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subject: 5 Steps For Doing A Literature Review While Conducting Research [print this page]

As any student knows, a literature review is the starting

point for almost any article or essay.

At the level of writing a thesis or dissertation, a

review of literature is critical.

However, when doing a literature review especially for

dissertations usually students face this issue.

You have already wasted months in this section but still

lost in multiple subtopics of the subject of your

interest.

The main problem is that at the end of digging through a

whack of literature, each sub topic leads you to a new

direction.

Cant find any help to systematize your excessive data

and organize your thoughts?

Relax!!

Follow 5 steps that will serve as iterature review help

to guide students in preparing that chapter.

1. Collect Only Relevant and Quality Data

One of the basic problems faced while writing a

dissertation literature review is that you find excessive

data on your selected topic.

Every topic has multiple subtopics, which are equally

interesting, but they will take you to an entirely

different path.

The real job is to stick to the data that is relevant to

your topic and avoid getting lost in the literature.

Also make sure that the data you are collecting is

peer-reviewed.

Most universities give great importance to whether and to

what extent your chapter references peer-reviewed work.

Check the publishing houses before making reference of a

particular point.

2. Take Notes or Do Referencing

You need to research allot.

Read all the primary data available regarding your

subject and make notes or jot down references.

Make sure that you are reading and noting down only the

relevant stuff to your case in point.

This is important because it will help you to re-sort

easily what you have read and what is required to be

stated.

3. Copy Down Main Ideas

Sometimes you find information, which is very pertinent

to your topic, but you need to further drill down in to

the ideas presented.

Be consistent as to, in what field you want to put your

data in to.

Attach your PDFs or cut and paste the significant portion

of the work for further elaboration or research.

4.Sort Literature Into Groups and Make an Outline

Sorting your literature in to groups is very crucial.

It helps you a great deal in dealing with tons and tons

of data that you have collected.

Making endnotes sometimes also serves the purpose.

You can also make an outline.

The outline should be such that it guides you and

provides you with a map as to how you should proceed with

your literature review.

5. Make Heading and Sub-headings

Making headings and subheadings help you to remain on

track.

While writing headings be sure that all the heading and

subheadings relate to each other and make sense even when

they are read out of context.

6. Identify Gaps and Unnecessary Repetitive Work

Be certain that your work is not a constant repetition of

what you have already explained.

Try to bring out new ideas and relate it with your

previously written work.

Identify and correct any gaps present in your work.

The aforementioned points will help you to select and

organize your literature effectively, that will help you

in doing a literature review section in a logical and

coherent way.

by: Donna Santos

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