The Write Place © 2012 Created and Modified by Carol Mohrbacher “Piles of these materials are stacked all around, on desks, tables, and floor, and they

The Write Place © 2012 Created and Modified by Carol

Mohrbacher

“Piles of these materials are stacked all around, on desks, tables, and floor, and they [students] have diligently read their way through most of them, taking copious notes—computers bulge with information and threaten to explode” (103).

~Irene L. Clark, Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation

Attendees should better understand What a literature review is—both as a “stand

alone” assignment and a part of a larger project.

How to organize a lit review How to revise a lit review What sources are available for help in writing Where to find online examples

This workshop is NOT comprehensive. Also, there may be field specific variations not mentioned in the information presented here.

The Write Place © 2007 Created and Modified by Carol Mohrbacher

“[I]s an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers” (Dena Taylor, Director, Health Sciences Writing Centre,and Margaret Procter, Coordinator, Writing Support, University of Toronto).

“[D]iscusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period” (University of North Carolina website).

“[I]s a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge on a particular topic” (Wikipedia 3-19-07).


Mohrbacher

“A Literature Review Surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources (e.g., dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a topic. . . . Its purpose is to demonstrate that the writer has insightfully and critically surveyed relevant literature on his or her topic in order to convince an intended audience that the topic is worth addressing” (105)

~from Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering the Discussion

By Irene L. Clark


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An annotated bibliography A list of seemingly unrelated sources A literary survey containing author’s bio,

lists of works, summaries of sources Background information or explanations

of concepts As part of a larger project: an argument

for the importance of your research (although the LR can and often does support your position)


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The “stand-alone” LR assignment. Is a complete bibliographic essay. Must have a thesis statement, transitions, intro, and conclusion.

The Thesis or Dissertation LR. Generally takes up a chapter or large part of a chapter in a culminating project. Must have a thesis statement, transitions, intro, and conclusion. Should also transition into the next chapter or subheading.

The integrated LR. An LR that is part of an essay or article. Doesn’t always have a sub-heading, distinct thesis statement, intro or conclusions. Transitions should occur at the beginning and at the end. Should be well-integrated and not too “listy.”


Formulate the problem or primary research question —which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?

Choose literature —find materials relevant to the subject being explored and determine which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic .

Analyze and interpret —note the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature, how each contributes to your field .


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Methods for organizing the Lit Review

By subject (if lit review covers more than one subject)

Chronologically

By theme, idea, trend, theory, or major research studies

By author

By argumentative stance

In all methods, relationships between elements (e.g., subject, theme, author, etc.) must be shown.


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Ongoing “housekeeping” strategies and tips

Immediately document and cite source you took the information from.

Bookmark online sources.

Bookmark “hard copy.” Use post-it notes to mark pages with relevant information.

Keep track of page numbers or locations of paraphrases and quotations.

Note any connections between sources in separate notebook or on post-its on pertinent pages.

If information comes from a class lecture, interview, or conference, note details immediately.


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Introduce your LR by Defining or explaining the primary problem addressed by the

thesis and thus, by the sources you choose (if the LR is part of a larger work like a thesis or dissertation)

OR Explaining main conflict(s) in the literatureOR Explaining the time frame you will reviewOR Offer a rationale for your choice of source materialOR Using all or some of the points above.

A Lit Review must have its own thesis (e.g., More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic consideration; others scoff at the very idea).


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Use subheadings if dividing the LR topically, thematically, according to argumentative perspective, or according to time period.

Be sure to show relationships between sources.

Discuss source’s significant contributions.

Do not develop ideas or use sources that are irrelevant to your thesis overall.

References to prior studies should be in past tense; references to narrative or text other than studies should be in present tense. Example: Smith’s study of composition students included both male

and female subjects. She concludes that gender plays no significant role in the writing process. She also suggests that further studies should look at age as a contributing factor, a variable her study did not consider.


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Summarize ideas, conflicts, themes, or historical (or chronological) periods.

Contextualize your thesis topic within the summary.

Point out gap(s) in scholarship and, show how your research helps fill the gap(s).

Transition to your next chapter.t


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Have I accurately represented the author’s views?

Is source material research current and relevant to thesis topic?

Have I shown relationships between sources? Is there a clear connection between thesis topic

and the LR? Are all sources documented accurately? Have I used effective transitions from idea to

idea, source to source, paragraph to paragraph? Is my analysis of sources well developed? Have I represented all conflicts or

argumentative sides fairly?The Write Place © 2007

Created and Modified by Carol Mohrbacher

Central Virginia Governor’s School of Science and Technology (Science and Engineering)

http://www.cgu.edu/pages/931.asp University of Minnesota (Anthropology)http://www.d.umn.edu/~sjanssen/samplelitreview.htm Purdue OWL (Social Work)http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/666/01/ University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (Sociology):http://www.uccs.edu/~smarshal/id26.htm University of North Carolina (Science)http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html University of Otago, NZ (sports science—a stand alone essay)http://www.sportsci.org/jour/9901/wghreview.html Claremont Graduate University (political science)http://www.cgu.edu/pages/931.asp American University Library (education—a stand alone essay)http://www.library.american.edu/Help/tutorials/lit_review/

critical_thinking.pdf


http://www.cgu.edu/pages/931.asp

http://www.d.umn.edu/~sjanssen/samplelitreview.htm

Texas A&M website: The Literature Review (for grad writers) video

Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: A Step by Step Guide, 2nd Ed by Allen Glatthorn and Randy L. Joyner

Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Student Research from Proposal to Completion, 2nd Ed by David Madsen

Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering the Conversation by Irene L. Clark



Documents

The Write Place © 2012 Created and Modified by Carol Mohrbacher “Piles of these materials are stacked all around, on desks, tables, and floor, and they