Literature Review

Source for Literature Review Summary

For my summary I have chosen the source “Literature Reviews (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)”. This source is a writing center in which several language specialists share with us some writing skills.One can find information about them in the field “about”—>”meet our staff”.

     In the source I’m summarizing, a specialist provides a brief definition of a literature review,states its importance in academic research process and suggests some strategies to write review properly.

     In a short introduction the author defines a literature review as a discussion of published information in a particular topic which can be presented in various forms, from a simple summary of a literary text with elements of “synthesis” to evaluation of relevance of the sources concluded with advices to the reader. Next, he or she points out the scope of literature review,which is to summarize and synthesize the other’s arguments. Being a part of academic research, literature review may serve a guide to the topic and will constitute basis for contributing new, unprecedented ideas. The author empathizes that writing literature reviews is a wide-spread activity,reviews are written in various scientific fields from natural sciences to the humanities and can be used not only by professionals, but also by scholars.

    After introducing us to general characteristics of literature review,the specialist advises us to do the following things before writing the literature review:

-To limit the topic and clarify its basic points with the supervisor.

-To find models of review more or less corresponding with the area of research in order to discover its possible themes. Search engines and electronic databases can be good helpers in finding connected articles and making bibliography or reference sections in one’s own research.

-To check sources on their currency

   Then,the author (предложить) several strategies of writing the literature review:

-To find and to focus on themes or issues which connect the sources together,chose one of them and organize the review around it.

-To state the focus clearly and directly in a simple thesis statement in order to inform the reader what he/she should expect from the work.

-To organize the structure of review.The structure should contain the following parts:

▪️Introduction with brief description of the main idea of the topic of the literature review;

▪️Body which should contain one’s discussion of sources and should be organized according to one of the principles described by the specialist in detail.

▪️Conclusions/Recommendations.

-To pay attention to each section while composing.

-To use evidence

-To quote “sparingly” and to be careful with paraphrasing in order not to be accused in plagiarism.

-To express personal opinion,making it the centre of review

-To revise the written draft critically and then to consult with the supervisor.

  

  The whole source is constructed in “question and answer” form as if it was a direct dialogue before specialists and readers. The language is clear,the style is colloquial rather than scientific,so it is quite easy to follow the main idea.

Information given there is about 70% obvious. As I think,such well known advices as to limit the topic,to concentrate on main theme,to avoid plagiarism,to consult with the supervisor,etc,do not need to be explained in such a narrow way. It was new for me that besides logical and historical principles of literature review organisation,there exist several other principles.Each of them is described in the source in detail.