Supplement 4 (Кравченко Е.В., Клейменова Е.П., Кулик Л.В. - Study Guide for Postgraduates in Economics)

Supplement 4THE LITERATURE REVIEWINTRODUCTIONWhat is a literature review?A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimesinformation in a particular subject area within a certain time period.A literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has anorganizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of theimportant information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of thatinformation. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with oldinterpretations.

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 thereader on the most pertinent or relevant.How is a literature review different from an academic research paper?The main focus of an academic research paper is to develop a new argument, and a researchpaper will contain a literature review as one of its parts. In a research paper, you use the literatureas a foundation and as support for a new insight that you contribute. The focus of a literaturereview, however, is to summarize and synthesize the arguments and ideas of others withoutadding new contributions.Why do we write literature reviews?Literature reviews provide you with a handy guide to a particular topic.

If you have limited time toconduct research, literature reviews can give you an overview or act as a stepping stone. Forprofessionals, they are useful reports that keep 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 thewriter in his or her field. Literature reviews also provide a solid background for a research paper’sinvestigation. Comprehensive knowledge of the literature of the field is essential to most researchpapers.WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW?Clarify13If your assignment is not very specific, seek clarification from your instructor:• Roughly how many sources should you include?• What types of sources (books, journal articles, websites)?• Should summarize, synthesize, or critique your sources by discussing a common theme orissue?• Should you evaluate your source?• Should you provide subheadings and other background information, such as definitionsand/or a history?Find modelsLook for other literature reviews in your area of interest or in the discipline and read them to get asense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your research or ways to organize yourfinal review.

You can simply put the word “review” in your search engine along with your othertopic terms to find articles of this type on the Internet or in an electronic database. Thebibliography or reference section of sources you’ve already read are also excellent entry pointsinto your own research.Narrow your topicThere are hundreds or even thousands of articles and books on most areas of study.

The narroweryour topic, the easier it will be to limit the number of sources you need to read in order to get agood survey of the material. Your instructor will probably not expect you to read everything that’sout there on the topic, but you’ll make your job easier if you first limit your scope.Consider whether your sources are currentSome disciplines require that you use information that is as current as possible. However, if youare writing a review in the humanities, history, or social sciences, a survey of the history of theliterature may be what is needed, because what is important is how perspectives have changedthough the years or within a certain time period. Try sorting through some other currentbibliographies or literature reviews in the field to get a sense of what your discipline expects.

Youcan also use this method to consider what is currently of interest to scholars in this field and whatis not.14STRATEGIES FOR WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEWFind a focusA literature review, like a term paper, is usually organized around ideas, not the sourcesthemselves as an annotated bibliography would be organized.

This means that you will not justsimply list your sources and go into detail about each one of them, one at a time. No. As you readwidely but selectively in your topic area, consider instead what terms or issues connect yoursources together. Do they present one or different solutions? Is there an aspect of the field that ismissing? How well do they present the material and do they portray it according to an appropriatetheory? DO they reveal a trend in the field? A raging debate? Pick one of these themes to focusthe organization of your review.Construct a working thesis statementThen use the focus you’ve found to construct the thesis statement. However, your thesisstatement will not necessarily argue for a position or an opinion; rather it will argue for aparticular perspective on the material.

Some sample thesis statements for literature reviews areas follows:The current trend in treatment for congestive heart failure combines surgery and medicine.More and more cultural studies scholars are accepting popular media as a subject worthy ofacademic consideration.Consider organizationYou’ve got a focus, and you’ve narrowed it down to a thesis statement.

Now what is the mosteffective way of presenting the information? What are the most important topics, subtopics, etc.,that your review needs to include? And in what order should you present them? Develop anorganization for your review at both a global and local level:First, cover the basic categoriesJust like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements:an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing thediscussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end thepaper.Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme ororganizational pattern.Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, ormethodologically (see below for more information on each).15Conclusion/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far.Where might the discussion proceed?Organizing the bodyOnce you have the basic categories in place, then you must consider how you will present thesources themselves within the body of your paper.

Create an organizational method to focus thissection even further.To help you come up with an overall organizational framework for your review, consider threetypical ways of organizing the sources into a review:ChronologicalIf your review follows the chronological method, you could write about the materials according towhen they were published.By trendThematicThematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progressionof time.MethodologicalA methodological approach differs from the two above in that the focusing factor usually does nothave to do with the content of the material.

Instead, it focuses on the “methods” of theresearcher or writer. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in thereview or the way in which these documents are discussed.Once you’ve decided on the organizational method for the body of the review, the sections youneed to include in the paper should be easy to figure out.

They should arise out of yourorganizational strategy. In other words, a chronological review would have subsections for eachvital time period. A thematic review would have subtopics based upon factors that relate to thetheme or issue.Sometimes, though, you might need to add additional sections that are necessary for your study,but do not fit in the organizational strategy of the body. What other sections you include in thebody is up to you. Put in only what is necessary. Here are a few other sections you might want toconsider:Current situation: Information necessary to understand the topic or focus of the literature review.History: The chronological progression of the field, the literature, or an idea that is necessary tounderstand the literature review, if the body of the literature review is not already a chronology.Methods and/or Standards: The criteria you used to select the sources in your literature review orthe way in which you present your information. For instance, you might explain that your reviewincludes only peer-reviewed articles and journals.16Questions for Further Research: What questions about the field has the review sparked? How willyou further your research as a result of the review?BEGIN COMPOSINGOnce you’ve settled on a general pattern of organization, you’re ready to write each section.There are a few guidelines you should follow during the writing stage as well.Use evidenceSometimes writers refer to several other sources when making their point.

A literature review inthis sense is just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the availablesources must be backed up with evidence to show that you are saying is valid.Be selectiveSelect only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review. The type ofinformation you chose to mention should relate directly to the review’s focus, whether it isthematic, methodological, or chronological.Summarize and synthesizeRemember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each paragraph as well asthroughout the review.Keep your own voiceWhile literature review presents others’ ideas, your voice (the writer’s) should remain front andcenter.Use caution when paraphrasingREVISE, REVISE, REVISEDraft in hand? Now you’re ready to revise.

Spending a lot of time revising is a wise idea, becauseyour main objective is to present material, not the argument. So check over your review again tomake sure it follows the assignment and/or your outline. Then, just as you would for most otheracademic forms of writing, rewrite or rework the language of you review so that you’ve presented17your information in the most concise manner possible. Be sure to use terminology familiar to youraudience; get rid of unnecessary jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you’ve documentedyour sources and formatted the review appropriately for your discipline.This section of your proposal/dissertation should demonstrate that you are familiar with theliterature relevant to your field of research.