Writing aLiterature Review.ppt

1、Writing a Literature ReviewSourceGalvan, J.L. (1999). Writing Literature Reviews. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing,Identify Literature,Select a preliminary topic Establish your purpose Who is your audience? Why are you writing? a chapter in a thesis or dissertation a stand alone paper such as a resea

2、rch paper,Search,reference lists from textbooks or articles from class library databases (ask librarians for help) most current references and work backwards theoretical and review articles in addition to empirical research landmark or classic studies,Narrow the topic command terms and functions sch

3、olarly journals or peer reviewed only date of publication (generally last 5 years, except for classic studies) Searching is a circular process. Search/Scan articles/Search /Scan,Read and Analyze Your References,Scan the articles Read abstract Read first few paragraphs and the paragraph right before

4、“Method” section Read “Discussion and Conclusions”,Group articles by categories,By topics and subtopics and then chronologically Organizing the articles into categories before reading will help you synthesize the information for each topic and subtopic.,.,Example of topics Cohen, Kulik, & Kulik, 198

5、2). It is not surprising then, that efforts to isolate and describe the actions of expert tutors.,Writing Define scope of lit review in intro. Clearly state what will and will NOT be covered. Avoid long lists of nonspecific references. Better to select only most important studies and use the words,

6、for example or such as. Example Numerous writers have suggested that children in single-parent households are at greater risk for academic underachievement than children from two-parent households (see for example, Adams, 1991 Jones, 1998).,Writing Be specific regarding time frames. Example: Bad: In

7、 recent years there has been an increased interest in. Better: Child maltreatment incident reports increased by 50% between 1988 and 1993, totaling more than 2.9 million reports in 1993 (McCurdy & Daro, 1994). Identify landmark or very important studies as such.,Writing Cite studies with inconsisten

8、t or contradictory results immediately after the information, rather than at the end of the sentence. Example: Previous studies have found anywhere from 39% of college students (Mills Rabow, Hernandez, & Watts, 1986) to 68% of college students (Hernandez, Newcomb, & Rabow, 1995) reporting intervenin

9、g in an intoxicated driving intervention. Summarize periodically.,Writing Distinguish between an authors assertions (opinions) and findings resulting from evidence. Present conclusions on the state of knowledge of your topic. Use degrees of evidence, such as “it seems safe to conclude” or “it is dif

10、ficult to conclude.” Present implications at end of literature review your suggestions on what research needs to be done now, or what action could be taken in light of your presentation of research findings. Your lit review should justify your proposed study and introduce your research questions in

11、the conclusion.,Writing Style Tips,Use APA (American Psychological Association) style format for all in-text citations and reference list at end. Use appropriate “voice” for writing in the social sciences. Refer to your research articles for samples of writing style. Avoid using “I”. Use headings and transitions to trace your argument, but do not overuse.,Writing Style Tips,Avoid overusing direct quotations, especially long ones. Quote accurately. Avoid indirect sentence constructions such