literature review activity

I use this literature review activity for two capstone classes (one in Sociology, one in Political Science). The class tends to be roughly 80% Seniors, 15% Juniors, and 5% Sophomores.

There are five key steps to writing a literature review: Search for relevant literature. Evaluate sources. Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Outline the structure. Write your literature review.

Seven Steps to a Comprehensive Literature Review by Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie; Rebecca K. Frels Chapter 1. Foundations of the Literature Review. Chapter 2. The Literature Review -- Chapter 3. Methodology of the Literature Review. Chapter 4. Exploring Beliefs and Topics. Chapter 5. Initiating the Search. Chapter 6. Storing and Organizing ...

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research on a particular topic.

Use the exercise of reviewing the literature to examine how authors in your discipline or area of interest have composed their literature review sections. Read them to get a sense of the types of themes you might want to look for in your own research or to identify ways to organize your final review.

A chapter activity follows with steps that guide authors through the process of developing a research question to frame the literature review. Authors are then prompted to complete a self-assessment activity which includes a series of questions designed to build their skills as academic research writers.

Literature reviews are important resources for scientists. They provide historical context for a field while offering opinions on its future trajectory.

A literature review is more than a summary of past research or an annotated bibliography. It is a work of synthesis which provides the context for your own investigations. In your literature review, you should: Clarify your understanding of the field. Justify the theoretical and methodological approach of your research.

Literature Review Activity. Use this handout and the resources on this page to guide you through the process of gathering resources for a literature review. Research Log. Use this research log to keep track of the sources you find for your literature review. Humanities Research Log.

A literature review is not a summary of the sources but a synthesis of the sources. It is made up of the topics the sources are discussing. Each section of the review is focused on a topic, and the relevant sources are discussed within the context of that topic. 1. Select the most relevant material from the sources