How To Structure The Literature Review Of A Dissertation

A dissertation literature review is simply an in-depth examination of various sources used in gathering information in a given study area. The review goes further in identifying some additional information addressed by your research. It tries to portray a new approach on an advanced research paper or rather add new knowledge to the old known ideas. Ideally, a literature review can be purposed in providing thorough assessments of various sources and give the reader some feedback on the relevance and validity of the source in compliance with the study area.

The necessity of the literature review

Literature review plays a significant role in different pieces of academic writings. The essence of these is to showcase your understanding of research sources related to your study area in question. To some extent, it is some sort of persuasion in justifying your arguments and becomes an important part.

Writing the literature review to your dissertation

The writing process is entirely procedural. You can begin by recognizing the research areas, reading and re-reading them, check out on gaps you use and then write the review from information in previously identified procedures. Here is a detailed description of each step:

  1. Identification of sources

    You need to back up an excellent dissertation literature review with strong background knowledge of related sources. The sources you identify should revolve around a range of books, journals, and others to enable balancing. Generally, there are general questions that will emanate when deciding which source to consider. These should be the key areas, and abstracts of the research should be the guidelines when identifying critical sources for your research.

  2. Reading the sources

    You will need to read through the various sources you’ve initially organized. To read through your outlined source, you will need to try out the following:

    1. Pass through the source information in a general sense.
    2. It will help you in judging the right source.
    3. Re-read by your sources in an in-depth manner and understand the contents.
    4. Jot down essential and critical information from your source
    5. Note down crucial comments, if any.
  3. Identifying gaps in the research

    The identification of gaps is critical. A research gap is simply an unanswered research-related question in the literature of any area of study. By identifying these gaps, you will be able to define the uniqueness and basis of the research clearly. Through these, you will be able to showcase your awareness of the research area. Identifying gaps in the research can be achieved through reading and focusing on significant areas and checking out on abstracts and recommendations.

  4. Writing the review

    After a clear understanding of these steps, you can now set yourself ready for writing a catchy dissertation literature review. Here we go. Check out on sample reviews.

    A thorough reading and examination of reviews in your study area is quite helpful. It is a perfect way of structuring and starting a review of your own.

  5. Maintaining simplicity

    It is a wonderful practice to maintain the simplicity of your review. You will need to address a wide range of information in your study area, as these can demean your ability to come up with the desired review. Specify the specific focus of your work and remember to keep it simple.

  6. Focus on the latest sources

    Due to the constant evolution in the scientific and technological fields, you will need to go for the most current sources. It is an excellent practice to always focus on the best sources that go hand in hand with the evolving world.

  7. Have a proper organization of work

    Apart from having an introduction, body, and conclusion, you will need to arrange your work well. Such includes organizing themes, topics, arguments, and others.

Give extra care to body structure, write paragraphs of the body, and finalize with a catchy conclusion.