Writing a literature review can seem like a daunting task, and it can be challenging to know where to start. However, breaking the process down into smaller steps and focusing on a few key principles doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. The simple truth is that every great piece of research begins with a little bit of preparation. Needless to say, what you end up with at the end of your literature review will depend largely on how much care and attention you give this initial stage of the process.
After all, any good researcher knows that the best way to learn something is to read about it first. Then, summarise what you’ve just learned. And finally, organize that information into something that makes sense for your needs.
Before going any further with the topic is good to identify what a literature review is all about. A literature review is an in-depth analysis of a topic in which the researcher critically evaluates the existing body of research on that topic(Monarch, 2022). It is one of the most common research methods and can be used to explore any topic, from science to the arts. An important part of any literature review is the research question. It is the driving force behind your desire to do a literature review. Without a question, there is no reason to do a literature review.
The best literature reviews have a question that can’t be answered with a quick Google search. It is a broad topic that you want to explore and learn more about. A literature review question can’t be something like “What are the benefits of coffee?” That’s not a question, it’s a fact. You want something like “What are the psychological effects of caffeine on productivity?”
In this blog post, we will explore some essential tips and tricks for writing a literature review in no time at all.
One of the first things you should do when writing a literature review is to try to get an idea of the big picture. This will involve asking yourself a number of questions. Some examples might be: What is the context of your research? What is the field of research? What are the major debates and issues in your field of research? What are the core concepts in your field of research? What are the prominent theories and/or conceptual frameworks used in your field of research?
What are some of the core questions that have been asked in your field of research? What are some of the core findings and results that have been discovered in your field of research? What are some of the core gaps in knowledge that have emerged in your field of research? Having a good overview of these key issues will help you to focus your readings and make sure that you are reading the most relevant materials(University of Wisconsin, 2022).
Now that you have an idea of what you need to know, it’s time to start finding sources. One of the best ways to do this is to use a database. A number of databases are designed for academic research, and these are often available for free. Some examples include: Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academic Search Complete, Scopus, and JSTOR. These databases can make it easy to find articles based on keywords, journal titles, authors, publication dates, etc.
Moreover, many of these databases also have advanced search functionality that can help you to narrow down your results by source type (e.g. books, journal articles, conference papers, theses, etc.), source language, publication type, etc. You may also want to consult with your supervisor/teachers to see if they have any suggestions regarding databases to use.
There’s no doubt that the Internet Age has made it easier than ever before to access relevant information. However, it’s important to be careful to not get carried away and fall into the trap of simply skimming articles and hoping that you will remember everything you read. One of the best ways to make sure that you are not just wasting your time and that you are actually getting something out of your readings is to summarize the articles that you find.
You might be surprised just how much more you will remember from your readings if you take the time to summarize what you have just read. You might also find that you end up with a lot more content for your review than you expected! This is because you will be focusing on extracting the most important information from each article.
After finding articles, summarizing them, and then rereading them, you will probably have a substantial amount of information that you have gathered. However, what you really need at this stage is to find a way to organize and structure this information in a way that makes sense for your review. There are no hard and fast rules for how you should organize your information. The important thing is that you find a system that makes sense for your review.
One idea is to group articles based on their main topics. Alternatively, you might want to group articles together based on the authors. Another approach is to group articles together based on the journals in which they were published. There are many ways to group articles together, and you should find the method that works best for you.
Now that you have a basic understanding of how to write a literature review, the next step is to get started! The best way to do this is to follow the steps outlined above. However, it’s also important to remember that it may take time to complete your review. As such, it is important to not get too bogged down in trying to rush the process. A good literature review takes time. It is important to not neglect your other duties while trying to write your review. Instead, try to set aside some time each week to focus on your review. You will get the best results if you make writing a literature review part of your regular research routine.
Literature review. (2022, October 18). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://www.monash.edu/learnhq/write-like-a-pro/how-to-write…/literature-review
Learn how to write a review of literature. (2022). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/reviewofliterature/
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