What is a Literature Review
What is a literature review?
A Literature Review involves finding sources about your topic so you can understand what has already been written about that topic and you can see where your research essay might contribute to that overall body of knowledge.
What is the least amount of sources you must include in your literature review?
10
How is the audience for a literature review?
An academic audience, which means your language and tone should be representative of that context.
How does a literature review function?
A Lit Review doesn't function like a traditional essay, which means it should not read like one. It should be separated into themes (connections or disconnections across the sources).
What does the literature review feed into?
The Lit Review feeds into your findings. You'll have a lot of your research essay developed through the Lit Review, so the better job you do here the more prepared you are for P3.
What is meant by the term "literature" in a literature review?
The set of written works on a topic in a field of study.
At least how many academic, peer-reviewed sources, must you include in your literature review?
6
What should your literature review focus on?
Reviewing the research by looking for critical points of knowledge and understanding on your particular topic
What should your sources do in your literature review?
Your sources should cross/connect/overlap together. This means when you start writing a lot (not all but a lot) of your paragraphs should feature more than one source. Unlike a traditional essay, it isn't just a summary or an argument. Each paragraph should feature multiple sources.
A themed paragraph could have a short (2-4 sentences) intro/overview of the theme, secondary evidence to support the theme through synthesis and conversation amongst sources, and a wrap-up to provide context for the audience and help to establish the purpose of the theme.
What are some uses to a literature review?
1. comprehensive overview on a research topic
2. allow researchers to identify gaps in their knowledge
3. establish a context for a research project
4. understand key ideas and theories in the field of proposed research
5. justify the need for a research project
At least how many popular media sources must you include in your literature review?
4
What does a literature review not focus on?
It does not report on new findings rather it attempts to bring together your body of research into a cohesive piece that presents an understanding and awareness of the sources.
True or false: A summary is a synthesis.
False, a summary is not a synthesis.
What will you not be doing in the literature review?
You will be adding your own insights (not opinions!) to the Lit Review. Insights are evidenced through research, while opinions may or may not actually be based on evidence.
True or False: A literature review reports on new findings within a field of study.
False, it does not report on new findings. Rather it attempts to bring together your body of research into a cohesive piece that presents an understanding and awareness of the sources
How many words should your literature review be?
1000-1400 words (about 4-6 pages, double spaced)
What is your goal, in terms of your work with your sources?
Synthesis across sources, showing how the sources are "in conversation" with each other. Writing a Lit Review means you will have paragraphs with multiple sources, because synthesis involves reviewing information discussed in multiple sources.
How do we give credit to a source in our paragraphs?
With in-text citations. (i.e. Smith 46). When you use information from a source – whether a direct quote or a paraphrase – an in-text citation is needed. Give credit to sources for ideas, not just quotes.
Overall, what does a literature review help scholars to do?
The Lit Review helps scholars clearly understand the research so that they can develop understanding and contribute knowledge when writing their research essays.
What is the ultimate goal of a literature review?
To bring your audience up to speed with the research you are conducting and suggests possible opportunities or reasons for future research in this area.
What academic style are we going to be writing in for our literature review?
MLA (Modern Language Association)
How can you synthesis, or make connections, across sources?
2. Recurring main ideas
3. Divergent views
4. Seeing if scholars are citing one another
5. Points of growth (i.e. seeing how one author takes an initial idea from one person and expands on it)
What must each paragraph have, if it is based on secondary sources?
Support, meaning you need evidence to support what you are writing about -- each point you make will come from the sources you gather, so supporting the points is a matter of organizing each paragraph around a key point and supporting it with those sources as you explain.
What questions do you have about Project 2?