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Source: Effective Writing Center, University of MarylandWriting the Literature ReviewWhat the Literature Review IS NOT?Not an essay/paperNot state or prove your main points

LR does not state, prove, illustrate, incorporate or develop your main points, that is in the body of your essay. LR does not do that it does not provide the body or development of sections of your essay or research paper. What the Literature Review isMajor worksNarrow topicReviewed

What is a Reviewed?SnapshotsMajor conceptsRelationshipsTimeline

Why are you doing The Literature Review?Purposes of doing LR:Improve understandingDemonstrate knowledgeUpdate reader.

Updating ReadersWhat do old friends do? (what have the narrow topic has been studied in the past?)Fill me inBring me up to date

You are bringing them along that timeline of the past, letting them know the key elements of the major concepts or the key elements in your life. And once you are there, then you can start writing the the present situation or your present life.

And that is the dividing line between the LR and the rest of your paper of the development. You go all of their ideas of the past scholars, of the past researchers, and then, come your idea, your present life.

Source: Lawrence Neuman, second editionHow to Read Literatures

Reading and skimming the articlesRelate what you read to your own narrow topic and organize those ideasEvaluate the article and summarize informationSource: Lawrence Neuman, second editionHow to Record LiteraturesProcess of Note-taking and documentation of your literaturesTaking notesWhat to recordOrganize notes

Hand-written note on a photocopied document

Source: Lawrence Neuman, second editionWhat does a good review look like?Good ReviewPlanningClear writing (which of course requires a lot of rewriting)Keep your purposes in mind when you are and communicate clearly and effectively. Bad/Wrong ReviewListing a series of research reports with a summary of the findings of each. This fails to communicate a sense of purpose.

Example of Bad and Good Review

Source: Lawrence Neuman, second editionWhere to find research literature?Sources of Research LiteraturesPeriodicalsScholarly JournalsBooksDissertationsGovernment DocumentsPolicy Reports and Presented Papers

Source: Unknown (from CDRI course 2011)DocumentationAre you losing too much time searching through the clutter on your computer for files that you need? And when you're under pressure, can you retrieve information quickly and easily?

Spending precious time looking for data can take the pleasure out of any kind of creative work you might be doing and it adds to your stress levels as well. Simple good file management habits can hugely simplify your working life!