Video: #3: Tips for Post Graduate Writing:
Chapter 2: Literature Review.
[Video transcript]
Hello and welcome back!
My name is Dr. Cheryl Lentz, owner of The
Refractive Thinker® Press and tonight we
will begin with the second part in our 5-part
series, how to craft a doctoral dissertation
and/or an effective graduate thesis.
Tonight’s focus is on Chapter 2: The Literature
Review.
The purpose of a literature review is simply
the ability to research via scholarly avenues
what already exists about your topic and problem
statement AND to delve deeper into how your
study will contribute to the larger body of
knowledge.
The point is not to duplicate what has already
been done, but to find the existing gap for
which your study will contribute.
Remember that a literature review is not simply
a historical book report about either your
company of study or topic(s) of study.
Instead, the literature review exists to justify
the research problem by providing the current
known knowledge (evidence) (or perhaps lack
thereof), as well as the theory or theoretical
framework that is behind or ‘frames’ the
study.
Think of these as offering your reader a perspective
in context.
Let’s begin with first with your introduction.
Remember that for each chapter--whether a
5 chapter or 7 chapter format--you will need
to be sure to integrate an introduction (which
introduces your chapter and your writing objectives),
body paragraphs (which cover the details),
and conclusion (which reviews the main points
as offered by your chapter as well as reviews
the writing objectives from your introduction
to prove that these expectations have been
met).
In this part 2, we want to be able to talk
about the introduction of your study, with
regard to your theoretical frameworks and
your problem statement so we can do some historical
gathering of evidence to find what is already
there, and so that you can look to offering
the piece(s) of the puzzle that perhaps might
be missing.
Think of this purpose as the ability to be
on the same page with your reader.
You might start with definitions of terms.
Remember some of the things you may be discussing
may be very specific to your study.
Help your reader with defining those specific
terms and make sure you have clear evidence
and/or quotes to share where those definitions
are from.
Second, you want to be able to look at the
topic and your problem statement.
Make sure that you understand that your problem
statement is what is going to drive the train
for your study.
Be sure to look how your problem statement
will look at your problems for study and how
this may affect your theoretical frames, theories,
and context for which your problem will serve.
That’s where we really want to get into
the research; looking at journals, looking
at articles, looking at evidence and research
that already exists.
Our goal is to put into context to justify
the relevance and importance of both your
study and the theories for which you are going
to offer.
Next, let’s again offer the summary aspect.
The whole goal of this idea of the literature
review is to provide to your reader as perhaps
a chronological sequence what already exists
within the most current literature—within
the most recent 3-5 years--for you to be able
to offer your reader what has already been
done and what you are going to contribute
as part of your study.
As always, thank you so much for joining us
for this second piece in the 5 part series.
Please join me for more tips on effective
post graduate writing at our blog at http://www.refractivethinker.com/wordpress
for additional help and guidance.
Again, my name is Dr. Cheryl Lentz.
We look forward seeing you next time when
we will look at Chapter 3: Methodology.
Good luck as your work on your doctoral dissertation
or graduate thesis continues.
See you next time!
