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DR SIMON NASHTE PUNA AKO LEARNING CENTRE
T H A N K S T O C A R O L I N E M A LT H U S F R O M T E P U N A A K O F O R U S E O F H E R M AT E R I A L I N T H I S
P R E S E N TAT I O N
Literature Reviews
This session
Introductions What do you hope to get from this session? At what stage is your literature review? E.g. early
planning? Partly written?Aims
Identifying the purpose of a literature review Describing the key features of a literature review Identifying the differences between descriptive
writing and critical analysis A process for putting together a literature review;
how to start reading and writing
All notes will be available on TPA Learning Centre moodle.
What is a literature review?
We need to understand what a literature review is and what it is not
Discuss: How is a literature review different from: An essay? A book review? A newspaper story? A thesis? A research report?
What is a literature review?
A critical academic discussion of the expert texts which are relevant to your topic of study
An argument about the state of research on your topic, possibly identifying gaps in knowledge
A survey of scholarly writing relevant to a particular issue, providing a description, summary and critical evaluation of each work
Why do a literature review?
To learn what is already known about the topic
To learn what others think about the topic
To ensure your research is worthwhile and of value, i.e. don’t repeat what others have already done
To identify gaps in existing research and position your research in relation to those gaps
Discuss in pairs/threes: What would you need to do to write a literature review on this topic?
Generational differences are the subject of much popular speculation but relatively little
research. For example, teachers are often told that today’s younger generation will learn better with use of computers and
computer games. What is the evidence for and against such speculations?
Key features of a literature review
Analysis What is the topic, why is it important, and what are the
issues?
Synthesis / relationships What views are expressed by different experts / authors?
Evaluation / implications Identifying any strengths and weaknesses of the
literature
(See handout ‘Writing that demonstrates critical thinking’)
Exercise
In pairs/threes, identify some examples of each of the key features of a literature review in the article on Generational Differences.
Analysis Synthesis / Relationships Evaluation / Implications
You must write both descriptively and critically
DESCRIPTIVE
•What you’ve read•What topics these authors covered•How they did their research•What their findings were•What conclusions they reached
(See handout ‘Critical analytical writing vs. descriptive writing’)
CRITICAL ANALYTICAL / EVALUATIVE
•What ideas/themes underlie the work?•What theories influenced the writers/researchers?•How useful is their work in relation to your plans?•What limitations/gaps do you identify in their work?
Literature review: Key steps for you
1. Identify your starting point: What work has already been done on this topic?
2. Establish theoretical and methdological appoach(es) you are basing your own study on – find literature that is useful to your approach
3. Define key terms4. Identify research that supports the
approach you plan to take in your research5. Look for gaps in existing research
Exercise
Read the text on ‘Generational Differences’ and identify the sections which do the following work: Tell us the general topic Limit this to a specific aspect of the topic Tell us what work has already been done on this
topic Establish the theoretical framework the writer is
basing his study on Identify research that supports the approach he
plans to take Looks for gaps in existing research
Reviewing literature: Your process
Determine your purpose What is the thesis, question or problem to be
answered?Decide what to read and how to read it
Is the scope of your study wide enough? What type of publications? What discipline are you working in?
See also, TPA Moodle on Reading for Academic Purposes
Your process cont.
How good is your information seeking? Wide enough to catch relevant literature? Narrow enough to exclude irrelevant literature? Go to the Unitec Library for tutorials and assistance
Primary sources Journals, conferences, theses, books, research reports The best sources but can be hard to read…!
Secondary sources Text books, other literature reviews, wikipedia, most
online sources A good place to start
Your process cont: Organise your ideas
List the important topics or themes coveredUse a conceptual framework – e.g:
Hossain, 2009, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263786308001701
Your process cont.
Engage critically with the literature (NB: if you are doing a pre-assigned lit review
assignment, you might start here) Ask questions as you read Do you compare, analyse, discuss strengths and
weaknesses? (go beyond listing and summarising) Have you found contrary studies?
Write throughout the process Get writing, don’t wait!
Reading for a literature review
Create a template for evaluating your readings (for example, see handout ‘Reading for a Literature Review’)
Possible headings Author’s background / credentials? Data gathering and analysis? Methodology? Main points Connections and patterns with other research? Assumptions? Bias? Value of this article to the body of literature?
Writing the literature review
Make an explicit connection between the thesis/research topic and the literature being covered (see handout ‘Sample statements from literature reviews’)
Integrate evidence from sources so that it becomes part of your text (see handout ‘Integrating evidence’)
Write in paragraphs (see handout ‘Designing and analysing paragraph structure’)
Referencing
See Te Puna Ako Learning Centre’s Moodle resources on referencing
Plagiarism occurs when writers use other people's ideas and words in an assignment and present them as their own ideas and words, without acknowledging or referencing the source.
Exercise – Determining the purpose of your research
(See handout ‘Determining the purpose’)1. Think about the topic you are reading for at
the moment. Try to write a single sentence or question that sets out the problem you are investigating (or have been given).
2. Discuss with another student – is my statement or question clear?
3. Together, create some questions in response to that statement to guide your reading.
Some resources
Australian National University https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/resources/handouts/literature-reviews
YouTube Literature Review – do’s and don’ts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCn4rYewfLw&feature=related
Literature Reviews: An overview for Graduate Students http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2d7y_r65HU&feature=related
Supervisors discuss the Literature Review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI55_TPBIio&feature=related
Thank you!
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