Writing a Literature Review What is a Literature
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Writing a Literature Review
What is a "Literature Review? " • Gives the reader the sense that you • have examined the topic • are familiar with contrasting perspectives and viewpoints • In this section, you quote, summarize & paraphrase what other people say about your topic • Save your own opinions and arguments for the Discussion Section.
A literature review • Usually has an organizational pattern • Combines both summary and synthesis • Summary: a recap of important information • Synthesis: a re-organization or a reshuffling of that information • It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations • It might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates • It may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant ones
• In the Literature Review section you should • describe the sources & information you found in your research • Organize the material by topic, by perspective, or in some other coherent way • Don't just dump the information in randomly in a "this one says this, that one says that" fashion • Group & organize your information • Identify different issues and positions • Establish connections & differences between your sources
How do I put other people's ideas in my paper? • You may want to begin your Literature Review with a statement such as • "There are several different perspectives on the issue of _____, " or • "Experts disagree on what to do about ______. " • You can use phrases such as • "John Q. Professor argues that. . . " or "states that, " or “professes, " to introduce quotes or paraphrases. • Another useful phrase is "According to ______. “ • Words such as "however, " and phrases such as "on the other hand, " are useful to indicate contrasting points of view.
Don’t forget!! • Use paraphrases, short summaries, & selected quotes • Avoid using many long, undigested block quotes • Facts, opinions, positions, and perspectives are all important • Whenever you use information or ideas from a source, document it appropriately using APA formatting
What should I do before writing the literature review? • Read enough articles to get the “flavor” of your topic • Take notes from the sources • Find models of lit reviews • Narrow your topic • Consider whether your sources are current • Think about an introduction, body & conclusion as you prepare to write
