1. LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019
LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING

2. What is a literature review?
A literature review is where you discuss and analyse the existing knowledge and ideas that there are on a topic. It will be where you discuss the research you have found.
Depending on your EPQ, you might have a very long literature review or it might be quite short. For example,
What is a literature review?
LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

3. How does it fit into my EPQ?
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Literature review
Literature review
Literature review
Your research and conclusion
Discussion about creating your artefact and conclusion
Conclusion
A research report
Doing your own research
Creating an artefact
A research report, e.g. – Are biological factors the primary basis for sexual orientation? Your literature review will be the majority of the report as you analyse the information available and research that has already been done by others before making your conclusion.
Doing your own research, e.g. – To what extent are there gender differences in coulrophobia (fear of clowns)? [Student will survey a sample of sixth formers.] Your literature review will analyse the research that has already been done before as an introduction to your own research and findings.
Creating an artefact, e.g. – Can I successfully design and make a set of jewellery inspired by Art Deco for a specialist client? Your literature review might discuss information you have researched about the art deco style before you discuss the process of creating your own.
How does it fit into my EPQ?
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

4. How does it fit into my EPQ?
You may use a few paragraphs to discuss the general area of study.
Then narrow down the specific area of your project.
Review the research and information directly relevant to your EPQ question or project.
You might group items together, e.g. writers that share the same view.
Your literature review should lead logically to your aims.
A literature review is like a funnel.
It begins quite wide as you introduce the general topic you are looking at.
Then narrow down to the specific area of your project and review the research and information that relates directly to your EPQ.
You might group items together, e.g. discussing authors that share one view, then discussing authors that share a different view.
Your literature review should logically lead to your aims, i.e. your conclusion where you answer your report title / a section explaining how your research will fit in / the creation of your artefact.
How does it fit into my EPQ?
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

5. What the moderator is looking for…
Evidence of detailed research from a wide range of relevant resources.
Research should demonstrate selection and evaluation.
Critical analysis of resources.
Clear links between resources and appropriate theories and concepts.
Information is synthesised from a variety of resources.
AO2
AO2
AO2
AO2
AO3
These are taken from some of the Assessment Objectives that are used to mark your work.
The moderator is looking for … … keywords here are evaluation, analysis, links, synthesised.
So how do you do that?
What the moderator is looking for…
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

6. LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING RACHEL CHÁVEZ JUNE 2019
Don’ts
Dos
Write a descriptive list that summarises one resource after another.
Group resources together and explain how they are similar or different.
Start each paragraph with the name of a researcher or writer.
Open your paragraph with the theme of that section.
Give your own personal feelings until the conclusion.
Be objective and evaluate the picture the resources give.
Include absolutely everything you have read on your topic.
Be selective and only choose those resources that help with your discussion.
If appropriate, explain why you have chosen particular resources or ignored others.
If appropriate, explain the strengths and weakness of the resources.
Here are some dos and don’ts.
1. Look at how your resources are alike or different, whether they agree or disagree and whether they reach the same conclusions.
2. You might group resources together that present a similar viewpoint, starting your paragraph with an introduction to that viewpoint.
3. Remain objective and present quotations to illustrate key points.
4. With each resource ask yourself how it is going to help you make your point.
Explaining why you selected some resources over others might happen at the start of your literature review, e.g. if you have decided just to look at contemporary accounts of something, or particular material that looks at two sides of an argument.
One of the hardest things to do when writing is be evaluative and analytical. The easiest way I have found to make sure I don’t just describe is to ask myself “so what?” This resource discusses a recent research study and found this – so what? This newspaper article talks about my topic and says this – so what? Answering that question will make sure you are analysing and evaluating.
EXERCISE – SYNTHESISING SOURCES
1. Write a one-sentence summary on each source’s position on the topic.
Passage 1 presents the religious arguments against euthanasia as being morally wrong.
Passage 2 presents the arguments for euthanasia, considering the rights of the individual.
2. List one point of agreement
Both passages suggest that euthanasia affects other people’s rights, not just those of the patient.
3. List one point of disagreement
Passage 1 argues that God decides when life ends. Passage 2 argues that the person themselves should be able to determine at what time, in what way and by whose hand they will die.
So what?
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

7. LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING RACHEL CHÁVEZ JUNE 2019
Plagiarism is where you try to pass off someone else’s work or ideas as your own.
You might think someone won’t spot when you’ve copied and pasted but teachers can easily spot a change in writing style, or there is software that will search the internet and pick up matches.
Some students panic and think the only way they won’t get accused of plagiarising is if they quote everything they use. But that’s not the best way to write…
What is plagiarism?
LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

8. Quotes versus summarising – the best times to quote … …
When the language of the quote is particularly powerful or memorable.
When an authority on the topic can add strength to your argument.
When the quote provides a useful point for discussion.
When you wish to argue with someone’s else position in detail.
The focus of your writing should be your understanding of the topic. If you quote everything you are just showing that you can copy, not necessarily understand what you have read.
The best times to quote are:
Summarising well can be tricky but the more practice you do the easier it becomes.
EXERCISE: SUMMARISING
After you have decided how to use the information you need to reference it.
Quotes versus summarising – the best times to quote … …
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

9. LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING RACHEL CHÁVEZ JUNE 2019
Referencing is where you cite the sources you have used, giving credit to the original authors.
What is referencing?
LITERATURE REVIEWS, PLAGIARISM & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

10. Harvard Referencing and other systems
Bibliography (Full References)
Flanagan, C. and McGee, J. (2018) EPQ Toolkit for AQA: A Guide for Students. Cheltenham: Gloucestershire.
In-Text References
‘Many students think that if they over reference then they will lose marks because the work is not their own idea. This is far from the truth!’ (Flanagan and McGee, 2018, p.71)
All referencing systems have two parts. Harvard is the most commonly used so we will look at that. However, you may wish to use a footnotes system. Learning Harvard will give you the principles you can apply to any system and I am happy to go through a different one with you on a one-to-one basis.
Every system has a bibliography at the end of your work giving the full details of all the sources you refer to. Your references here give enough information for someone to go and find that resource for themselves. Every type of resource has a template you can follow – show handout.
The second part of referencing are called in-text references. This is where you show in your work which words have come from your sources and, briefly, which sources they were. Again, there is a nice easy template to follow and we will have a practice at doing both. The way that you write and include your in-text references is vital in making sure you don’t plagiarise. In order to make sure they are never plagiarising some students panic and quote everything they find. However, this is not the best way to do it…
EXERCISE: REFERENCING A JOURNAL AND A WEBSITE
Harvard Referencing and other systems
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

11. Full reference for a website
Full reference for a website
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

12. Full reference for a website
Author’s surname, initial. (publication year) Page title. Available at: full web address (Accessed: day, month and year that you last accessed the page).
Butcher, B. and Schraer, R. (2019) How do we know how many children are in gangs? Available at: (Accessed: 09 July 2019).
If there is:
No individual author - use the organisation’s name, e.g. BBC.
No date – look for the copyright year at the bottom of the page
Full reference for a website
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

13. Full reference for a journal article
file://dsserv05/staff-downloads$/rchavez/Downloads/ _1%20(1).pdf
Full reference for a journal article
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

14. Full reference for a journal article
Author’s surname, initial. (publication year) ‘Article title’, Journal Title, volume number (issue number) OR issue date, page number/s.
Harbeck, N. and Gnant, M. (2017) ‘Breast cancer’, Lancet, 389, (March 18), pp
Use the volume and issue information given about the journal – depending on how often they are published they may have a volume and issue number, an issue number, or an issue date.
When you start to put your bibliography together, list all the full references alphabetically by the author.
Full reference for a journal article
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

15. LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING RACHEL CHÁVEZ JUNE 2019
Harbeck, N. and Gnant, M. (2017) ‘Breast cancer’, Lancet, 389, pp
‘In general, patients with an estimated relapse risk of more than 10% over the course of 10 years are viewed as potential candidates for neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy.’ (Harbeck and Gnant, 2017, p.1137).
Patients receiving the two types of chemotherapy are those for whom there is over a 10% chance that they might relapse over a ten year period. (Harbeck and Gnant, 2017, p.1137).
Harbeck and Gnant (2017, p.1137) state that patients receiving the two types of chemotherapy are those for whom there is over a 10% chance that they might relapse over a ten year period.
You can place your in-text reference at the end of your quote or summary. Alternatively, if you want to emphasise where the information has come from and mention the authors in your writing, just slot the year and page number after their name.
In-text references
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019

16. Secondary referencing
Bibliography (Full References)
Harbeck, N. and Gnant, M. (2017) ‘Breast cancer’, Lancet, 389, pp
In-Text References
‘The issue of radiotherapy for patients with one to three involved lymph nodes remains controversial’ (Nordenskjold, Fohlin, Albertsson et al, 2015 cited in Harbeck and Gnant, 2017, pp.1148).
Sometimes you might want to use information that your source has quoted from somewhere else. This is called secondary referencing.
In your bibliography, write a full reference for the physical resource you looked at, in this case the article from Lancet.
In your in-text reference, give the authors and year from the other source then put cited in before writing the in-text reference as normal.
If you need a template for a different type of source, e.g. or blog, get in touch.
Any spare time: if you have resources with you or that you can access in s/Google Docs, start writing the full references for them.
Secondary referencing
LITERATURE REVIEWS & REFERENCING
RACHEL CHÁVEZ
JUNE 2019