Swales, J.M. and Feak, C. (2000) English in todays research world: a writing guide.Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

Weaknesses in literature reviewsBelow are five comments from professors and others on draft literature reviews written by graduate students or junior researchers. They are compilations of large numbers of comments we have received over the years. The last specifically refers to the multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary literature review. 1. "Your draft literature review is basically little more than a list of previous research papers in the field. While it is clearly well researched, it doesn't give me a sense of what has been more significant and less significant. It is hard to know where you stand." 2. "You have given me a chronological account, which might be fine for an encyclopaedia entry or a historical background section to a textbook, but it doesn't function well as a prefacing mechanism for your own research. Although I know what your research hypothesis is, I don't see it informing your characterization of the previous literature. Somehow we need to see the relevant themes and issues more clearly." 3. "The first part of your review deals with theory, often invoking big names from the past. The second half deals with practice-in other words, more contemporary empirical findings. I don't see at the moment these two parts in any kind of coherent relation. I know it's hard, but ... " 4. "This draft literature review describes adequately each piece of relevant research but does so as a kind of anthology, piece by piece. It needs a higher pass, something that does more to evaluate and connect." 5. "Interdisciplinary reviews are hard, and I am basically sympathetic to your dilemma. However, what you have done is keep everything within its original disciplinary boundaries. To be innovative, you need to make more connections across disciplinary areas, so that we can see the new connections and relations that you will ultimately be able to establish. Good luck!" What are the main problems?How can the writers overcome these problems?Which of these observations might apply to you?