Research and thesis

1. WRITING A LITERATURE
REVIEW
25th July 2016
2.30-4.30pm
Dr. Radzuwan Ab Rashid

2. Why do a literature review?
How to write Introduction section in Lit.
Review?
How to synthesize points?
How to write for the section “Review of
Previous Studies”?
Technical aspect of writing
Getting your literature review published
Mendeley – Hands-on

3. i) To familiarize yourself with the
concepts in your study.

4. ii) To prepare readers for your
argument/interpretation.

5. iii) To prepare for your Analysis and
Discussion section
– Compare your findings with
previous studies – confirm,
contradict or resonate with. Why
so? Identify the point of
differences and similarities

6. INTRODUCTION SECTION IN LIT REVIEW
•It is more than just listing the
heading of sections.
•It is about flagging up the content!
.

7. “It is important to state these not
simply as topics, but actually how they
build up the internal chapter
argument”
(Source: Thompson, 2016)

8. **Informing readers that your Lit
Review will be about XXX and why it
is about XXX

9. •Remember that every section in Lit
Review is written for a purpose!
•You need to have a direction – where
are you heading to?

10. EXAMPLES
• See handout

11. SYNTHESIZING POINTS
It should not be a listing.
Your voice should be there!

12. •Remember to answer “so what”
questions. This is an opportunity for
you to say something!
•Refer to handout

13. REVIEWING PREVIOUS STUDIES
•It is more than just describing, it is
about linking!!

14. Some useful questions:
1. Why those studies and not the others?
2. What is the contribution of those studies to
your study?
3. How will you research extend the findings
of those previous studies?

15. Refer to handout for example

16. TECHNICAL ASPECT OF WRITING
(APA SIXTH EDITION)
Miller and Collins (2009) - use and when family
names are outside parentheses
(Miller & Collins, 2009) - use & when family
names are inside parentheses

17. For fewer than 40 words incorporate the quote into
the text and use double quotation marks.
“………………………….” (Brown & Brown, 2008, p. 112).
Brown and Brown (2008) suggested
“……………………………” (p. 112), and this would
provide…

18. If the quotation is 40 or more words use a
freestanding block of text:
start on a new line
indent the block about half an inch
from
the left
use double spacing
omit quotations marks

19. For instance, Taylor, Sylvestre and Botschner (1998) point out that:
social support theorists have debated whether social support should
be best understood in terms of: properties of networks of personal
relations; preventive or therapeutic commodities; interpersonal
coping resources; a perception or a characteristic of a person's
personality (e.g. perception, appraisal); a social provision; or an
interpersonal communication (p.10).

20. Use paragraph number for .html
documents (e.g. British Empire 1922,
2009, para. 4)

21. Use p. for a single page and pp. for double
pages.
Chronological order!
***Please refer to APA 6th edition for
technical aspect. It’s available online!

22. PUBLISHING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Headings in a Systematic Review:
1.Introduction
2.Review Framework

23. Material and Methods
3.1 Formulation of inclusion and exclusion criteria
3.2 Improvement of a search strategy
3.3 Identification of relevant publications
3.4 Critical analysis and exploration
4. Results and Discussion
- Exploration of research questions.
5. Conclusion