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Writing a literature review in your academic essay writing | Acemyhomework Writers
Writing a  literature review in your academic essay writing | Acemyhomework Writers
How to write a great literature review in your academic essay writing Literature reviews are no doubt an important aspect of any research paper since they

Acemyhomework | How to write a great literature review in your academic essay writing | Acemyhomework Writers

How to write a great literature review in your academic essay writing

Literature reviews are no doubt an important aspect of any research paper since they provide an insight to existing theories and knowledge related to the topic of discussion. The information contained in the literature review can be deduced from various sources such as: journals, articles and other archival materials. This information is usually tested and proven thus the writer is only required to ensure their answers are based on the scholarly information available. So, what are the factors to consider when writing your literature review? Below is a list if the considerations to make.

·         Place the original work in the context of existing literature.

·         Interpret the major issues surrounding your topic of discussion.

·         Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.

·         Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any gaps in previous research.

·         Resolve conflicts among seemingly contradictory previous studies.

·         Determine which literature makes a significant contribution to the understanding of your topic.

·         Point the way to further research on your topic.

Contents of a literature review

Now that you know what the major expectations of your literature review are, it is time to determine the details to include. The Literature Review should be properly structured, and the ideas must flow logically from one point to the next.  In addition, Ensure sources and references are current and relevant, cited appropriately according to your niche. Moreover, Present terminologies and viewpoints on the topic in an unbiased and comprehensive way. More elements that should appear in your literature review include.

·         Give a detailed overview of the subject, issue, or theory under consideration.

·         Separate external works into categories and concepts that support or against a particular stand.

·         Integrate the works to what has come before your work and ideas.

·         Provide conclusions about those works that make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of your subject.

Determining the content of your literature review

Owing to the importance of the literature review and the amount of research that goes into crafting it, it is almost certain that you will face a dilemma when it comes to determining the works to include in your research. Here’s how to make a concrete decision on what to include and what to leave out.

·         Scholars qualifications: What are the author’s credentials that led you to make the judgments they have made.

·         Neutrality of the information: Is the author’s perspective biased or even?

·         Credibility: Which of the theses from the author are convincing and why?

·         Worth: Do the conclusions of the scholar add to the value of your own conclusions?

What is the difference between a literature review and a theoretical framework?

Many are times when writers are caught up in the un-ending confusion between literature reviews and theoretical frameworks. Well, the literature review in a dissertation serves as a ultimate cornerstone for analyzing the research question. Depending on the structure of your dissertation, the literature review can also be used as the basis for developing a comprehensive theoretical framework.

The ultimate roadmap for writing an effective literature review

Writing the perfect  literature review will require the writer to adhere to the core steps of crafting. That said, below is a detailed overview of the key steps to writing an effective literature review.

Ø  Prepare

This first step involves clearly understanding the topic in order to get a more global picture of the area of inquiry. It also entails making a list of keywords, which will serve as the basis for the next step. To get everything right, do the following

·         Read a recent publication on your topic. Choose something by a leading author, in which all or most of your topic facets are discussed. This will give you a general overview of the research field. Ask your supervisor if any questions arise.

·         While you are reading, record the terms that seem most important/relevant.

·         Also identify the most important/relevant terms from your (initial) problem and research question(s).

·         Create a master list of all of these terms. These are your keywords. For example, if you are investigating non-verbal communication, the following terms may be on your list:

1. Nonverbal communication

2. Nonverbal cues

3. Nonverbal gestures

4. Body language

5. Mimicry

Ø  Collect literature

This preparatory work now makes it much easier to search for specific literature and other sources and the search mostly starts online. Using the right keywords will also come in handy as it is the first step of this roadmap that will enable you to compile a list. In addition, also search for terms in English as well as any other languages that you have a reading knowledge of. Additionally, it is important that you try using both synonyms and different combinations of terms. To find this information, there are many different types of databases that you may wish to explore and they include: your school’s library database and online

Ø  Evaluate and select the literature

It is likely that you will find overwhelming amounts of literature. And since you only have a limited amount of time, it’s only wise that you focus on the most important sources. Therefore, ensure you rate literature you have found first on relevance, then on scientific quality.

Ø  Process the literature

Once you have identified the literature that you will focus on, the next step is to process the information you have found. Be sure to start by thoroughly studying the selected publications. Consider the following as you do so

·         What is the problem being investigated and how is the research addressing it?

·         What are the key concepts and how are they being defined?

·         What theories and models does the author use?

·         What are the results and conclusions of the study?

·         How does this publication compare to related publications in this field?

·         How can I apply this research to my own research?

How to refer to your sources in the literature review

If you do not properly cite your sources, the information that you have used will be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious form of fraud that has severe consequences. The citations in your dissertation literature review should be very accurate. Many schools and universities use the citation style of the American Psychological Association ( APA).

Your literature review is a key determinant of how interesting and informative your work is. Therefore, it is important that writers adopt the necessary guidelines for creating an effective literature review. 

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