The literature review

1. A literature review is best described as:

• A list of relevant articles and other published material you have read about your topic, describing the content of each source

• An internet search for articles describing research relevant to your topic criticising the methodology and reliability of the findings

• An evaluative overview of what is known about a topic, based on published research and theoretical accounts, which serves as a basis for future research or policy decisions

• An essay looking at the theoretical background to your research study

2. A literature review ...

• is conducted after you have decided upon your research question

• helps in the formulation of your research aim and research question

• is the last thing to be written in your research report

• is not part of a research proposal

3. Which is the most reliable source of information for your literature review?

• A TV documentary

• A newspaper article

• A peer reviewed research article

• A relevant chapter from a textbook

4. Critical analysis means...

• Subjecting the literature to a process of interrogation in order to assess the relevance, authenticity and reliability of the literature together with the summarising of common thematic areas of discussion

• An evaluation of past research being critical of the methodology used and describing how your methodology will be an improvement

• An analysis of theoretical approaches showing how they are no longer valid according to our current state of knowledge

• Looking at the way articles are structured, pointing out logical inconsistencies

5. Why do you need to review the existing literature?

• To make sure you have a long list of references

• Because without it, you could never reach the required word-count

• To find out what is already known about your area of interest

• To help in your general studying

6. To read critically means....

• Taking an opposing point of view to the ideas and opinions expressed

• Skimming through the material because most of it is just padding

• Evaluating what you read in terms of your own research questions

• Being negative about something before you read it

When starting your literature review, what is the first step?

• Identify your question.

• Review other literature reviews.

• Find articles on your topic

• Ask your lecturer.

How can you organize your literature?

• By theme or concept

• By methodology

• Chronologically

• All of the above

In a literature review, you should….

• Read your literature, group the ideas into three or four sub-themes and then write these into paragraphs.

• List each author in turn and explain what they said before moving onto the next.

If you want to conduct a keyword or author search of research reports published in professional journals, ______ will probably be your best resource.

• The library catalog

• Government publications

• An online database

• The World Wide Web