07 May WHAT ARE THE KEY THEORIES, CONCEPTS AND IDEAS WHICH ARE USED?
At various stages of your academic program, you may be required to write a
‘literature review’ (that is, an analysis and discussion of some of the scholarly publications
about a topic or field). This task may vary from a review of a small bundle of articles to a
doctoral student’s account of almost everything that has been written on a topic. These notes
are concerned with the former type of review, which may be encountered as part of
undergraduate study.
What is a Literature Review?
The aim of a literature review is to demonstrate that you have made a careful and critical
study of work on a particular topic, and have the ability to identify relevant information and
to outline existing knowledge. You show that, on the basis of relevant concepts, you can
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in an argument and, by a process of comparison and
contrast, can synthesise information. In this way you show that you are developing an
understanding of the research in a particular area. Thus a literature review gives a perspective
on what has been said on the topic, who the important scholars are, what the prevailing
theories and hypotheses are, what questions are being asked, and what methodologies and
methods are appropriate and useful.
How Does a Literature Review Differ From Other Assignments?
A review is organised like other forms of expository writing: it will have an introduction, a
central argument, and a conclusion, its overall structure will be logical, and it will be
presented in well-formed paragraphs. However, where in an essay, for example, you use
relevant literature to support an argument, in a literature review the literature itself is the
subject of discussion.
The introduction should set out the nature of the topic under discussion, its parameters (what
it includes and excludes), and an explanation of why you chose these texts. The conclusion
should include a summary of major agreements and disagreements amongst your texts, and a
summary of general conclusions that draw from them.
What Questions Should Be Asked?
Within the scope of a small number of works (and usually a limited word length), you can
begin by asking questions of an individual study, and determining whether the same
questions are dealt with in the other works you are examining. You then begin to form an
understanding of the larger field. Questions might typically include some of the following:
? What are the major issues and debates about the topic?
? What are the key theories, concepts and ideas which are used?
? What are the main questions and problems that have been addressed?
? How is knowledge on the topic structured and organised?
? What kinds of methodology are used? Is it an empirical report, a theoretical study, a
sociological or political account, a historical overview, etc.? All or some of these?
? What kinds of data does it use to back up its argument?
? Does it follow a particular school of thought?
? What are the political standpoints of the authors of each study?
Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteDemy. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Fill in all the assignment paper details that are required in the order form with the standard information being the page count, deadline, academic level and type of paper. It is advisable to have this information at hand so that you can quickly fill in the necessary information needed in the form for the essay writer to be immediately assigned to your writing project. Make payment for the custom essay order to enable us to assign a suitable writer to your order. Payments are made through Paypal on a secured billing page. Finally, sit back and relax.
About Writedemy
We are a professional paper writing website. If you have searched a question and bumped into our website just know you are in the right place to get help in your coursework. We offer HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE Papers.
How It Works
To make an Order you only need to click on “Order Now” and we will direct you to our Order Page. Fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Are there Discounts?
All new clients are eligible for 20% off in their first Order. Our payment method is safe and secure.
