Literature Review
What is a literature review? Students are often unsure of how to write a literature review. This is usually because, unlike other stages of a thesis such as Methods and Results, they have never written a literature review before. FAQs about literature reviews In the table below, you will find some of the questions that students ask, and some suggested answers. Questions and sample Answers What is it? An evaluation of previous research on your topic What is its purpose? 1: "provides background information needed to understand your study 2: assures your readers that you are familiar with the important research that has been carried out in your area 3: establishes your study as one link in a chain of research that is developing and enlarging knowledge in your field" (Weissberg & Buker 1990, p.41) What do I need to include? Minimum: well-established research in the field; most recent relevant research. How do I organise it? Some POSSIBLE approaches, which can be comb