DR SIMON NASHTE PUNA AKO LEARNING CENTRE

snash@unitec.ac.nz

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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