By user not found dec 05, 2013 i rsquo ve been teaching to masters students for over twenty years with my specialism in research methods and the dissertation modules. Whether the assignment is of 1,0 words or if it is a dissertation at 20,0 words there must always be a critical review of the literature. I shall use the lsquo funnel rsquo method to describe what a literature review is all about and i hope you will find this informative and relevant for your masters studies. When producing an assignment it is expected that references of key authors are used to underpin your own thoughts.

What does this mean? this means that information which has been published by academics is important in giving an informed analysis of the topic in question. The academic authors will have researched a subject area and spoken about their findings in depth. You, as a student, must read their work asking questions along the way whilst you are reviewing it. You will weigh up the pros and cons of the publication and be able to comment upon its currency and relevancy. If, however, you simply describe what the academic has published and agree with everything they have wrote without questioning their methodology or their findings or their conclusion, you will produce a bland literature review. Consequently, it is essential to appraise and to evaluate other people rsquo s research work rather than to take it for granted what they have said or not said.

Students often ask how many references should i include? as a very lsquo rough rsquo recommendation, and of course references must be varied in terms of currency and relevancy, at masters level a general guide is three to four appropriate references per 1,0 words. Journal references are expected more than text book or web sources as variety is most important. Once you have written your literature review, you might want to read my next article which is the analysis of results. If so, look forward to this post next month january 2014 of how to present and discuss your findings and join me for more punishment! written by margaret procter, writing support an analytic or critical review of a book or article is not primarily a summary rather, it comments on and evaluates the work in the light of specific issues and theoretical concerns in a course.

To help sharpen your analytical reading skills, see our file on critical reading. The literature review puts together a set of such commentaries to map out the current range of positions on a topic then the writer can define his or her own position in the rest of the paper. Keep questions like these in mind as you read, make notes, and write the review

What exactly does the work contribute to the overall topic of your course? what general problems and concepts in your discipline and course does it engage with? what kinds of material does the work present e.g. Primary documents or secondary material, literary analysis, personal observation, quantitative data, biographical or historical accounts ? how is this material used to demonstrate and argue the thesis? as well as indicating the overall structure of the work, your review could quote or summarize specific passages to show the characteristics of the author's presentation, including writing style and tone. Are there alternative ways of arguing from the same material? does the author show awareness of them? in what respects does the author agree or disagree? what theoretical issues and topics for further discussion does the work raise? what are your own reactions and considered opinions regarding the work?

browse in published scholarly book reviews to get a sense of the ways reviews function in intellectual discourse. Look at journals in your discipline or general publications such as the london review of books or the new york review of books some reviews summarize the book's content and then evaluate it others integrate these functions, commenting on the book and using summary only to give examples. Choose the method that seems most suitable according to your professor's directions to keep your focus, remind yourself that your assignment is primarily to discuss the book's treatment of its topic, not the topic itself. A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarises and critically evaluates a work or concept.

Critiques can be used to carefully analyse a variety of works such as: creative works ndash novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry research ndash monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories media ndash news reports, feature articles like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that is, an introduction, body and conclusion. However, the body of a critique includes a summary of the work and a detailed evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact of a work in a particular field. Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop: a knowledge of the work rsquo s subject area or related works. An understanding of the work rsquo s purpose, intended audience, development of argument, structure of evidence or creative style. Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that will be critiqued. Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.

American History Term Paper

You should always check your unit materials or blackboard site for guidance from your lecturer. The following template, which showcases the main features of a critique, is provided as one example. Typically, the introduction is short less than 10% of the word length and you should: name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the name of the author/creator. This could include the social or political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator rsquo s life experience. Have a concluding sentence that signposts what your evaluation of the work will be. For instance, it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation. Briefly summarise the main points and objectively describe how the creator portrays these by using techniques, styles, media, characters or symbols.