Writing a literature review - Graduate Research School

Reviewing the
Literature
Prepared and presented by
Dr Patricia Farrar
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery &
Health

What is ‘the literature’
• Journal articles
• Books
• Conference proceedings
• Government publications
• Theses and dissertations
• Internet sources
• Bibliographies

What is a literature review
• A conceptually organized synthesis of the
results of a literature search that provides a
context for your proposal or thesis
• It is NOT a summary of the literature, nor
merely descriptions or paraphrases of the
works
• It is a critical piece of discursive prose, not a
list!

Why review the literature
• Critically examine and evaluate existing
research
• Show the relationship between the different
studies
• Locate your study within the broader
research context eg method, ethical
considerations

What is the purpose of a
literature review
• To organize information and relate it to the
proposal or thesis
• To synthesize results of the literature search
• To identify controversy in the literature
• To develop questions for further research

But…why do I have to write a
literature review
• To indicate that I am knowledgeable in
my field
• To demonstrate to others that I have
the understanding and background
knowledge to undertake this project
• To clarify the project for myself

When should I start the
literature review
• As soon as you have decided on your
topic and approach
• While you are formulating the research
question or approach to the topic
• As you read the literature that you have
accumulated

What skills are necessary
• Information seeking
• Analysis and critical appraisal
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

Stages in the development of a
literature review
• Problem formulation
• Literature search
• Data evaluation
• Analysis and interpretation

How can I organize all this
information
• Software eg Endnote
• 4 X 3 Cards
• Themes – the Kitchen Bench Method
• Cut –up
• The 4P Method – paper, post-it notes,
paper-clips and piles

How should I organize the
literature
• Time
• Content themes or trends
• Research method
• Theories

How do I analyze the
information
•Initial appraisal
• Author
• Date of Publication
• Edition or revision
• Publisher
• Journal

But wait, there’s more…
analysis!
• Content analysis
• Intended audience
• Objective reasoning
• Coverage
• Writing style
• Evaluative review

How can I write a good
literature review
• Remember the purpose
• A context for your proposal or thesis
• Read with a purpose
• Summarize: concepts, similarities,
differences
• Write with a purpose
• Demonstrate and evaluate relationships

Literature reviews should contain
• An overview of the subject, issue or theory
under consideration
• Organisation of the works under review into
categories
• Explanations of how each work is similar to
and how it varies from the others
• Conclusions as to which pieces are best

The introduction
• Define or identify the general topic,
issue, or area of concern
• Point out overall trends, conflicts, gaps
or new perspectives
• Establish your position (point of view)
from which you are reviewing the
literature
• State why certain literature is or is not
included (scope)

The body
• Group the literature according to common
denominators
• Summarize individual studies or articles
according to its importance in the literature
• Provide the reader with "umbrella" sentences
at beginnings of paragraphs, "signposts"
throughout, and brief "so what" summary
sentences

The conclusion
• Summarize major contributions of
significant studies with reference to the
introduction
• Evaluate the current "state of the art"
for the body of knowledge reviewed
• Conclude by providing some insight into
the relationship between the central
topic of the literature review and a
larger area of study

Writing it up –
using linking words
• For authors who draw similar conclusions:
• also; similarly; again; in addition
• For authors who complement one another:
• moreover; furthermore; notwithstanding
• For authors who disagree or contradict:
• however; conversely; nonetheless; on the
other hand

More writing up -
useful verbs (adjust for case, tense,
mood and voice)
• When an author makes a claim:alleges;
suggests; contends; argues; proposes;
contests
• When authors make the same claim across
texts:agree; concur; support; validate;
correspond with
• When authors disagree: argue; refute;
challenge; dispute; contradict; negate;
invalidate; rebut; disprove; counter; oppose

Citing references
• In text
• Footnotes
• Endnotes

What is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’
review You choose!
• Sexual harassment has many consequences. Adams,
Brown and White (1998) found that some women
students said that they avoided taking a class or
working with certain lecturers because of risk of
harassment. They also found that men and women
students reacted differently. Their research was a
survey of 1,000 men and women graduate and under
graduate students. Benson and Thomson’s study in
Social Problems (2002) lists many problems created
by sexual harassment. In their excellent book, “The
Lecherous Professor”, Maralyn Davis and Julie
Wilson (2004) give a long list that victims have
suffered.

Now rate this one!
• Survivors of sexual harassment suffer a range of
consequences from lowered self-esteem and selfconfidence,
to withdrawal from social interaction,
changed career goals and depression (Adams, Brown
& White, 1998; Benson & Thomson, 2002; Davis &
Wilson, 2004). For example, Adams et al (1998)
noted that 13 per cent of under-graduate women
students said they avoided taking a class or working
with certain lecturers because of the risk of
harassment. Moreover, Davis and Wilson (2004)
reported that 5 per cent of female post-graduate
students withdrew from their studies completely as a
result of sexual harassment.