literature review guide

1. Writing your literature review for
your undergraduate dissertation

2. Aims of the session
• Explore what a literature review is and the purpose of it
• Critical reading (to ensure critical writing)
• Writing the review:
–Structure
–Introductions
–conclusions
–Critical approaches to writing

3. Activity 1: Discuss on your tables
1. What is a literature review?
2. What is the purpose of the literature review in your
dissertation/final year project?

4. What is the literature review?
• A literature review summarises, critically analyses and
evaluates previous research available on the subject,
presenting this in an organised way. It should address a
clearly articulated question or series of questions
• It is NOT:
–A descriptive list or summaries of books/articles etc
–An exhaustive bibliography on everything ever written on the topic-
you need to make a decision about what to include
–Your arguments and ideas (like an essay)

5. Why do we write a literature review?
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of your topic area including key
concepts, terminology, theories and definitions
• Identify who the major thinkers are
• Identify what research has been done in that area
• Find gaps in the research or current areas of interest to help you
formulate your own research question
• Identify the main research methodologies in your subject area
• Identify main areas of agreement or controversy
• convince the reader that your research questions are significant,
important and interesting
• convince the reader that your thesis will make an original contribution to
the area being investigated.

6. Steps to complete the literature review
1. Find relevant literature on your topic and follow trails of
references
2. Identify themes/ideas/theories/approaches to the topic that have
emerged from reading
3. Introduce ideas by themes/theory/approach/chronologically or
any other appropriate structure but do not just list different
authors’ viewpoints
4. Introduce and explain each theme (or theory/approach), present
evidence from readings (agreements/ disagreements), critically
commentate and relate to your own research

7. Critical reading

8. Activity 2: The importance of critical reading
• In your groups come up with at least 5 questions that you
would ask yourself when critically analysing a text for your
review

9. Critical questioning when reading
1. Who is the author?
2. What is the authors central point or main argument?
3. What findings and conclusions are made?
4. What evidence is used to support the conclusions?
5. Is the evidence relevant? What methodology has the
author used? What are the strengths and limitations?
6. Does the author make any assumptions?
7. What is not being said?
8. Is there any explicit or hidden bias?
9. How is the text relevant to YOUR project or assignment?
10.How does this link with other texts that you have read?

10. Synthesising the information (adapted from Aysha Divan, 2009)
Author(s),
date
Aim of paper Type of
study/information
Key findings and
conclusions
Strengths,
weaknesses, links
to other sources
Hardy (2007) Assess the
future roles of
subject
librarians in
the context of
technological
changes and
financial
pressure.
Questionnaires were
used to collect data about
the roles, relationships
and competencies of 32
subject/liaison librarians
supporting three
disciplines in UK
universities.
Librarians
undertaking a wide
range of activities,
with academic
liaison and
information literacy
teaching as central
tasks, Teaching
skills are needed to
compliment more
tradition
librarianship skills
They are still
fulfilling a useful
Study limited to just
3 subject areas and
non respondants
may have skewed
the results.
Conroy and Boden
(2007) does support
the evidence found
here.

11. Synthesising the information
Adapt headings to your discipline/project:
Author Year Type of
study
Sample Design Data
collection
approach
Key
findings
Sciences/Experimental focus
Humanities/Theoretical focus
Author Year Type of
work
Strengths Weaknesses Relevance to own
study
Taken from The University of Adelaide Writing a literature review
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/learning_guides/learningGuide_writingLiteratureReview.pdf

12. What is the big picture?
photo by oddsock on Flickr

13. What is the big picture?
• You might read first during which time you start to develop
ideas for themes.
• Ask yourself:
– What ideas seem to come up in several articles?
–Are the same ideas presented from the same or different
perspectives?
–Are there any major debates that need addressing
–Does there seem to be a change in thought over time?
–What ideas/themes are relevant to answer my question(s)
–Are there different methodology being applied? (a review might
evaluate different methods)

14. What is the big picture?
You might already have a “big picture” idea. Your reading
may then either:
•Confirm and support the structure of your initial plan
•OR
•Lead you to change your plan due to new ideas you’ve
developed in your reading

15. What is the big picture?
Categorise the evidence into themes: topic/theory/methodology/chronolgically
Themes: topic/theory/methodology etc Relevant references
Teaching role of the subject librarian:
Important role
Not core role
Fielden report (1993), Morgan (1996),
Bahr (2000), Pinfield (2001), Conroy and
Boden (2007), Hardy (2007)
Asher (2003)
Pedagogy, teaching skills and librarians Morgan (1996), Fry (1999), Hepworth
(2000) Allan (2000) Peacock (2001), Levy
(2005),Brophy (2007), Sinikara (2008),
Teaching skills in the LIS curriculum Cronin (1982), Elkin (1994), Mitchell
(2001), Bell (2004), Foster (2006), CILIP
(2008)

16. Writing the review:
The structure

17. Structuring your literature review
Introduction (scope and
structure)
Your study/current research issues
Distantly related to
your work
Research that is
particularly pertinent
to your work
Background, more to
do with your topic
area than your
research question
Closer to what you’re
doing but not match
directly
Narrow categories
you may deal with
sources in more
detail
Categories close to
your research and
you may find you are
looking at a few key
papers in detail

18. Topic (broad to narrow)
Second Homes: Investigating Local Perceptions and Impacts on
Communities in Cornwall
• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 The Growth of Second Homes
• 2.3 The Emergence of British Second Homes in Literature
• 2.4 Defining Second Homes
• 2.5 The Impacts of Second-Home Ownership
–2.5.1 Housing Demand and Local Housing Markets
–2.5.2 Local Services, Employment and Economic Demand
–2.5.3 Community Interactions
• 2.6 Conclusion and Gaps for Further Study

19. Structuring your literature review: Factors affecting
cardiovascular health
Psychological
factors

20. Chronological
• A literature review on theories of mental illness might
present how the understanding of mental illness has
changed through the centuries, by giving a series of
examples of key developments and ending with current
theories and the direction your research will take.
Taken from http://www.smu.ca/administration/library/litrev.html

21. Writing the
literature review

22. Activity 4: The introduction
Compare the two introductions on your handout and answer
the questions underneath the extracts

23. Writing the literature review: the introduction
Could include:
• Why the topic is important- is it an area of current interest?
• The scope of the review- the aspects of the topic that will be
covered
• How the review is organised
• Has the topic been widely researched? Or not?
• Significant gaps in the research into your topic
• Is there debate and controversy about the topic or a
consensus?

24. Main body: General writing advice
“Provide the reader with strong "umbrella" sentences at
beginnings of paragraphs, "signposts" throughout, and brief
"so what" summary sentences at intermediate points in the
review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses”.
• Use language to show confidence/caution:
e.g. There is clearly a link.../This suggests a possible link...
• Use you own voice to comment on the literature

25. Critical writing in a literature review can include…
1. Comparing and contrasting different theories, concepts etc and
indicating the position you are taking for your own work
2. Showing how limitations in others work creates a research gap
for you.
3. Strategic and selective referencing to support the underpinning
arguments which form the basis of your research
4. Synthesising and reformulating arguments from various
sources to create new/more developed point of view
5. Agreeing with/defending a point of view or finding
6. Accepting current viewpoints have some strengths but
qualifying your position by highlighting weaknesses
7. Rejecting a point of view with reasons (e.g. Lack of evidence)
8. Making connections between sources
Adapted from RIDLEY, D 2008. The literature review: a step-by- step guide for students. London:
Sage

26. Can you identify these features in the literature
review extracts?
• Underline: Where the student has commented on the
literature they are reviewing
• Circle- Where the writer has used language to avoid a
‘black and white’, right/wrong type of judgement (showing
caution/confidence)
• Using the list on the Critical writing in a literature review
slide decide how the writer has shown criticality by
assigning a number 1-8 (can assign more than one
number)

27. Academic writing tips:
• Manchester academic phrasebank:
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
“examples of some of the phraseological "nuts and bolts" of
writing”
• Referring to the literature
• Being critical
• Describing methods
• And more...

28. Conclusions
Conclude your literature review with a statement which
summarises your review and links this to your own
research/current issues:
In conclusion, extensive research has shown space to be an important
concept that vastly affects society. Definitions of public and private
spaces are changing noticeably over time, in particular in Western cities
such as the UK. An increasing withdrawal from public life can be
observed as technology and other factors largely impact the way we live
and experience otherness. These changes in public, private and
electronic spaces do and will continue to greatly impact fundraising
activities and giving behaviour. This research therefore fills an evident
gap in charity and geographical research, bringing these two concepts
together in an important investigation of space and charity.

29. Don’t forget about the referencing!
• Keep a record of all the sources that you use!
• Use the referencing style recommended by your School
–Skills@Library referencing pages
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/referencing

30. Reviewing your review
Checklist
1. ~~~~~~~
2. ~~~~~~~~ 3
3. ~~~~~~~~
4. ~~~~~~~~
5. ~~~~~~~~
6. ~~~~~~~~~

31. Grammar, spelling and punctuation
University of Bradford:
• http://www.brad.ac.uk/learner-
development/resources/study/GSP/

32. Further help
Online:
• The Final Chapter: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/thefinalchapter/
• Skills@Library writing pages: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills-writing
• Academic Phrasebank: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Books:
• RIDLEY, D. 2008. The literature review: a step-by-step guide for
students. London:SAGE.
• DIVAN, A. 2009. Communication skills for the biosciences: a graduate
guide. Oxford:Oxford University Press.
• Aveyard, H. 2010. Doing a literature review in health and social care : a
practical guide. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill