GSC6050

Thesis writing: principles and practice

Week 5 Handout 6

THE LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review:

provides a context for the present piece of research

describes the state of knowledge and major questions in the subject area
being investigated

is a concise and critical analysis of relevant work done previously

highlights the anomalies and discrepancies in previous work on the subject

demonstrates how the present research addresses these irregularities and

why it is a necessary piece of work at this time

identifies clearly the relation between this research and previous work

shows that this work is distinctive from previous research

convinces the reader that the researcher's knowledge of the literature is

thorough enough to justify the present study

usually appears after the introduction and leads into a statement of the
aims and/or hypotheses of the present study (although sometimes a
literature review may appear within the introduction)

NOTE:
A literature review is NOT primarily to show how well read and knowledgeable
the researcher is. It is not a laundry list of previous studies. (Rudestam
and Newton, 1992)
A literature review is a logical argument leading to a description of the
present study. It is necessary for a researcher to evaluate the content of
previous work and draw out what is relevant for the present research.
SOME TIPS

Be selective and identify relevant sources

Use original source material and not secondary sources

Do not overuse quotes as this can show a lack of original thought and
understanding.

Use the following strategies to develop and define your own research
problem:
Cite previous work to support your points and provide useful

GSC6050

Thesis writing: principles and practice

Week 5 Handout 6

examples.
Group comments from different writers on features which are of
relevance.
Present both sides of an argument and different points of view. Do not
only cite the writers who support your own perspective.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of relevant previous findings.

Check your literature review knowledge. Make a check mark (/) next to the
items that would seem to apply to your writing situation, that is, preparing the
literature review for your thesis.

1. The preparation of a literature review is a three-step process: finding

the relevant literature, reading, and then writing up the review.
2.

Your literature review should be as long as possible to persuade your

reader that you have read very widely.

3. You need to include all of the previous research that relates to your
topic.
4. You can safely ignore literature that is not directly related to your
topic.
5. Your literature review is important because it demonstrates that the
findings, theory, or analysis that you will present are a contribution to
a cumulative process.
6. Your literature review needs to explain clearly which potential areas
for inclusion have not been covered in the review and why they have
been omitted.
7. Your literature review should discuss problems and/ or controversies
within your field.
8. Your literature review should be presented in chronological order.
9. Your literature review can help you discover conceptual traditions and
frameworks used to examine problems.
10.
Your literature review should focus on very recent publications
because they are likely the most relevant.
11.
Your literature review should help you reveal gaps in the
existing body of research
12. In your literature review you should critically evaluate each piece of
work included.