Writing Literature Reviews

Lit review Entrance test – Yes/No

1. Everything that has been written on this topic

2. What are the major debates and issues about the topic?
3. What are the key sources?
4. What are the main questions and problems that have been
addressed to date?
5. What will my research do?
6. What are the key theories, concepts and ideas?
7. What conclusions will my thesis make?
What is a lit review?
DISCUSSION

 In pairs, introduce yourselves and write your

questions and concerns about literature review
on Padlet.
What is a
lit review
What is a
literature
review?
Consider the following structure

 Introduction
o Hypothesis/area for consideration

 Author 1 says…

 Author 2 says…

 Author 3 says…

 Author 4 says… etc.

 Conclusion
What about this?

2
1 3
10
5 4

6
7 9
8
What about this instead?

4, 6 & 8

2, 3, 5 & 9

1&7
Purpose of the literature review
Demonstrates knowledge of
the field
Provides background and
context for your own work
Evaluates and critically
assesses scholarship
Helps to conceptualise your
topic & the significance of
what you are doing; to
extend the work of others
 What approaches were taken or conclusions
reached in important earlier research, by whom
and when
 The main concepts and controversies which
surround the topic you are researching
 How previous research informs your
understanding and investigation of the topic
 Whether these approaches / conclusions are in
agreement or conflict with each other
 Which areas provide issues of contention?
 Where does your topic fit within existing
scholarship?
 Significant gaps in previous research and new
possibilities
 Provides material with which to compare your
findings
WHAT
MAKES AN
EFFECTIVE
LITERATURE
REVIEW
 A critical review

Your literature review must be critical. It needs to establish:

 How previous research informs your understanding and
investigation of the topic
 The main issues or controversies which surround the topic you
are researching
 The most important studies, approaches, issues and methods in
the field
 What approaches were taken or conclusions reached in the
research area, by whom, and when
 Whether these approaches/conclusions are in agreement or
conflict with each other
 Significant gaps in previous research and new possibilities
 Critical writing versus ‘catalogue’

 Descriptive writing or ‘the catalogue’…

 what happened
 what another author has discussed
 an account of the topic.

 An analytic or critical approach…

 asks and answers questions
 explains and interprets the facts (rather than just stating them)
 Synthesises information to develop a point of view
 Avoiding ‘the catalogue’: Example 1
Research by Frage et al (1980) provide evidence
for the interaction hypothesis.
Faerch & Kasper (1986) and Sharwood Smith
(1986) adopt a weak version of the interaction
hypothesis. They do not adhere to the strong
version of this hypothesis which links
comprehension and acquisition.
Swain (1985) find that in immersion programs
comprehensible input is insufficient for
successful second language acquisition.
Although research by Frage et al (1980) provides
some evidence for the interaction hypothesis,
it has come under increasing criticism.
Some scholars (e.g. Faerch & Kasper, 1986;
Sharwood Smith, 1986) criticise the strong
version of this hypothesis which lays claim to
the link between comprehension and
acquisition. Swain (1985) adds weight to these
criticisms, by finding that, in immersion
programs, comprehensible input is insufficient
for successful second language acquisition.
Avoiding ‘the catalogue’: Example 2
Breakwell (1992) defines identity
as the internalisation of
packages of actions and
thoughts expected of the
occupant of particular social
positions.
Identity is frequently aligned
with the notion of social role.
Breakwell (1992), for example,
defines identity as the
internalisation of packages of
actions and thoughts
expected of the occupant of
particular social positions.
The language of reviews: Expressing stance

Which text conveys more commitment to the cited author?

Harris (1940) in the US
demonstrated that younger
students tended to obtain
better degree results. Similar
findings have been made in
Britain by Malleson…
Harris (1940) in the US
found evidence to
suggest that younger
students tended to obtain
better degree results. Similar
findings have been made in
Britain by Malleson…

http://www.monash.edu.au//lls/llonline/writing/general/lit-reviews/3.4.xml
Expressing stance

Your choice of words will:

 reveal to the reader your attitude towards the status of the author’s
theories or research, and
 indicate whether or not you consider their claims to be substantiated.
 Expressing stance

Showing commitment to particular facts or positions through:

Proclaiming
• presenting something as evident:
of course; naturally; obviously; clearly…

• insertion of the author’s voice:

the fact is that …; We believe that…

Endorsing (positive): affirming;

agree; stress; demonstrate; emphasise; make clear

Emphasising
necessarily; significantly; essential
 Expressing stance

Showing lack of commitment to a position through:

Disclaiming
counter-expect: but; yet; however; although; while; even though;
whereas; despite; instead of
Distancing (negative)
claim; suggest; propose; argue; believe, think; assume; speculate;
assume; in their opinion
Hedging
modals: may, might, could, it is possible that
declaratives: it is/ does/
Neutral reporting or statements
say; report; state; point out; note; tell; describe; explain; according to…
Reporting verbs can indicate your stance

Neutral Convey Imply Convey attitude of

uncertainty agreement original

•Argues •Alleges •Establishes •Refutes

•Suggests •Declares •Affirms •Stresses
•indicates •Speculates •Confirms •Advocates
•Describes •Contends •Proves •Proposes
•Observes •Claims •Convinces •Urges
•Comments •Asserts •Demonstrates •Contradicts
•Maintains •Postulates •Shows •Challenges
•Reports
What is the writer’s stance in this passage?
How does she express it?

Perhaps the most serious criticism leveled at the negotiation studies

is related to how language is viewed in these studies, and indeed in
the interaction hypothesis. Writers such as Ahmed (1994), Donato
(1988) and Lantolf (1998) argue that by seeing interaction only in
terms of an attempt to clarify input, and by analysing the learner’s
talk only for a certain type of interaction moves, these studies ignore
the fact that language is a tool which mediates learning and social
relations (Firth & Wagner, 1997). Donato (1988) points out that
negotiation studies seem to assume that…
WHAT IS
THE
FORMAT
OF A LIT
REVIEW
Introduction
lit review
example
OVERALL
STRUCTURE
OF A LIT
REVIEW
Steps to
write a lit
review
STARTING
OFF
Your
literature
search
SEARCH
AND
SELECTION
OF
LITERATURE
Beginning with a quick
research strategy

Use 5 minutes to plan your

attack!

• You can use a mind map, sticky

notes, a flow chart anything
that works for you.
• The important thing to
remember is that by spending
5 minutes planning, your
research will be more effective.
• In other words you will find
relevant results more quickly. It
will save you time and enable a
more comprehensive search.
 Refresher on Boolean search
operators

Using keywords in the search box is useful, be sensible about the keywords and join them with
the search operators to make your search more accurate.

Let’s have a refresher on Boolean search operators and how they work.
Brainstorming key concepts and keywords
Constitutional recognition of Gay rights, and treatment in Courts.
 Write a search string
 Think of synonyms and alternate spellings
 Use AND between concepts and OR between
alternative terms.

Constitut! AND (homosexual! OR gay OR lesbian) AND (“fundamental right!” OR gay Right! OR “privacy right!”)

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3

Constit! AND Homosexual! AND Fundamental right!

OR OR OR
gay Gay right!

OR OR OR
lesbian Privacy right!
Search Operators and their use
Operator
Truncation (! OR *)
Wildcards (! OR *)
Phrase searching “ “
Proximity operators /n* OR
OR /S OR /P
*Where ‘n’ is a number you can
nominate
Use for
A truncation symbol added to the
end of a term allows you to find
word variations or alternative
spellings.
Are used for alternative spellings
by substituting a symbol for a
single letter (character) of a word
Allows you to search for words
as exact phrases in the exact
order specified within the
“quotation marks”
Allow you to nominate the
distance between the two search
terms. It will give fewer, more
relevant results than using AND
Note: Check each database
Help Instructions as some use
different symbols for this
operator
Examples
Constitut! = Constitution or
Constitutional or Constitutionality
Organi*ation = organisation or
organization
Wom*n = woman or women
“civil rights”
Homosexual! AND right! (Most
results)
Homosexual! /150 right!
(Fewer results)
Homosexual! /10 right! (Least
results)
 Cheat Sheet for search operators
Operator Use Use to… Library Lexis Westlaw CCH
search Advance
AND Aboriginal AND search for AND AND AND AND
constitutional words in the spaces between
same words will be read
document as AND
OR Aboriginal OR search for OR OR OR OR
indigenous either of both
words in the
same
document
NOT Aboriginal NOT exclude a word Aboriginal NOT Aboriginal Aboriginal Aboriginal NOT
Constitution Constitution AND NOT BUT NOT Constitution
Constitution Constitution

Proximity Aboriginal /p search for /p, /s, /n /n (e.g. /20 = “2 w/n (e.g. w/20 = “2
Operators Constitution words near (e.g. /10) words within 20 words within 20
each other words of each words of each
other) other)
Quotation “Aboriginal and search for an “Aboriginal “Aboriginal “Aboriginal and “Aboriginal and
marks Torres Strait exact phrase and Torres and Torres Torres Strait Torres Strait
Islanders” Strait Strait Islanders” Islanders”
Islanders” Islanders”

Truncation Aborigin! search for * ! ! *

different
endings
Parenthesis (crime of illegal) group () () () ()
synonyms
DISCUSSION
What is acceptable in your
discipline?
READING
AND
WRITING
CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE LITERATURE
DISCUSSION
ORGANISING YOUR REVIEW
PLANNING OVERVIEW OF YOUR LIT REVIEW
Organising the literature review
The Funnel Approach

Problem

Question, aims
Example of funnel approach

Topic: 'Managing hypertension: the importance of patient education‘

 Introduction
 Management of hypertension - background and discussion
 Treatment regimes
 Rates of patient compliance and non-compliance
 Patient beliefs about treatment
 Effects of patients' beliefs on compliance
 Changing patients' beliefs: the role of education
 Conclusion.
Other possible structures

 Chronological: early to later studies

 Major authors / studies
 Perspectives or positions taken on the topic
 Issues or debates: key issues/ related issues
 Methodology
 Assessing your literature review

 Purpose
 Does your review contribute to the reader’s understanding of the research
problem?
 Does it reach some conclusion on the current state of knowledge in an
area, and suggest the next step in the investigation of the problem or
question of interest?
 Critical evaluation of the literature
 Have you compared and contrasted authors? Discussed possible reasons
for conflicting results? Indicated relevance to your research? Been critical
of methodology?
 Selection and organisation of material
 Have you indicated the most recent, relevant and significant research?
 Is your material sensibly organised to highlight issues?
 Writing the review

 Write as early as you can

 For your supervisor and yourself
 Write as you read and research
 Impose limits on reading time

 Draft, leave for a while, then redraft.

 Remember that the literature review will evolve over the course of your
candidature
 Treat it as a working document
 Focus on YOUR aims and contribution
 Writing the review

• Get access to past theses or papers in your departmental library

• Check papers in key journals in your discipline for examples of
critique and writing style
• Find review sections in articles/books in your area that impressed
you, and analyse their writing style.