Basics of writing a literature review
There are so many things one has to consider while knitting down a literature review. A literature review is an assessment of relevant studies for a specific topic of interest. It is a synthesis of literature and what the reviewer thinks of that literature. I have summarised the basics rules into 10.
1. First, a review is not about the number of pages written, it is the quality of the literature reviewed.
One can have just 3 pages of literature review and yet is more communicative than one with 10 pages of no quality.
2. Do not copy and paste sentences from the articles.
A review is about your perspective on what others have written to give you a view on what has been done in that filed and what has possibly not been done. It is an area to showcase whether the problem you are trying to solve is justifiable. So, your assessment should be on summarising different views of other scholars and amalgamating them to form your own presupposition or support your argument.
3. Acknowledge all the views of others
Not in one moment should one attempt to present the views of others as his or hers. Make sure you attribute all the findings/views of others by citing (in a proper format). Avoid plagiarising other peoples works. One of the commonly seen versions of plagiarism is grandfathering. This is where the researcher cites an author who was only cited in the paper that he/she read, but did not read the actual paper. Always follow up the original paper if it is cited in the document you have read and you are interested in using the findings.
4. Use relevant but recent literature
It is standard practice to know how relevant the paper is regarding your topic. If you are writing about climate change in agriculture, then the papers should be related to the two keywords. Also, check the authenticity of the paper you are quoting and it's authority. You can check this by, for example, looking at the journal it was published (if it is a journal article), the impact factor of that journal and the number of citations. However, take care of the number of citations because some articles are not highly cited because the findings are interesting but sometimes because the findings are flawed or the methodology used is flawed, e.t.c. Lastly, begin reviewing the recently published literature going back because they contain any modifications or what has changed. The literature search can go ten years back, avoid using very old citations.
5. Make the best use of peer-reviewed articles
Journal articles are the best for a literature review. This is because they have gone through the hands of experts in that field before being published. Use less of books and unpublished literature like reports or academic theses' and avoid the use of grey literature like newspapers, internet sites (Wikipedia, etc), the information contained is rarely verified.
6. Use the correct citation style.
The commonly used citation style is the APA format, make sure you use the recent edition. There are other citation formats, it will depend on what is required by the institution or organisation.
7. Present your view about the literature reviewed
Critique the literature along the methods used, the design, the location or extent and the findings arrived. In other words, showcase the need for your study
8. Start writing from the general to specific.
It is a rule of thumb to start reviewing from the global perspective and then narrow down to the national and local level. This ensures the flow of your work.
9. Organise your themes based on the objectives of the study.
In reviewing the literature, ensure that you review objective by objective. The reader should be able to see the flow of the study from the background.
10. Reference all the works used
Do not reference what you did not cite in the literature and ensure that all cited literature is referenced. Religiously, use the correct reference format. You can make use of reference software like Mendeley, Endnote, Zotero and RefWorks. They will come handy in organising your references.
Good luck
Julius Elepu, MA. Makerere University
