Tips for writing a dissertation chapter literature review

Tips for writing a dissertation chapter literature review

Sep 03, 2012A dissertation is a lengthy essay that is based on a particular idea or thesis. It is usually written by PhD students in order to present a new idea to the academic community.Writing a dissertation can be difficult unless one has previously written many academic and research documents.

WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?

A literature review is a compilation of all the academic sources that were used during the preparation of a dissertation. It is not a compilation in terms of it being a reference list rather it is an appraisal of all the written works that were consulted in the process of writing. A literature review shows all the readings and cited works that were borrowed. It therefore follows that a good literature review must contain statements of facts from these sources. When you are writing a literature review, you are looking to explore all related topics and ideas that are crucial to your dissertation. The following tips are useful in order to write a successful literature review:

• PLAN AHEADPlanning is important if you intend to excel in your dissertation paper. If you plan your work in advance, you shorten the number of days you stay in the university and of course you plan to succeed. The best way is to determine what areas or topics you plan to cover in your dissertation. Begin on time to learn how to write thesis, methodology, literature review, discussion and references.
• PERSEVERANCEWriting a literature review in a dissertation paper can be difficult and time consuming. Learn to be patient. If you find yourself making mistakes, realise that it's a common place for this to happen. Find out where you went wrong and make all necessary corrections.
• RESEARCHNow is the time to research into all written materials like books, journals, news paper publications, articles and blogs that are related to your dissertation topic. Gather all your materials in place. Read widely and look out for specific chapters and verses that directly treat the topic of your paper. On a notebook write down these specific chapters, pages and paragraphs that are important to you. These specific portions in the sources will be used for your captions later. If you happen to own the book you are researching, it is best to use your coloured marker to highlight the areas for future references and use.
• WRITE FROM YOUR COMPILATIONSMake use of all your compiled readings. These are what will make up your literature review. Organise your write ups according to relevance. Group relevant materials together, topics that are closely related should be logically pierced together so that they will make sense.

While writing, remember that your literature review is meant to analyze and explore. It is not meant to criticize. Explore all literary works available to use. Let your readers know why these works are best for the research at hand. Use it to expose ideas that are similar to yours and be sure to reference any borrowed idea. Be sure to enquire about the correct reference format from your professor and learn how to use it.