Literature review

WRITING AND PUBLISHING YOUR RESEARCH FINDINGS

Lesson 2: The Literature Review

Claudio Cárdenas

MA in TESOL

What's a literature review?

Thoughts?

Now let's answer some questions!

Get ready

Multiple Select

Writing a good Literature review includes the following steps:

• Searching for relevant literature

• Developing your research argument

• Focussing on one article only

• Identifying themes and gaps

Multiple Choice

A good literature review consists of ...

• simply summarizing sources

• only citing references that support your argument.

• defining the need for your research problem

• none of the above

What's a literature review?

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources that provides an overview of a particular topic. Literature reviews are a collection of the most relevant and significant publications regarding that topic in order to provide a comprehensive look at what has been said on the topic and by whom.

The basic components of a literature review include:

• a description of the publication;

• a summary of the publication’s main points;

• a discussion of gaps in research;

• an evaluation of the publication’s contribution to the topic.

More questions

Get ready!

Multiple Choice

A Literature Review should NOT include...

• books or book chapters

• journal articles

• my opinions

• electronic sources (websites)

Multiple Choice

Opinions in literature reviews become valid when...

• a famous author is saying it

• they are well written

• they prove my hypothesis

• they are based on empirical research

Multiple Choice

You should not include any sources more than five years old in a literature review.

• True

• False

• Did they even have the internet back then?

Multiple Select

Which are some possible ways to organize your lit review?

• Topical

• Chronological

• Methodological

• Theoretical

Common LR structures

• A chronological approach involves tracing the development of your topic over time.

• A thematic approach, involves organizing your review based on a selection of themes within your topic, showing how each theme has been treated by different researchers.

Common LR structures (cont'd)

• A methodological approach involves reviewing the methods used to conduct research on a given topic

• A theoretical structure involves showing how different theoretical approaches have been applied.

Format of a literature review

• 1. Introduction establishing purpose

• 2. Body analyzing the literature

• 3. Conclusion summarizing key findings

• * It's not necessary to write them as subheadings

1. Introduction for a research paper

• Reiterate the central problem

• Briefly summarize the scholarly context

Multiple Choice

What is something you should not do in the introduction of a lit review for a research paper?

• Reiterate the central problem

• Describe the objectives of the LR

• Briefly summarize the scholarly context

Multiple Select

What should you do in the body of a LR?

• DIvide the LR into sections

• Analyze and interpret sources

• Critically evaluate & synthesize sources

• Use well-structured paragraphs & cite your sources

Multiple Select

What should you do in the conclusion of a LR for a paper?

• Discuss the overall implications

• Make suggestions for future research

• Show how the literature review has informed your approach

• State what gaps your research will address

Frequently asked questions

FAQs

How long should a lit review be?

• Determined by the number of sources reviewed and concepts explored

• Stand-alone lit review: 2-3 pages to an entire book.

• Paper / research study: 3-4 paragraphs to 2-3 pages

• Proportionate to the length of your entire paper. If your paper is 15 pages long, 2-3 pages might suffice for the literature review. (20%-30%)

How many sources should I review?

• Determined by the scope of the topic, the depth of analysis, and the extent of consensus or disagreements in this area.

• Depends on journals' requirements

• The number may range from 30-60 sources