Literature Review

1. Literature Review

3. Where to Begin? • Start with USP guides on class web site and the resources created by our UCSD librarian • Think about the “key words” for your project • Example 1: conservation, community building • Example 2: transit, biking, San Diego • Try searching variations of your key terms • Remember to use your citation manager to track the articles you find!

4. What are your Key Terms? • Try writing down between three and five key terms • Let’s see what we find…

5. How to Organize the Lit • Generally, 2 ways of writing a literature review • Sub-optimal: Lead with the authors • Paragraph 1: “Author A says…” • Paragraph 2: “Author B says…” • Paragraph 3: “Author C says…” • Ideal: Lead with the ideas

6. How to Lead with Ideas • As you compile the sources—think about what general themes they cover related to your project • Use these categories to write your literature review

7. What it Looks Like • Paragraph 1: “There are two primary theories regarding community building. One theory suggests ____”(Author A, 2010)… On the other hand, the work of Author C (2009) reflects the competing theory that…” • Paragraph 2: “Community building most often requires some type of mobilization of volunteers and community members. (Author A, 2010)…Mobilization may also involve members outside the community”. (Author B, 2006) • Paragraph 3: “Finally, it is important to consider the effectiveness of the various types of community building and mobilization.” (Author B 2006; Author C 2009) For example, Author B (2006) finds…”

8. Sum-up • Start with key terms • Use key terms for your categories to organize literature review • Questions?