Brie (1999) points out, the moon is made of cheese. – Writer as original author. According to Brie (1999), the moon is made of cheese. However, …. – Original author’s voice is dominant; writer’s voice is deferred. Brie (1999) argues out that the moon is made of cheese. However, …. – Original author’s voice is dominant; writer’s voice is deferred. Adapted from Groom, C. (2000) Attribution and averral revisited; three perspectives on manifest intertextuality in academic writing. In Thompson, P. (ed.) Patterns and Perspectives: Insights into EAP writing practice. Reading: Centre for Applied Language Studies, The University of Reading

14. A literature review chapter will involve many amendments. It may also evolve and change once you have completed other sections in your research Image from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/en/life-saving-swimming-tube-save-me-737370/