The Literature Review

1. The Literature Review Drew Alfgren Liberally adapted from Prof. Musgrove (UMBC), University of Guelph, UNC, and others

2. A Literature Review is: An up-to-date analysis and synthesis of the scholarly conversation on a given topic. It should tell the reader what arguments scholars have made / are making, how they are making them (method) if necessary, and how the conversation has changed over time. The Lit. Review should demonstrate that you can see the outlines of the larger scholarly conversation on your given topic.

3. The steps for writing a Lit. Review • Research Question – of course… • Find your Sources • Organize and Synthesize your Sources • Write the Review

4. How NOT to write a Lit. Review All summary, No synthesis

5. One way of thinking about a Lit. Review A large thought bubble with multiple sections or themes

6. Another Way of thinking about a Lit. Review A series of buckets into which you groups different takes on a field or topic

7. How TO write a Lit. Review

8. Structure of a review • Introduction - The introduction explains the focus and establishes the importance of the subject. It discusses what kind of work has been done on the topic and identifies any controversies within the field or any recent research which has raised questions about earlier assumptions. It may provide background or history. It concludes with a purpose or thesis statement.  in a review that is an introduction or preparatory to a thesis or research report, it will suggest how the review findings will lead to the research the writer proposes to undertake. • Body - Often divided by headings/subheadings, the body summarizes and evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field. It notes major themes or topics, the most important trends, and any findings about which researchers agree or disagree. If the review is preliminary to your own thesis or research project, its purpose is to make an argument that will justify your proposed research. Therefore, it will discuss only that research which leads directly to your own project. • Conclusion - The conclusion summarizes all the evidence presented and shows its significance. If the review is an introduction to your own research, it highlights gaps and indicates how previous research leads to your own research project and chosen methodology

9. Steps Pick a working topic:consult with your advisor, other faculty, and review older works done in your department. This doesn’t need to be your final topic but should be in the field of interest. Choose the literature you will review: Select databases and other lit sources (see the Subject Guide for your discipline) and start identifying subject headings/ descriptors/ that are appropriate. Start identifying classic studies, theories, and theorists. Analyze:Read broadly to start and identify assumptions, methodologies, testing procedures, and research findings. Note often-cited authors, major works, conflicting theories and contested results. Watch for how theories evolve (or not) over time.

10. Steps, cont. • Organize - group your selected articles by identified patterns and themes: common findings, major trends in the research, which theories emerge as most influential. • Develop your thesis - write a concise statement summarizing your conclusions about major trends and developments. • Organize your paper – Develop headings and subheadings. The sections of your paper should link and progress thematically / topically, not by focusing on the work of individual researchers. • Write and review – Focus on analysis: compare and evaluate the literature rather than list developments chronologically. Analysis and synthesis are the crucial elements.

11. How TO write a Lit. Review

12. Remember the Burkean Parlor Metaphor “Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress.” -Kenneth Burke, The Philosophy of Literary Form, 110-111.