Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Six Guidelines For Dissertation Literature Review

In the process of creating the work it is very important to pay attention to the dissertation literature review in order to prove your paper's accuracy. Dissertation literature review is a register or summary of used resources related to the topic of the dissertation project. Here are a few guidelines you should follow during the dissertation literature reviews writing stage.

Use evidence
A literature review in this sense is just like any other academic research paper. Your interpretation of the available sources must be backed up with evidence to show that what you are saying is valid.

Be selective
Select only the most important points in each source to highlight in the review.
The type of information you choose to mention should relate directly to the review's focus, whether it is thematic, methodological, or chronological.

Use quotes sparingly
The survey nature of the literature review does not allow for in-depth discussion or detailed quotes from the text. Some short quotes here and there a

re okay; though if you want to emphasize a point, but if you find yourself wanting to put in more quotes, check with your instructor.

Summarize and synthesize
Remember to summarize and synthesize your sources within each paragraph as well as throughout the review.

Keep your own voice
While the literature review presents others' ideas, your voice should remain front and center.

Use caution when paraphrasing
When paraphrasing a source that is not your own, be sure to represent the author's information or opinions accurately and in your own words.

Now after you get draft in hand? The first thing is to revise. Spending a lot of time revising is a wise idea, because your main objective is to present the material, not the argument. So check over your again to make sure it follows the assignment and/or your outline. Then just as you would for most other academic forms of writing, rewrite or rework the language of your review so that you've presented your information in the most concise manner possible. Be sure to use terminology familiar to your audience; get rid of unnecessary jargon or slang. Finally, double check that you've documented your sources and formatted the review appropriately for your discipline.

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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Dissertation Literature Review

Dissertation writing is one of the thorniest tasks which require a lot of time and efforts to be spent. But having the enthusiasm one can be come to the task in hand. Just think over the inspiration and you will definitely get an actual success. For one person gaining of the higher status can serve as the motivation, for another-the possibility to assert him/her.

Similarly review of the literature for dissertation writing is the task which demands some special attention from students. A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period.

Writing a literature review can be just a simple summary of the sources, but it usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new explanation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. 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 the reader on the most pertinent or relevant.

Here are some points that will help you in evaluating your review of literature

1. Does the researcher start by identifying a particular problem area?
2. Does the researcher institute the importance of the problem area?
5. Is the research a coherent essay with logical transitions from topic to topic?
6. Has the researcher provided conceptual definitions of key terms?
7. Has the researcher indicated the basis for “factual” statements?
8. Do the specific research purposes, questions, or hypotheses logically flow from the introductory material?
9. Are any underlying theories adequately described?
10. Does the introduction move from topic to topic instead of from citation to citation?
11. Overall, is the introduction effective and appropriate?

And for a closer look at Evaluating Dissertation Literature Reviews, consider these additional points

1. If there is extensive literature on a topic, has the researcher been selective?
2. Is the literature review critical?
3. Is current research cited?
4. Has the researcher distinguished between opinions and research findings?

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