Higher Education Language & Presentation Support. Writing a Literature Review

Transcription

1 Higher Education Language & Presentation Support Writing a Literature Review

2 HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Location: CB Telephone: Website: ssu.uts.edu.au/helps David Sotir - Advisor UTS:HELPS 2

3 To understand the purpose, necessary requirements and elements for writing a literature review To ensure voice is clearly expressed through the use of certain linguistic structures Learning Objectives UTS:HELPS 3

4 A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or topic. It is a critical assessment of the relevant literature and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed. What is a Literature Review? UTS:HELPS 4

5 Literature covers everything relevant that is written on a topic: books journal articles newspaper articles historical records government reports theses and dissertations, etc. What is 'literature'? UTS:HELPS 5

6 Presents the theory of the research Presents the research methodology Outlines what is missing the gap that your research intends to fill It has an introduction, body and conclusion, well-formed paragraphs, and a logical structure. In essays you use relevant literature to support your argument and ideas. In a literature review, the literature itself is the subject of discussion. What is a Literature Review? UTS:HELPS 6

7 To demonstrate your scholarly ability to identify relevant information and to outline existing knowledge. To identify the 'gap' in the research that your study is attempting to address, positioning your work in the context of previous research and creating a 'research space' for your work. To evaluate and synthesise the information in line with the concepts that you have set yourself for the research. To produce a rationale or justification for your study. Purpose UTS:HELPS 7

8 Always keep in mind that the literature review needs to relate to and explain your research question. Once you have your question you will be able to refine and narrow down the scope of your reading Getting started UTS:HELPS 8

9 Find out what has been written on your subject. Use as many bibliographical sources as you can to find relevant titles. The following are likely sources: Bibliographies and references in key textbooks and recent journal articles. Your supervisor or tutor should tell you which are the key texts and relevant journals. Abstracting databases, such as Proquest, Sage etc. The literature search UTS:HELPS 9

10 Use the library search function Online Tutorials The literature search UTS:HELPS 10

11 Reading with and for a purpose helps you to quickly locate, evaluate and read relevant research. Step 1 - Look at the Table of Contents, the Abstract, headings and sub-headings, to see if the text is relevant. Learn to use efficient scanning and skimming reading techniques. Step 2 If relevant read it thoroughly to find specific research to support your review. Reading UTS:HELPS 11

12 What are the author s credentials? area of expertise; number of citations; institutional connections When was the text published? How recent is it? When was the website updated? How much of the content is fact and how much opinion? Is the language objective or emotive? Is the argument supported by evidence? What kind of evidence? How is the argument developed? Do you agree with the opinions stated? Probe Further UTS:HELPS 12

13 What definitions does it use? What is its general methodological approach? What methods are used? What type of study is it? Is it an empirical report, a theoretical study, a sociological or political account, historical overview, etc? What is the author's stated or implied purpose? What conclusions has the author made? What points kinds of data back up the conclusions Does it follow a particular school of thought? Is it related to other researchers school of thought? Useful questions UTS:HELPS 13

14 Summarise your notes for each reading. Remember to write down the full bibliographical details This will save you an enormous amount of time later on. It is also useful to write down your own thoughts on / about the readings. These are useful when you revisit the notes and / or use them in your writings to create your own academic voice. Your thoughts UTS:HELPS 14

15 Your voice, - your perspective, position or standpoint, should be clearly identifiable in the literature review Because you are writing about other people s work it is easy for your own voice to be lost and reads like a mixture of different tones and arguments. Your theoretical position is clearly and strongly stated and that your critical evaluations are an integral part of this. It is important that your language indicates your own or other writers attitudes to the question or issues Your voice UTS:HELPS 15

16 Presenting a point of view in a structured, clear & rational way Reflecting on issues in a methodical way, using logic & insight Drawing conclusions about arguments based on evidence Identifying others positions, assertions & claims Evaluating evidence from alternative points of view Weighing up arguments & evidence in a balanced way Recognising false logic & other persuasive devices Reading between the lines understanding subtext Think Critically UTS:HELPS 16

17 Literature reviews : integrate the research of various authors show similarities and differences of ideas show wide reading show analysis and critical evaluation of what the student has read Remember UTS:HELPS 17

18 Review notes: what authors agree and disagree? cluster similar research together, e.g. what information is similar or different. what major questions remain unanswered? what are the possible directions for future research? To organise your research you can draw a mind map and organise the research into major points Organising, analysing and planning your summaries UTS:HELPS 18

19 Mind maps UTS:HELPS 19

20 Introduction should include: the nature of the topic under discussion (the topic of your thesis) the parameters of the topic (what does it include and exclude)? the basis for your selection of the literature It must tell the reader the following: what you are going to cover in the review the scope of your research how the review ties in with your own research topic Writing the Introduction UTS:HELPS 20

21 Writing the Introduction UTS:HELPS 21

22 A literature review synthesises many texts in one paragraph. Each paragraph (or section if it is a long thesis) of the literature review should classify and evaluate the themes of the texts that are relevant to your thesis; each paragraph or section of your review should deal with a different aspect of the literature. The body UTS:HELPS 22

23 Chronological organisation The discussion of the research/articles is ordered according to an historical or developmental context. The 'Classic' studies organisation A discussion or outline of the major writings regarded as significant in your area of study. (Remember that in nearly all research there are 'benchmark' studies or articles that should be acknowledged). Topical or thematic organisation The research is divided into sections representing the categories or conceptual subjects for your topic. The discussion is organised into these categories or subjects. Inverted pyramid organisation The literature review begins with a discussion of the related literature from a broad perspective. It then deals with more and more specific or localised studies which focus increasingly on the specific question at hand. Structure UTS:HELPS 23

24 A main statement / idea that you are putting forward, ie topic sentence definitions in use; evidence from current/ previous research studies to support / argue your idea, showing where the writers agree and / or disagree current discoveries about the topic; principal questions that are being asked; current mainstream versus alternative differing theoretical assumptions, differing political outlooks, and other conflicts general conclusions that are being drawn; summing up and linking to the next idea (paragraph). Paragraphs UTS:HELPS 24

25 To incorporate quotations / references into a literature review, you can use a variety of verbs. Verbs also allow the writer to indicate the degree to which they support the author of the research, e.g. claims that versus argues that. Verbs for referencing UTS:HELPS 25

26 Suggest Argue Contend Outline Focus on Defines Concludes States Maintains Found that Promotes Established Asserts Shows Claims Reports Mentions Address Verbs for referencing UTS:HELPS 26

27 Example UTS:HELPS 27

28 Your voice UTS:HELPS 28

29 In 1984, Jenny Cushman, in her perceptive article, The Chinese community in Australian historiography made a passionate plea for Attitude marker: words or phrases that indicate a writer s assessment of or attitude to an issue historians to move away from studies of Australian attitudes to relocate the Chinese experience within the Chinese community itself. She further urged researchers to investigate the way Chinese customs, legal notions and kinship relations were adapted to the Australian physical and social environment. It is tempting to credit many of the succeeding changes to Cushman s appeal. However, the new approaches must be viewed within the context of the changing tide of historiography and the impact of multiculturalism. Emphatic expressions: Words or phrases which relate to the strength of the claim or to your degree of confidence in what is said. Hedging expression: word or phrases which make statements about the degree of certainty, possibility or probability of a question But to say this is to point to wider implications for history making in Australia. The Eurocentric histories of the past cannot simply be corrected by including the Chinese, especially if clear ethnic separations based on assumed single identities are maintained. It is necessary to go beyond Orientalist contrasts between us and them, Australian and Chinese, and to engage in a re-examination of sites of difference and dialogue. These sites will show the need to envisage multiple identities. They may also sometimes point to shared experiences of a shared world. Separate histories of ethnic peoples are not enough, especially if they serve to contain and exclude these peoples. Instead there is a need for a new synthesis in Australian history. The crucial need for historians is to personally engage with the contemporary politics of difference. Relational marker (underlined): words or phrases that indicate, explicitly or implicitly, the writer s relationship to the audience or the scholarly community in which they are writing. Text source: Ryan, J. (1997). Chinese Australian history. In W. Hudson & G. Bolton (eds) Creating Australia: Changing Australian history. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.(pp. 75, 77) NB: Technically emphatic expressions, attitude markers and relational markers are also hedging expressions, but they are described here in terms of their primary function. UTS:HELPS 29 There are numerous resources at the Independent Learning Centre and in the library that can help

30 A summary of major agreements and disagreements in the literature A summary of general conclusions that are being drawn. A summary of where your thesis sits in the literature (Remember! Your thesis could become one of the future texts on the subject how will later research students describe your thesis in their literature reviews?) Conclusion UTS:HELPS 30

31 Identify your research question Identify and locate appropriate information Read and critically evaluate the information that you locate File and store your readings and notes Plan, organise and write critically about the literature that you have located Use paragraphs - Introduction, body and Conclusion In summary UTS:HELPS 31

32 Critically examine the literature Make your voice clear Always remember UTS:HELPS 32

33 Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. London, Sage. The Learning Centre, UNSW, Getting started on your literature review. Hyland, K. (1999). Disciplinary discourses: Writer stance in research articles. In C. Candlin & K. Hyland (eds) Writing: Texts, processes and practices. London: Longman. Phillips, E., Pugh, D. (1996). How to get a Ph.D: A handbook for students and their supervisors. Open University press, Buckingham. Ryan, J. (1997). Chinese Australian history. In W. Hudson & G. Bolton (eds) Creating Australia: Changing Australian history. Allen & Unwin, Sydney. ts/lit_review_ll/conclusion.html References UTS:HELPS 33

34 What can you do if you don t understand what the assignment question is asking you? Ask in class Go see your lecturer personally (take a draft) Go see another member of faculty Ask peers/classmates your lecturer for help See a HELPS advisor (drop-in or 1:1 consultation) ALWAYS seek help if you need it!! Having Trouble? UTS:HELPS 34

35 UTS:HELPS ssu.uts.edu.au/helps UTS:HELPS 35