Description
Most research projects include a literature review to determine what knowledge exists on the subject under study and to develop the theoretical framework that will be used in the study. The literature review sets the context for your final proposal by explaining what others have found in researching the same or similar specific research questions. Literature reviews are done to help summarize the current state of knowledge on a topic and the current knowledge gaps up to this point from experts. In this format, they are often published as a pure literature review within peer-reviewed journals. One example can be found here specific to the literature on psychobiography as a method, here is another example article. Students often have a hard time writing literature reviews because it seems like a foreign way to organize information. However, in a way, you can equate the way that an essay is written to that of a literature review. In an essay, one will bring in numerous references within each paragraph. With a literature review, on the other hand, the focus is on what earlier research has concluded with the respect to this topic. Imagine you are explained what is known about a topic from earlier studies to another student who already has familiarity with the topic. NCSU has a fantastic video (https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/litreview/) that helps explain what a literature review is an how they are written at the graduate and professional levels, I recommend taking a look as it will help give you some additional perspective on how these are written.
A literature review begins with an introductory paragraph in which the writer frames the research topic and its significance, or the puzzle or topic area that the researcher is addressing. To do that, the writer will summarize the major relevant arguments on the research subject, highlighting the main issues and how schools of thought might differ. If there are key terms to be defined, the writer would also do that here, if the literature review is part of a larger research paper.
The body of the literature review tells readers what others have found in their studies about your specific research question, or topic under investigation (the extent of existing knowledge on your specific research question/current state of the research on a particular topic), critiques what is right or wrong with these other studies, and discusses how the body of knowledge needs to be moved forward (and/or how the work is distinguishable from the research study you are proposing). Your review should organize material by theme or method or what makes sense for the project.
The conclusion should summarize the primary “sense of the literature”, encapsulating for the reader where the existing literature ends and, if carrying out a study, where your research will start.
Assignment Instructions:
This assignment serves as a building block for your final thesis proposal. Please do not list summaries of articles. Instead, you must synthesize your research, focusing on ideas/current state of research on your particular topic. Your reader wants to learn about what others have said about your current topic/hypothesis, not summaries of articles.
Format: Standard academic format will suffice: 1-inch borders on all four sides, double spaced, with times new roman 12-point font. As with all academic assignments (unless otherwise specified) you must include a references section and list your references.
This literature review is critical review, synthesizing at least 9-10 scholarly/peer-reviewed articles.
Since multiple writing styles are in use within this course, on your title page, please note which style you are using within your assignment. This will help me cater my comments to the style you are using. The style you use needs to be the one that is used within your program of study.
Total pages: 4-5 complete pages in length not including title page, or references. Your grade is not based on length. Please do not go over the maximum limit.
I have also attached a synthesis matrix that should help you organize your notes as you go, as well as the grading rubric for this assignment.
Use the filename (no spaces): yourlastnameW4.doc to upload this file to the HW4 assignment.
As you proofread your assignment I encourage you to work with Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. “Editing Your Sentences” In Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Sage. This resource has a nice step by step process for enhancing your writing.
Note: As mentioned above this assignment is a building-block for your final assignment. The final proposal contains this preliminary literature review in order to demonstrate the importance of the topic and show that it has not yet been addressed within the literature.
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Writing A Literature Review and
Using a Synthesis Matrix
My professor says I have to write a literature review, what do I do?
Well, to begin, you have to know that when writing a literature review, the goal of the researcher is to determine the current
state of knowledge about a particular topic by asking, “What do we know or not know about this issue?” In conducting this type of
research, it is imperative to examine several different sources to determine where the knowledge overlaps and where it falls short. A
literature review requires a synthesis of different subtopics to come to a greater understanding of the state of knowledge on a larger
issue. It works very much like a jigsaw puzzle. The individual pieces (arguments) must be put together in order to reveal the whole
(state of knowledge).
So basically I just read the articles and summarize each one separately?
No, a literature review is not a summary. Rather than merely presenting a summary of each source, a literature review should
be organized according to each subtopic discussed about the larger topic. For example, one section of a literature review might read
“Researcher A suggests that X is true. Researcher B also argues that X is true, but points out that the effects of X may be different
from those suggested by Researcher A.” It is clear that subtopic X is the main idea covered in these sentences. Researchers A and B
agree that X is true, but they disagree on X’s effects. There is both agreement and disagreement, but what links the two arguments is
the fact that they both concern X.
This sounds like a lot of information, how can I keep it organized?
Because a literature review is NOT a summary of these different sources, it can be very difficult to keep your research
organized. It is especially difficult to organize the information in a way that makes the writing process simpler. One way that seems
particularly helpful in organizing literature reviews is the synthesis matrix. The synthesis matrix is a chart that allows a researcher to
sort and categorize the different arguments presented on an issue. Across the top of the chart are the spaces to record sources, and
along the side of the chart are the spaces to record the main points of argument on the topic at hand. As you examine your first source,
you will work vertically in the column belonging to that source, recording as much information as possible about each significant idea
presented in the work. Follow a similar pattern for your following sources. As you find information that relates to your already
identified main points, put it in the pertaining row. In your new sources, you will also probably find new main ideas that you need to
add to your list at the left. You now have a completed matrix!
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As you write your review, you will work horizontally in the row belonging to each point discussed. As you combine the
information presented in each row, you will begin to see each section of your paper taking shape. Remember, some of the sources
may not cover all of the main ideas listed on the left, but that can be useful also. The gaps on your chart could provide clues about the
gaps in the current state of knowledge on your topic.
CREATING YOUR SYNTHESIS MATRIX
It is probably best to begin your chart by labeling the columns both horizontally and vertically. The sample chart below
illustrates how to do this.
Topic: ______________________________________
Source #1
Source #2
Source #3
Source #4
Main Idea
A
Main Idea
B
Label the columns across the top of your chart with the author’s last name or with a few keywords from the title of the work. Then
label the sides of the chart with the main ideas that your sources discuss about your topic. As you read each source, make notes in the
appropriate column about the information discussed in the work, as shown in the following chart.
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Topic: Women in WWII
Alteration of
women’s
roles
because of
WWII
Hardships
and
oppositions
women
faced
Cornelsen
– Women accredited the
WASP program for opening
new doors, challenging
stereotypes, and proving that
women were as capable as
men (p. 113)
– Women could compete with
men as equals in the sky
because of their exemplary
performance (p. 116)
– WASP created opportunities
for women that had never
previously existed (p. 112)
– Women’s success at flying
aircrafts “marked a pivotal
step towards breaking the
existing gender barrier” (p.
112)
– “From the outset male pilots
resented women’s presence in
a traditionally male military
setting” (p. 1113-4)
– “The WASP were routinely
assigned inferior planes that
were later found to have been
improperly maintained” (p.
114)
– discrimination against
WASP at every level of
military service, women were
only paid 2/3 of what men
were for doing identical tasks
(p. 114)
Stewart
– WAAC (Women’s Army
Auxiliary Corp) was 1st
chance for women to serve in
army, given full army status in
1943 as WAC (p. 28)
– Needs of the war were so
great that women’s traditional
social roles were ignored (p.
30)
– Military women paid well
for the time period and given
benefits if they became
pregnant (p. 32)
– The 1940’s brought more
opportunities to women than
ever before (p. 26)
Bruley
-Women given equal
opportunities (p. 223)
– Women joined workforce as
a break from the ordinary to
help the war (p. 220)
– Unconscious decision to
cross into male-dominated
roles (p. 221)
– Seized these new
opportunities to bring about
change (p. 230)
– Women in the military given
extensive physical and mental
tests, but still discriminated
against, ridiculed, and
considered inferior to men (p.
29)
– Women given unskilled
labor positions by government
because only seen as
temporary workers, therefore
no reason to train them (p.
221-2)
– Women given less
significant work and viewed
as less intelligent and
physically able (p. 224)
-“The Church-Bliss diary
reveals how dilution
arrangements…ensured that
women working in male
preserves were prevented
Scott
– Women born in the 1920’s
found new doors open to them
where they once would have
encountered brick walls (p.
526)
-Even women not directly
involved in the war were
changing mentally by being
challenged to expand their
horizons because of the
changing world around them
(p. 562)
– War also brought intellectual
expansion to many people (p.
557)
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Cornelsen
– “In the belief that women
were emotionally and
physically fragile, the military
questioned women’s
capabilities to fly an aircraft”
(p. 114-5), regardless of their
training or aptitude
– WASP’s not granted veteran
status until 1979 (p. 115)
Opposition:
WWII did
NOT effect
women
Stewart
– Women put in untraditional
roles during/because of the
war, but back to previous
subservient roles after the war
(p. 35)
Bruley
from achieving any sort of
equality” (p. 230)
– more traditionally male jobs
resisted the integration of
women workers, while other
industries were less
resistant… but in most all
cases women were considered
temporary workers (p. 221)
– Equal pay rarely given to
women, even though women
did the same work (p. 221)
– Women occasionally found
their way to positions of
importance, but were always
treated as inferior (p. 226-8)
– After the war, women were
the first to be let go because
of their temporary status (p.
230)
– Women in the workforce
also faced discrimination from
labor unions (p. 226)
– Women were not affected
because they still remained in
subordinate positions after the
war (p. 217)
Scott
After your chart is complete, notice patterns of information. You may find that your sources, at times, discuss very similar
material, or that they sometimes deal with completely different aspects of your topic. These patterns can be useful in creating a thesis
statement that can guide your writing and keep you focused as you begin your draft.
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WRITING YOUR REVIEW
Here is an example from the literature review: “World War Two and its Effect on Women.” This excerpt synthesizes
information without summarizing.
While the articles used in this research agree that women made many advances during the Word War II period, it is crucial to
realize that not all these changes were welcomed. In most cases women faced discrimination from just about everyone around
them. Women in the workplace were often placed in positions of inferiority or treated as being less physically able to do the
same work the men did. Many women were often not trained because they were viewed as temporary employees who were
only there for the duration of the war (Bruley, 2003, pp.221-222). Women were very rarely given equal pay as men, even
though some of them did the same work. Women in the military faced not only mental abuse but also physical harm from their
male counterparts. According to Cornelsen (2005), there were many instances where female aviators were injured or killed due
to being made to fly ill-maintained aircrafts or aircrafts that had been sabotaged. (p.114)
The sample above is an excellent example of how to synthesize information adequately. Notice how when transitioning from
Bruley to Cornelsen the writer notes not only that the two articles are similar, but also how they are similar. The writer goes into detail
about Bruley’s discussion of women in industry facing discrimination while noting that Stewart deals with prejudice in the military.
The author also transitions well between the Bruley article and the Cornelsen article; rather than summarizing, the author draws
comparisons between the two articles, giving relevant information and at the same time synthesizing the two works.
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This document was created by NC State University Writing and Speaking Tutorial Service Tutors during Fall 2006. Contributors were Laura
Ingram, James Hussey, Michelle Tigani, and Mary Hemmelgarn. Special thanks to Stephanie Huneycutt for providing the sample matrix and
paragraph. http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/writespeak
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