Literature Review

Writing the Literature Review
( Review of Relevant Research and Theory)
“Piles of these materials are stacked all around, on desks, tables, and
floor, and they [students] have diligently read their way through most of
them, taking copious notes—computers bulge with information and
threaten to explode” (103).
~Irene L. Clark, Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation
10/14/22
Chapter Goals
• Attendees should better understand

• What a literature review is
• How to organize a lit review
• How to revise a list review
• What sources are available for help in writing
• Where to find online examples
10/14/22
A literature review . . .
• “[I]s an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited

scholars and researchers” (Dena Taylor, Director, Health Sciences Writing
Centre,and Margaret Procter, Coordinator, Writing Support, University of
Toronto).
• “[D]iscusses published information in a particular subject area, and

sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time
period” (University of North Carolina website).
• “[I]s a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current
knowledge on a particular topic” (Wikipedia 3-19-07).
10/14/22
Comprehensive Definition
“A Literature Review Surveys scholarly articles, books, and

other sources (e.g., dissertations, conference proceedings)
relevant to a topic. . . . Its purpose is to demonstrate that
the writer has insightfully and critically surveyed relevant
literature on his or her topic in order to convince an
intended audience that the topic is worth addressing” (105)
~from Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering

the Discussion
By Irene L. Clark
10/14/22
A literature review is NOT . . .
• An annotated bibliography
• A list of seemingly unrelated sources
• A literary survey containing author’s bio, lists of works, summaries of
sources
• Background information or explanations of concepts
• An argument for the importance of your research (although the LR can
and often does support your position)
10/14/22
Prewriting Stages
• Formulate the problem or primary research question —

which topic or field is being examined and what are its
component issues?
• Choose literature —find materials relevant to the subject

being explored and determine which literature makes a
significant contribution to the understanding of the topic .
• Analyze and interpret —note the findings and conclusions of

pertinent(appropriate) literature, how each contributes to
your field .
10/14/22
Organizing/Outlining
Methods for organizing the Lit Review
• By subject (if lit review covers more than one subject)
• Chronologically
• By theme, idea, trend, theory, or major research studies
• By author
• By argumentative stance
In all methods, relationships between elements (e.g., subject, theme,

author, etc.) must be shown.
10/14/22
Writing the LR
 Ongoing “housekeeping” strategies and tips
 Immediately document and cite source you took the information from.
 Bookmark online sources.
 Bookmark “hard copy.” Use post-it notes to mark pages with relevant
information.
 Keep track of page numbers or online locations of paraphrases and

quotations.
 Note any connections between sources in separate notebook,

electronic file or post-its on pertinent pages.
 If information comes from a class lecture, interview, or conference,

note details immediately.
10/14/22
Beginning the Writing
• Introduce your LR by
• Defining or explaining the primary problem addressed by the lit review, or if the
LR is part of a larger work like a thesis or dissertation, explain the problem it
addresses.
OR
• Explaining main conflict(s) in the literature
OR
• Explaining the time frame you will review
OR
• Offer a rationale for your choice of source material
OR
• Using all or some of the points above.
• A Lit Review must have its own thesis (e.g., More and more cultural studies
scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic
consideration; others scoff at the very idea).
10/14/22
Body of the LR
• Use subheadings if dividing the LR topically, thematically, according to
argumentative perspective, or according to time period.
• Be sure to show relationships between sources.
• Discuss source’s significant contributions.
• Do not develop ideas or use sources that are irrelevant to your thesis
overall.
• References to prior studies should be in past tense; references to narrative

or text other than studies should be in present tense.
• Example: Smith’s study of composition students included both male and female subjects.
She concludes that gender plays no significant role in the writing process. She also
suggests that further studies should look at age as a contributing factor, a variable her
study did not consider.
10/14/22
Concluding the LR
• Summarize ideas, conflicts, themes, or historical (or chronological)
periods.
• Contextualize your topic within the summary.
• Point out gap(s) in scholarship and, show how your research helps fill
the gap(s).
• Transition to your next chapter. t
10/14/22
Revising the LR: Questions to Ask
Yourself
• Have I accurately represented the author’s views?
• Is source material research current and relevant to thesis topic?
• Are all major theorists, scholars, or studies represented?
• Have I shown relationships between sources?
• Is there a clear connection between thesis topic and the LR?
• Are all sources documented accurately?
• Have I used effective transitions from idea to idea, source to source,
paragraph to paragraph?
• Is my analysis of sources well developed?
• Have I represented all conflicts or argumentative sides fairly?
10/14/22
Resources
• Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: A Step by Step Guide, 2nd

Ed by Allen Glatthorn and Randy L. Joyner
• Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Student
Research from Proposal to Completion, 2nd Ed by David Madsen
• Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering the
Conversation by Irene L. Clark
10/14/22
Any Questions???
10/14/22

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Writing the Literature Review

( Review of Relevant Research and Theory)

• Attendees should better understand

• “[I]s an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited

• “[D]iscusses published information in a particular subject area, and

“A Literature Review Surveys scholarly articles, books, and

~from Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering

• Formulate the problem or primary research question —

• Choose literature —find materials relevant to the subject

• Analyze and interpret —note the findings and conclusions of

Methods for organizing the Lit Review

• By subject (if lit review covers more than one subject)

• By theme, idea, trend, theory, or major research studies

In all methods, relationships between elements (e.g., subject, theme,

 Bookmark online sources.

 Keep track of page numbers or online locations of paraphrases and

 Note any connections between sources in separate notebook,

 If information comes from a class lecture, interview, or conference,

• Be sure to show relationships between sources.

• Discuss source’s significant contributions.

• References to prior studies should be in past tense; references to narrative

• Contextualize your topic within the summary.

• Transition to your next chapter. t

• Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: A Step by Step Guide, 2nd

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