预习版How to Write the Literature Review

1、How to Write the Literature Review Chapter of a Dissertation or Thesis1When writing a dissertation or thesis, you will need to obtain original data in support of your thesis or dissertation by conducting research or experiments on your own to gather information on a topicby reviewing a phenomenal am

2、ount of previous literature Literature Review2What is literature? The term literature has the following meanings: 文学；文学作品 （关于某一学科或专题的）文献 总称作品 写作（业） 总称印刷品 一组乐曲 古学问，学识 3What is review? The term review has the following meanings: 再检查，再考察 回顾 复习 律复审 考察 检阅 （用文字）评论 41. What is a literature review? A litera

3、ture review is a scientific research paper that surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work. The purpose is to offer an over

4、view of significant literature published on a topic. 5 作者对于某一专题、某一领域的历史背景、作者对于某一专题、某一领域的历史背景、前人工作、争论焦点、研究现状以及发展前前人工作、争论焦点、研究现状以及发展前景等方面，通过系统地查阅相关的国内外文景等方面，通过系统地查阅相关的国内外文献，在理解、整理、融会贯通的基础上，撰献，在理解、整理、融会贯通的基础上，撰写的综合叙述性和评价性的学术文章。写的综合叙述性和评价性的学术文章。 文献综述主要文献综述主要介绍介绍与选题有关的具有代表性与选题有关的具有代表性和权威性的国内外文献资料、研究动态、进和

5、权威性的国内外文献资料、研究动态、进展、展望，并对以上各方面进行展、展望，并对以上各方面进行评述评述。 它既可以独立成篇发表，也可以嵌入研究论它既可以独立成篇发表，也可以嵌入研究论文的引言部分或单独成为一个章节。文的引言部分或单独成为一个章节。1. 什么是文献综述什么是文献综述?62. How is a literature review different from an academic research paper? FOCUS to develop a new argument, a new insight that you contribute to summarize and sy

6、nthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions, to serve as a foundation and as support73. Why do we write literature reviews? For researchers: give an overview or act as a stepping stone when time is limited; provide a solid background for a research papers investigatio

7、n For peer reviewers/scholars: emphasize the credibility of the writer in his or her field (the depth and breadth of the literature review) For professionals: keep them up to date with what is current in the field84. Who writes literature reviews? Literature reviews are written occasionally in the h

8、umanities, but mostly in the sciences and social sciences; in experiment and lab reports, they constitute a section of the paper. Sometimes a literature review is written as a paper in itself.95. What should you do before writing the literature review?1) Seek clarification (from your instructor): Ho

9、w many sources should you include? What types of sources (books, journal articles, websites, etc.)? Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a common theme or issue? Should you evaluate your sources? Should you provide subheadings and other background information, suc

10、h as definitions and/or a history?105. What should you do before writing the literature review?2) Find models: Look for other literature reviews in your area of interest or in the discipline and read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or ways t

11、o organize your final review. The bibliography or reference section of sources youve already read are also excellent entry points into your own research.115. What should you do before writing the literature review?3) Narrow your topic: Your instructor will probably not expect you to read everything

12、thats out there on the topic, but youll make your job easier if you first limit your scope. And dont forget to tap into your professors (or other professors) knowledge in the field. Ask your professor questions such as: “If you had to read only one book from the 70s on topic X, what would it be?” Qu

13、estions such as this help you to find and determine quickly the most seminal pieces in the field.125. What should you do before writing the literature review?4) Consider whether your sources are current: In the sciences, the latest studies. In the humanities, history, or social sciences, how perspec

14、tives have changed through the years or within a certain time period. Try sorting through some other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects, or what is currently of interest to scholars in this field and what is not.136. What strategi

15、es are there when writing the literature review?1) Find a focus: Organize the literature review around ideas, not the sources themselves. Do NOT simply list your sources and go into detail about each one of them, one at a time. Read widely but selectively in your topic area, and consider what themes

16、 or issues connect your sources together. 146. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?1) Find a focus: Pick one of these themes to focus the organization of your literature review. Do they present one or different solutions? Is there an aspect of the field that is missing? How

17、well do they present the material? Do they portray it according to an appropriate theory? Do they reveal a trend in the field? Or a raging debate? 156. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?2) Construct a working thesis statement: Literature reviews have thesis statements as w

18、ell! However, your thesis statement will not necessarily argue for a position or an opinion; rather it will argue for a particular perspective on the material. Use the focus youve found to construct a thesis statement.166. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?2) Construct a w

19、orking thesis statement: Some sample thesis statements for literature reviews are as follows:The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine.More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy of academic consideration.176

20、. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?3) Consider organization: Youve got a focus, and youve narrowed it down to a thesis statement. :What is the most effective way of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to

21、include? And in what order should you present them? 186. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?3) Consider organization: First, cover the basic organizational categories. Introduction: gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organ

22、izational pattern.Body: contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically.Conclusions/Recommendations: discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?196. What strategies are there when wri

23、ting the literature review?3) Consider organization: Then, organize the body. By time. (Chronological Review) By theme. (Thematic Review) By the research methods. (Methodological Review) By trend. By publication. A chronological review would have subsections for each vital time period. A thematic re

24、view would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or issue.206. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?3) Consider organization: What other sections you include in the body is up to you. Put in only what is necessary: Current Situation；History, if the body o

25、f the literature review is not already a chronology；Methods and/or Standards；Questions for Further Research (What questions about the field has the review sparked? How will you further your research as a result of the review?).216. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?4) Begi

26、n composing:Use evidenceYour interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence to show that what you are saying is valid.Be selectiveThe type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the reviews focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronologic

27、al.226. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?4) Begin composing:Use quotes sparinglyDo not use long direct quotes, because the survey nature of the literature review does not allow for in-depth discussion or detailed quotes from the text. Some short quotes here and there are

28、okay, though, if you want to emphasize a point, or if what the author said just cannot be rewritten in your own words. 236. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?4) Begin composing:Summarize and synthesizeRemember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each paragraph

29、as well as throughout the review. Keep your own voiceWhile the literature review presents others ideas, your voice (the writers) should remain front and center. 246. What strategies are there when writing the literature review?4) Begin composing:Use caution when paraphrasingWhen paraphrasing a sourc

30、e that is not your own, be sure to represent the authors information or opinions accurately and in your own words.Revise, revise, reviseMake sure it follows your outline. Rework the language to be concise. Use terminology familiar to your audience. Double check if youve documented your sources and f

31、ormatted the review appropriately for your discipline.25Time to Analyze26A sample paragraph from a literature review about sexism and language However, other studies have shown that even gender-neutral antecedents are more likely to produce masculine images than feminine ones (Gastil, 1990). Hamilto

32、n (1988) asked students to complete sentences that required them to fill in pronouns that agreed with gender-neutral antecedents such as “writer”, “pedestrian”, and “persons”. The students were asked to describe any image they had when writing the sentence. Hamilton found that people imagined 3.3 me

33、n to each woman in the masculine “generic” condition and 1.5 men per woman in the unbiased condition. Thus, while ambient sexism accounted for some of the masculine bias, sexist language amplified the effect. (Source: Erika Falk and Jordan Mills, Why Sexist Language Affects Persuasion: The Role of H

34、omophily, Intended Audience, and Offense, Women and Language 19:2.) .27Use evidence In the example above, the writers refer to several other sources when making their point. Use quotes sparingly Notice that Falk and Mills do not use any direct quotes, but only certain terms that were coined by the a

35、uthor(not common knowledge, or sentences taken directly from the literature).Summarize and synthesize Falk and Mills recapitulate important features of Hamiltons study, but then synthesize it by rephrasing the studys significance and relating it to their own work.28Keep your own voice Notice that Fa

36、lk and Mills weave references to other sources into their own text, but they still maintain their own voice by starting and ending the paragraph with their own ideas and their own words. The sources only serve to support what Falk and Mills are saying.Use caution when paraphrasing Falk and Mills eit

37、her directly refer in the text to the author of their source, such as Hamilton, or they provide ample notation in the text when the ideas they are mentioning are not their own, for example, Gastils. (Beware: plagiarism.)29Some Tips30Evaluating and Critiquing the Published ResearchIs the research iss

38、ue clearly stated?Is its context sufficiently explained?Is there sufficient justification for the research?Are the research questions/hypotheses clearly framed?Is the methodological approach relevant and comprehensive enough for these questions/hypotheses?Are the methods of data collection appropria

39、te and sufficiently wide-ranging to produce satisfactory answers?Are the research instruments appropriate for the research?Are the variables and constructs of the research clearly defined and scoped?Are the data collection procedures sufficiently complete?Are the data analysis procedures appropriate

40、?Have the data been appropriately analyzed?Are the findings of the data related clearly to the research questions/hypotheses?Are the findings relevant to the research questions/hypotheses?Are the findings sufficient to provide satisfactory answers to the questions/hypotheses?Are the claims and concl

41、usions soundly based on the findings of the research?Are the implications and applications drawn from the findings?Taking a Stance Towards the Published LiteratureLinguistic strategies for evaluating published literatureStrategiesPurpose Words to useHedgesTo withhold your full commitment to a statem

42、entmay; might; possibly; likely; seemed to; appeared toBoosters To reveal your certainty about a statementclearly; definitely; without doubtAttitude markersTo reveal your attitude towards a statementinterestingly; surprisingly; unfortunatelyEngagement markersTo build a relationship with the readeras

43、 you can see; you will have noted that; consider whetherSelf-mentionsTo make reference to the researchI; we; my; ourTypes of reporting with examplesTechniquesExamplesCentral reporting-The name of the author responsible for claim is subject of sentence.McCroskey(1992:21) concluded that the assumption

44、s were tenableNon-central reporting-The name of the author responsible for claim is placed in brackets at the end of sentence.Yet the WTC scale appeared to offer the best instrumentin measuring the WTC construct (McCroskey and Richmond, 1987).Non-reporting-less focus on author with no reporting verb

45、 such as “argued” or “found”.Integrativeness refers to the desire to learn a second language(Gardner and MacIntyre, 1993).(a) different approaches to reporting the published literature(b) choice of reporting verbcontended establishedReasons for choice of tenseTense ExamplesReasonsPresent simpleSmith(2008) reveals thatTo convey the current state of knowledge, make a generalization and present earlier findings as accepted factsPast simpleSmith(2008) revealed thatTo refer to a claim or finding that has been madePresent perfectSmith(2008)