defining and testing a research topic. Developing a literature review
Defining and testing a research topic
- Evaluating Information
This is a really important part of the Thesis process and will take place at various stages of it: when selecting appropriate resources, when using/reading those resources, when making your own case.
2. ‘academic writing’:
Academic writers use cautious considered language in an effort to be as exact as they can in their analysis. They try to say only what they mean and think can be justified.
3. Academic research then, requires sources that are authorative /credible, unbiased, current and relevant to your needs.
a. Authority and Credibility
b. Bias and perspective
c. Currency
Planning your thesis Once you have a significant collection of notes you can begin to devise a plan.
Some tips are:
• Try to formulate a structure that develops an argument.
• Avoid relying on chronology to structure the thesis for you.
• Take charge of your notes; do not rely on them to tell you a plan.
• Edit out irrelevant material. This means you need a clear focus on objective.
• Identify the main sections/chapters and group the appropriate notes together.
• Consider visual illustrations to support your discussion/argument.
Writing skills:
Thesis Structure：
- Title: Subtitle
A title’s primary function is to define precisely and concisely the topic. A legitimate secondary function is to stimulate the reader’s interest. Two-part titles are common: a main title to stimulate interest and somehow imaginatively ‘encapsulate’ the topic, and a subsidiary title to specify the topic.
- Acknowledgements
- Abstract
- Contents Page
- Introduction
- Main Body of Text
- Appendices
- Referencing
Developing and Writing Literature review
Tips：
- A literature review requires the same style as any other piece of academic writing . That means no contractions or colloquialisms, concise language, formal tone, and an objective perspective at all times.
- To distinguish between your analysis and prior scholarly work in the field, use the past tense when discussing the previous research conducted on your topic and the present tense when discussing your point of view. For example, you might write that a specific author conducted research or that they had been influenced by earlier researchers in the field, but also that you are exploring different research methods and that you are posing certain questions.
Read your pared-down body of sources. As you conduct your research, take note of the themes present in them and ask questions:
- Do different authors agree with each other on these themes?
- Where do they disagree?
- How does each author support their position?
- Examine the research methods each author used in their work. If your sources involve studies or experiments, note whether the results were replicated and where, if at all, the studies’ results varied from each other.
- Write down your key insights and how each source you consult contributes to the existing pool of knowledge on its subject. Explore how the sources challenge and contradict each other and where they agree or expand upon each other.
- Create a literature review outline!
2. Once your outline is complete, it’s time to start writing.
In nearly all cases, literature reviews are written in the third person.
For example, you might discuss a scholarly article by stating “this paper argues . . .” or “in her work, the author elaborates on . . .” However, there are cases where first person is appropriate in a literature review, such as when you’re referencing your own research. For example, if you’re citing an earlier paper you’ve written or data collected from a study you conducted, you may use phrases like “I argue,” “I propose,” and “through my research, I found that . . .”
3. Remember to follow the Harvard reverencing system.
Similarly, use the same objective academic tone you’ll use in your research paper.
Don’t just list and describe the sources you’ve read; respond to them, interpret them, and critically evaluate them. Keep in mind that you don’t have to agree with every source you use—in fact, exploring where your findings diverge from a source’s findings can be a strong point in your literature review and your research as a whole.
4. Citing and referencing in the review
Developing an investigation
- Build your argument – Your Voice
- Make an argument
- Structure your argument
- Include your own voice in your writing
- Establish your voice in your writing
- Research your argument
- Have a go at resolving this structure