Before you begin writing your literature review, you should (1) clarify your assignment;(2) find models through searching; (3) narrow your topic; (4) consider whether your sources are current; (5) find a focus; (6) construct a working thesis statement; (7) consider organization.
Similar to primary research, development of the literature review requires four stages:
1. Problem formulation: which topic or field is being examined and what are its component issues?
2. Literature search: finding materials relevant to the subject being explored
3. Data evaluation: determining which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the topic
4. Analysis and interpretation: discussing the findings and conclusions of pertinent literature
In assessing each piece, consideration should be given to:
·Provenance: What are the author’s credentials? Are the author’s arguments supported by evidence (e.g. primary historical material, case studies, narratives, statistics, recent scientific findings)?
·Objectivity: Is the author’s perspective even-handed or prejudicial? Is contrary data considered or is certain pertinent information ignored to prove the author’s point?
·Persuasiveness: Which of the author’s theses are most/least convincing?
·Value: Are the author’s arguments and conclusions convincing? Does the work ultimately contribute in any significant way to an understanding of the subject?
Activity4-1: Learning from samples
Read the following samples of literature review and do exercises in groups.
Sample 1:
Language and Gender: A Brief Literature Review
With the general growth of feminist work in many academic fields, it is hardly surprising that the relationship between language and gender has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In an attempt to go beyond “folklinguistic” assumptions about how men and women use language (the assumption that women are “talkative”, for example), studies have focused on anything from different syntactical, phonological or lexical uses of language to aspects of conversation analysis, such as topic nomination and control, interruptions and other interactional features. While some research has focused only on the description of differences, other work has sought to show how linguistic differences both reflect and reproduce social difference. Accordingly, Coates(1988) suggests that research on language and gender can be divided into studies that focus on dominance and those that focus on difference.