How to Write a Literature Review for Dissertation?

Steps for Writing a Literature Review for a Dissertation

Composing an analysis of existing works is an important component in writing a dissertation. It shows how well you comprehend the previous works and find gaps that your study seeks to fill. A systematic and complete review needs a lot of arrangements. This paper will show how to prepare a successful literature review for dissertation writing.

Literature Review for Dissertation: What is a Literature Review?

A literature review for dissertation is an extended examination of existing works regarding your dissertation area. It means that the content produced from different sources, such as journals, books, and periodicals, has to be evaluated and summarized. The literature review provides an understanding of the field that is more or less all-encompassing, pinpointing developments, open issues and controversies, and why research is needed on this one.

How to Structure a Literature Review for Dissertation?

How you create your literature review for dissertation is among the most important aspects, as it determines the clarity and perhaps the flow of your work. In the coming segment is a simple outline that you can use and help in organizing your literature review:

1. Introduction

In the introduction, define what the reader can expect from the literature review and its place in the dissertation. Briefly describe the topic of the research and the need to review the relevant literature. This part should also contain the research question or hypothesis and explain the boundaries of the review (e.g. period or geographical area).

Key Points:

• Explain the essence of the topic and its importance
• Explain what the literature review seeks to achieve
• Provide the research objectives or the hypothesis

2. Thematic Organization

Rather than synthesizing each study on its own, consider presenting the literature review for the dissertation in the structure of key themes or research methods. For instance, the studies can be classified into: the present theoretical paradigms, the research approaches employed, or aspects of the literature that have reached a consensus. This enables the reader to trace the evolution of ideas and allows the reader to see how various studies help improve the given topic.

Key Points:

• Identify major themes or topics in the literature
• Discuss findings and how they relate to each theme
• Critically assess the quality and relevance of each study

3. Methodological Overview

This style is relevant to a sub-section of the literature review for dissertation and analysis incorporating the employed research methodologies to systematically appraise the comparative advantages and disadvantages of these strategies. This aims to help readers understand how previous works dealt with this problem as well as how you are going to deal with it in your research.

Key Points:

• Restate the methodologies of the analyzed works
• Whine about the shortcomings of the criticisms of the methods
• State the methodological problems that your dissertation seeks to solve

4. Discussion of Trends and Gaps

This section discusses the trends that you have assessed in the literature as well as the gaps that your study seeks to fill. Demonstrate how your work will add to the body of knowledge in the area and how it will provide new angles. This is a section where you show that there are things that have not been researched in the previous studies which advance your dissertation.

Key Points:

• Annotation of principal trends and tendencies
• What research is obsolete and ideal for further investigation
• How your research will bridge the gap in the previous literature

5. Conclusion

Finalize the literature review for the dissertation by addressing the key points, and more importantly, why the research undertaken is important. Prepare a summary stating how your review has influenced the formulation of the research question or hypothesis and how it is premised upon what has been already written in the literature.

Key Points:

• Provide a summary of the findings of the reviewed literature
• State the extent to which your research seeks to cover the existing gaps
• Cite what other work is left to be done concerning your dissertation research

How a Literature Review for Dissertation is Organized: Research and conduct a critical evaluation of the information sources. Reverse outline your literature review draft. Analyze how each section of the literature review contributes to the overall body of evidence. Is there coherence and unity related to the information provided? If so, to what extent?

Human life is made up of innumerable interrelated essays, each with its meaning and sun meaning. Human life can be imagined as an endless interlacing of those essays which may be long or short but have a meaning of themselves and are an integral part of a larger work. Thus the lifetime of every person can be defined as writing one’s biography.

Effective Strategies for Composing an Impressive Literature Review for Dissertation

1. Begin on Time

Time is an essential constraint, especially in the case of composing a literature review for dissertation. Starting your review ahead of the allotted time would enable the readers to analyze and synthesize the material properly. Remember to collect your materials and take notes in the process. The trend or the gap that you are looking for will always become clear, the more you read.

2. Evaluate Sources

Your literature review for dissertation should not be just a compilation of the studies. In other words, all literature you review should be scrutinized. Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of every piece and support your arguments as to which pieces are worth concentrating on. This helps show how one can think critically and make sense of the literature.

3. Remain Orderly

When there is a lot of information to be presented, remaining orderly is very important. You may consider using citation management tools such as Zotero or EndNote to manage the sources. When organizing the notes provided, do so chronologically with the themes listed clearly and ensure the following are covered: authors, years of publication, and findings for every section.

4. Remain Committed to the Research Problem

In as much as you are penning down a literature review for dissertation, stay cognizant of the fact that it is an appendage to your dissertation. Remember your research question or hypothesis and make sure that any literature you add supports your research. Do not add inconvenient research work that is beyond the direct focus of your dissertation.

5. Keep Your Language Simple and Straightforward

An intelligible literature review for a dissertation, irrespective of the subject area, is usually a requirement in any field. Ensure that you employ simple and precise language to express your ideas. Refrain from using technical terms or highly complicated words that may confuse the readers. If there are any technical terms or concepts that must be used, it is advisable to define them clearly.

Citing The Sources Correctly

The literature review for dissertation is incomplete without properly explaining all the studies included and giving credit to the authors whose content was used in the process of writing. Make sure that you use the relevant citation formats (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) throughout the dissertation. This will also assist in avoiding plagiarizing works of others and presenting oneself in a scholarly way.

Conclusion

A dissertation literature review is often a daunting yet fulfilling task. If you stick to the basic outline and analyze the previous studies, you will be able to produce a review that will serve as the bedrock of your research. Do not hesitate to read, critique and sift through the relevant materials, as your review will impress and exhibit your knowledge of the field and also aid you in the process of conducting your research.

FAQ

Q1. What does it mean by literature reviews in a dissertation?

This enables the reader to appreciate how existing knowledge has informed the conduct of the present study and identified limitations, which the present study aims to address.

Q2. What literature review structuring approaches can I use?

Some studies allow you to present the body of literature according to the issues or themes, others according to methods used, and others chronologically, whichever makes more sense.

Q3. How long does a literature review constitute for a dissertation?

The length of a literature review for dissertation varies across the general length of the full dissertation but usually comprises 20 to 30 percent of the dissertation.

Q4. Should I offer an overview of each research within my body of work?

Yes, a literature review for dissertation does not need to describe the available literature; it needs to evaluate and compare different studies on topics related to your research. Study the works by topics and analyze them to conclude.

Q5. How would I know what studies are pertinent to a literature review?

Use studies that are correlated to your question, up-to-date, and have authority. Ensure that the articles you select substantially address your theme.