Can a Literature Review Be Used in Other Literature Review

What this handout is almost

This handout will explain what literature reviews are and offer insights into the form and construction of literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Introduction

OK. You've got to write a literature review. You lot grit off a novel and a book of verse, settle downwardly in your chair, and become set up to issue a "thumbs upwards" or "thumbs down" as you leaf through the pages. "Literature review" done. Right?

Wrong! The "literature" of a literature review refers to any collection of materials on a topic, not necessarily the neat literary texts of the world. "Literature" could be anything from a set of government pamphlets on British colonial methods in Africa to scholarly articles on the treatment of a torn ACL. And a review does not necessarily hateful that your reader wants y'all to give your personal opinion on whether or non you liked these sources.

What is a literature review, then?

A literature review discusses published information in a item bailiwick, and sometimes information in a particular bailiwick inside a certain time period.

A literature review can be just a uncomplicated summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational blueprint and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a epitomize of the of import information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. Information technology might requite a new interpretation of quondam cloth or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates. And depending on the situation, the literature review may evaluate the sources and advise the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.

But how is a literature review different from an bookish research newspaper?

The main focus of an academic enquiry paper is to develop a new statement, and a enquiry paper is likely to comprise a literature review as one of its parts. In a inquiry paper, you use the literature as a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literature review, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others without adding new contributions.

Why practice we write literature reviews?

Literature reviews provide y'all with a handy guide to a particular topic. If you accept limited time to deport research, literature reviews tin give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. For professionals, they are useful reports that continue them up to date with what is current in the field. For scholars, the depth and breadth of the literature review emphasizes the credibility of the writer in his or her field. Literature reviews likewise provide a solid background for a research paper'south investigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to nigh research papers.

Who writes these things, anyway?

Literature reviews are written occasionally in the humanities, merely more often than not in the sciences and social sciences; in experiment and lab reports, they constitute a section of the paper. Sometimes a literature review is written every bit a paper in itself.

Let's get to information technology! What should I do earlier writing the literature review?

Analyze

If your assignment is not very specific, seek clarification from your teacher:

Roughly how many sources should yous include?
What types of sources (books, journal articles, websites)?
Should you summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources past discussing a common theme or issue?
Should you evaluate your sources?
Should you provide subheadings and other background information, such equally definitions and/or a history?

Find models

Look for other literature reviews in your area of involvement or in the discipline and read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to expect for in your ain research or ways to organize your terminal review. You tin can merely put the word "review" in your search engine along with your other topic terms to find articles of this blazon on the Cyberspace or in an electronic database. The bibliography or reference department of sources you lot've already read are as well excellent entry points into your own inquiry.

Narrow your topic

There are hundreds or even thousands of manufactures and books on almost areas of study. The narrower your topic, the easier information technology volition be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to get a good survey of the material. Your instructor will probably not expect you lot to read everything that's out there on the topic, merely y'all'll make your job easier if you first limit your telescopic.

Proceed in mind that UNC Libraries have research guides and to databases relevant to many fields of study. Yous can attain out to the field of study librarian for a consultation: https://library.unc.edu/support/consultations/.

And don't forget to tap into your professor'southward (or other professors') cognition in the field. Ask your professor questions such as: "If you had to read only one book from the xc'south on topic 10, what would information technology exist?" Questions such every bit this help you to find and determine rapidly the well-nigh seminal pieces in the field.

Consider whether your sources are current

Some disciplines crave that you utilize information that is as current as possible. In the sciences, for case, treatments for medical problems are constantly changing according to the latest studies. Data fifty-fifty two years old could exist obsolete. However, if you are writing a review in the humanities, history, or social sciences, a survey of the history of the literature may be what is needed, because what is important is how perspectives have changed through the years or within a sure time period. Try sorting through some other current bibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your subject expects. You can also use this method to consider what is currently of interest to scholars in this field and what is not.

Strategies for writing the literature review

Notice a focus

A literature review, like a term paper, is commonly organized around ideas, not the sources themselves equally an annotated bibliography would be organized. This means that you will non simply simply list your sources and become into particular about each 1 of them, one at a fourth dimension. No. As you read widely but selectively in your topic expanse, consider instead what themes or issues connect your sources together. Do they present one or unlike solutions? Is there an aspect of the field that is missing? How well practice they nowadays the cloth and do they portray it according to an advisable theory? Exercise they reveal a trend in the field? A raging debate? Pick one of these themes to focus the organisation of your review.

Convey it to your reader

A literature review may non have a traditional thesis statement (one that makes an argument), but you do need to tell readers what to expect. Try writing a simple statement that lets the reader know what is your main organizing principle. Here are a couple of examples:

The current tendency in handling for congestive eye failure combines surgery and medicine.
More than and more cultural studies scholars are accepting pop media as a subject worthy of bookish consideration.

Consider organization

Yous've got a focus, and you've stated it clearly and directly. Now what is the well-nigh effective fashion of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc., that your review needs to include? And in what club should you lot nowadays them? Develop an organization for your review at both a global and local level:

First, embrace the basic categories

Merely similar most academic papers, literature reviews besides must incorporate at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the word of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations department to end the paper. The following provides a brief description of the content of each:

Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational design.
Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more data on each).
Conclusions/Recommendations: Talk over what you have drawn from reviewing literature and then far. Where might the give-and-take proceed?

Organizing the body

Once you accept the basic categories in identify, then you must consider how yous will present the sources themselves within the body of your paper. Create an organizational method to focus this section even farther.

To help you come with an overall organizational framework for your review, consider the following scenario:

Yous've decided to focus your literature review on materials dealing with sperm whales. This is considering you've simply finished reading Moby Dick, and you wonder if that whale's portrayal is actually real. You lot starting time with some articles virtually the physiology of sperm whales in biological science journals written in the 1980's. Only these articles refer to some British biological studies performed on whales in the early 18th century. So you check those out. Then you expect upwardly a book written in 1968 with information on how sperm whales have been portrayed in other forms of art, such as in Alaskan poesy, in French painting, or on whale bone, as the whale hunters in the tardily 19th century used to exercise. This makes yous wonder about American whaling methods during the fourth dimension portrayed in Moby Dick, then you find some bookish articles published in the terminal five years on how accurately Herman Melville portrayed the whaling scene in his novel.

Now consider some typical ways of organizing the sources into a review:

Chronological: If your review follows the chronological method, you lot could write about the materials above according to when they were published. For instance, first you would talk about the British biological studies of the 18th century, then nigh Moby Dick, published in 1851, then the book on sperm whales in other art (1968), and finally the biology articles (1980s) and the recent articles on American whaling of the 19th century. But there is relatively no continuity among subjects here. And discover that fifty-fifty though the sources on sperm whales in other art and on American whaling are written recently, they are about other subjects/objects that were created much before. Thus, the review loses its chronological focus.

By publication: Gild your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the guild demonstrates a more than important tendency. For instance, you could order a review of literature on biological studies of sperm whales if the progression revealed a change in dissection practices of the researchers who wrote and/or conducted the studies.

By tendency: A better way to organize the to a higher place sources chronologically is to examine the sources nether another trend, such every bit the history of whaling. So your review would have subsections co-ordinate to eras within this period. For instance, the review might examine whaling from pre-1600-1699, 1700-1799, and 1800-1899. Under this method, you would combine the recent studies on American whaling in the 19th century with Moby Dick itself in the 1800-1899 category, fifty-fifty though the authors wrote a century apart.

Thematic: Thematic reviews of literature are organized effectually a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. Nonetheless, progression of fourth dimension may however be an important factor in a thematic review. For case, the sperm whale review could focus on the development of the harpoon for whale hunting. While the study focuses on ane topic, harpoon technology, it will still exist organized chronologically. The only difference here between a "chronological" and a "thematic" approach is what is emphasized the nearly: the development of the harpoon or the harpoon technology.Only more authentic thematic reviews tend to intermission away from chronological order. For instance, a thematic review of material on sperm whales might examine how they are portrayed as "evil" in cultural documents. The subsections might include how they are personified, how their proportions are exaggerated, and their behaviors misunderstood. A review organized in this manner would shift betwixt time periods inside each section according to the point fabricated.

Methodological: A methodological approach differs from the ii above in that the focusing factor ordinarily does non accept to do with the content of the fabric. Instead, it focuses on the "methods" of the researcher or author. For the sperm whale projection, one methodological arroyo would be to look at cultural differences between the portrayal of whales in American, British, and French fine art work. Or the review might focus on the economical touch of whaling on a community. A methodological telescopic will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.
One time you've decided on the organizational method for the body of the review, the sections you need to include in the paper should be piece of cake to figure out. They should ascend out of your organizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would take subsections for each vital time menses. A thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to the theme or consequence.

Sometimes, though, you lot might demand to add boosted sections that are necessary for your study, but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in the body is up to you lot. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might desire to consider:

Current Situation: Information necessary to sympathise the topic or focus of the literature review.
History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an thought that is necessary to understand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.
Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you lot used to select the sources in your literature review or the way in which you present your data. For case, y'all might explicate that your review includes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.

Questions for Further Inquiry: What questions well-nigh the field has the review sparked? How will you farther your inquiry as a result of the review?

Begin composing

One time you've settled on a full general pattern of organization, you're set to write each section. There are a few guidelines you should follow during the writing phase too. Here is a sample paragraph from a literature review well-nigh sexism and language to illuminate the following give-and-take:

However, other studies accept shown that fifty-fifty gender-neutral antecedents are more likely to produce masculine images than feminine ones (Gastil, 1990). Hamilton (1988) asked students to complete sentences that required them to make full in pronouns that agreed with gender-neutral antecedents such equally "author," "pedestrian," and "persons." The students were asked to describe any image they had when writing the sentence. Hamilton found that people imagined three.iii men to each woman in the masculine "generic" condition and 1.5 men per woman in the unbiased condition. Thus, while ambience sexism accounted for some of the masculine bias, sexist linguistic communication amplified the effect. (Source: Erika Falk and Jordan Mills, "Why Sexist Language Affects Persuasion: The Role of Homophily, Intended Audience, and Offense," Women and Language19:2).

Use evidence

In the case above, the writers refer to several other sources when making their point. A literature review in this sense is just like any other bookish research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence to evidence that what you are saying is valid.

Be selective

Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type of information yous cull to mention should relate directly to the review'due south focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological.

Employ quotes sparingly

Falk and Mills practice not use whatsoever directly quotes. That is considering the survey nature of the literature review does not allow for in-depth word or detailed quotes from the text. Some brusk quotes here and there are okay, though, if you want to emphasize a point, or if what the author said just cannot be rewritten in your own words. Notice that Falk and Mills do quote certain terms that were coined past the author, not common knowledge, or taken direct from the study. But if you find yourself wanting to put in more quotes, check with your instructor.

Summarize and synthesize

Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each paragraph besides as throughout the review. The authors here recapitulate important features of Hamilton's study, but then synthesize information technology by rephrasing the study's significance and relating it to their own work.

Keep your own voice

While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice (the author's) should remain forepart and center. Notice that Falk and Mills weave references to other sources into their own text, only they yet maintain their ain voice by starting and catastrophe the paragraph with their own ideas and their own words. The sources support what Falk and Mills are saying.

Utilise caution when paraphrasing

When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the writer's information or opinions accurately and in your ain words. In the preceding example, Falk and Mills either direct refer in the text to the author of their source, such every bit Hamilton, or they provide ample note in the text when the ideas they are mentioning are not their own, for example, Gastil'due south. For more than information, please see our handout on plagiarism.

Revise, revise, revise

Draft in hand? At present you're gear up to revise. Spending a lot of time revising is a wise thought, because your master objective is to present the material, non the argument. So check over your review over again to make sure it follows the consignment and/or your outline. Then, just as yous would for near other academic forms of writing, rewrite or rework the linguistic communication of your review so that yous've presented your information in the virtually concise manner possible. Be certain to use terminology familiar to your audition; go rid of unnecessary jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you've documented your sources and formatted the review appropriately for your subject area. For tips on the revising and editing process, come across our handout on revising drafts.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout'due south topic, and we encourage you to exercise your own research to detect additional publications. Please do non employ this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the commendation way you lot are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please come across the UNC Libraries citation tutorial. Nosotros revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris K., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Jones, Robert, Patrick Bizzaro, and Cynthia Selfe. 1997. The Harcourt Caryatid Guide to Writing in the Disciplines. New York: Harcourt Brace.

Lamb, Sandra Eastward. 1998. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You lot'll Ever Write. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook, 5th ed. New York: Longman.

Troyka, Lynn Quittman, and Doug Hesse. 2016. Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers, 11th ed. London: Pearson.

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Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/