How To Write Your Literature Review

✍ Scribed by Bryan Greetham

• Publisher: Red Globe Press/Macmillan Education
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 295
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This engaging guide by bestselling author Bryan Greetham takes students step-by-step through the process of writing a literature review, and equips them with practical strategies to help them navigate each stage. Each bite-sized chapter focuses on a specific aspect of the process, from generating ideas and pinning down the research problem through to searching for sources, citing references and planning, writing and editing the review. Chapters feature examples and exercises to help students apply ideas to their own work. Whether your students are writing a stand-alone review or one that is part of a dissertation or thesis, this guide is their essential companion.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 2
Title - Series......Page 3
Title - Complete......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Acknowledgements......Page 9
Introduction......Page 10
Why are literature reviews necessary?......Page 11
The most common problems......Page 12
Thinking skills......Page 13
Writing......Page 14
Managing your time......Page 15
Timeline......Page 16
Part 1: Types of Literature Reviews......Page 18
Systematic stand-alone reviews......Page 19
Non-systematic stand-alone reviews......Page 20
1 Formulate the research question......Page 22
2 Screening – the inclusion and exclusion criteria......Page 23
4 Synthesising......Page 24
Structure......Page 25
Chapter 2: Stand-alone Literature Reviews 2: Systematic......Page 27
How to do a systematic review – the seven steps......Page 28
1 The research question......Page 29
2 Planning your search......Page 30
3 Searching and screening......Page 31
4.1 Extracting the data......Page 32
4.2 Assessing the quality......Page 33
Quantitative synthesis – meta-analysis......Page 34
The steps......Page 36
Structure......Page 38
Integrated reviews......Page 40
Originality......Page 41
Generating your own ideas......Page 42
Writing a literature review for a dissertation or thesis – the steps......Page 43
1 Generating your own ideas......Page 44
3 Searching the literature......Page 45
6 Writing the first draft......Page 46
Getting the structure right......Page 47
Part 2: Searching Your Sources......Page 49
The problem is the problem......Page 50
Compiling a checklist......Page 51
The power of questions......Page 53
Perspectives and levels......Page 54
A powerful ideas generator......Page 55
Levels......Page 56
Possible research projects......Page 57
Finding an argument......Page 60
1 Ontological assumptions......Page 61
2 Epistemological assumptions......Page 62
Knowing what to look for in the literature......Page 63
The title......Page 65
Treasure hunting......Page 66
Mapping out the territory......Page 67
Reviews for dissertations and theses......Page 68
1 Impromptu moments......Page 70
The snowball effect......Page 71
4 Grey literature......Page 72
2 Be clear about what you’re looking for......Page 73
The steps......Page 74
Web updates......Page 75
Keeping records......Page 76
Recording your searches......Page 77
Google tools......Page 79
3 Open access sources......Page 80
5 Expert advice......Page 81
Search parameters......Page 82
2 How accurate is the document?......Page 83
5 Can you detect bias?......Page 84
7 What do others say about the page and the site?......Page 85
Part 3: Processing Ideas......Page 87
Surface-level processing......Page 88
Common problems......Page 89
Analysing and synthesising ideas......Page 90
1 Components......Page 91
Distributing terms in an argument......Page 92
Converting claims......Page 93
Fallacies......Page 94
Necessary and sufficient conditions......Page 95
Untypical examples and insufficient or weighted evidence......Page 97
3 Does the author draw reliable inferences from it?......Page 98
Analogies......Page 99
2 The straw man......Page 100
4 The fallacy of false dilemma......Page 101
2 Cause/correlation......Page 102
4 Does the author draw relevant inferences from the evidence?......Page 103
Loaded language......Page 104
The fallacy of equivocation......Page 105
What are concepts?......Page 108
Concepts – the driving force within your research......Page 109
Words are just the vehicle for the concept......Page 110
Creating and analysing concepts......Page 113
2 Open concepts......Page 114
1. How do I use the concept?......Page 115
Step 2: Analyse your examples......Page 116
Original ideas – new ways of tackling a problem......Page 117
Chapter 11: Analysing Concepts 2: Adapting Structures of Ideas......Page 119
Strategy 1: Change the structure......Page 120
2 Rearrange it......Page 121
Strategy 2: Approach it from a different direction......Page 122
2 Inside out......Page 123
Strategy 3: Start from a different point......Page 124
1 Combine structures......Page 126
2 Change the basic concepts......Page 127
Common problems......Page 131
1 Connect......Page 132
2 Insight......Page 136
3 Hypothesis......Page 137
Managing ideas......Page 138
Part 4: Organising Your Work......Page 140
Being in control......Page 141
The steps......Page 142
2 Planning your timetable......Page 143
5 Allocating hours to each task......Page 145
Sessions with supervisors......Page 146
Writing......Page 147
8 Constant checks......Page 148
Maintaining control......Page 150
1 Keeping a record of your searches......Page 151
Flowchart......Page 152
2 Recording your ideas......Page 154
2 Journal......Page 155
3 Card index......Page 156
5 Project box......Page 157
Resolving an inherent contradiction......Page 158
Reliability......Page 159
The source......Page 160
Books......Page 161
Using our reading skills flexibly......Page 162
Processing ideas – reading actively......Page 163
Reading for comprehension......Page 164
Reading for criticism and evaluation......Page 165
Flexibility......Page 167
Note-taking strategies......Page 168
1 Linear notes......Page 169
2 Matrixes......Page 170
Electronic forms of note-taking......Page 171
3 Time lines......Page 172
Working faster and more creatively......Page 173
Part 5: Planning Your Review......Page 179
1 No link between the review and your research project......Page 180
Stand-alone reviews......Page 181
1 Abilities – how am I going to use it?......Page 182
1 Synthesising the ideas......Page 183
3 Critically evaluating sources......Page 184
2 Content – how is it useful?......Page 185
Using the criteria......Page 186
2 Thinking about the details......Page 188
Integrated reviews......Page 189
1 The context......Page 190
4 Filling it out......Page 191
2 Methodology......Page 192
3 Findings......Page 193
1 Thematic......Page 194
5 References......Page 195
New ideas and publications......Page 197
2 Over theorising......Page 198
Theoretical, text-based dissertations and theses......Page 199
2 Methodology......Page 200
4 The discussion......Page 201
5 The conclusion......Page 202
The effects of integrating your review......Page 203
Making the ideas your own......Page 204
Part 6: Writing Your Review......Page 206
Research: assessing your ability to think......Page 207
An argument can be a mixture of fact, value and concept. So we have to be able to analyse it and identify what it is before we can decide how to critically evaluate it. The author may have presented the argument as exclusively about facts, whereas i......Page 209
No objective criterion......Page 212
Similarities and dissimilarities......Page 213
1 Writing......Page 218
Start your first draft early......Page 219
2 A clear rationale that makes coherent sense......Page 220
Logical indicators......Page 222
Section transitions......Page 223
Integrated reviews......Page 224
The anonymous reader......Page 227
Meaning is what your words actually forbid......Page 228
Objectivity......Page 230
Avoiding potential problems......Page 231
Writing as lightly as you can......Page 233
Chapter 23: Style: Simplicity and Economy......Page 235
Punctuation......Page 236
Verbs......Page 237
Nouns......Page 238
Complex and technical subjects......Page 239
Jargon immunises ideas from criticism and evaluation......Page 240
Practical solutions......Page 243
De-cluttering......Page 244
Strong nouns and verbs......Page 247
Qualifiers......Page 249
Transitions......Page 250
Compound transitions......Page 251
Part 7: Using Your Sources......Page 253
Why do we need to avoid it?......Page 254
How can we distinguish between what needs to be cited and what doesn’t?......Page 256
Distinctive contribution......Page 257
Common knowledge......Page 258
Record borrowed material in a different way or place......Page 260
Record the details of sources prominently......Page 261
Conventions......Page 262
The marker and the details......Page 263
The Harvard system – the Author-Date system......Page 264
Using your sources......Page 265
Synthesising sources......Page 267
Listing the sources – the formats......Page 268
Software......Page 270
PART 8: Editing......Page 272
Shifting our focus from the writer to the editor......Page 273
Structure......Page 274
The steps......Page 275
The connections between our paragraphs......Page 276
The structure within paragraphs......Page 277
The final check......Page 278
1 Spelling......Page 280
Getting it right......Page 281
2 Grammar......Page 282
Strong nouns and verbs......Page 283
5 Reading it out aloud......Page 284
Citations and plagiarism......Page 285
Word count......Page 286
The significance of the review......Page 287
A passion for ideas......Page 288
Bibliography......Page 289
Index......Page 290

✦ Subjects

English Language: Rhetoric: Study And Teaching; Academic Writing: Study And Teaching; Information Resources: Reviews; Academic Writing; Dissertations, Academic: Authorship; Report Writing