getting critical the literature review and beyond

Writing Development CentreUniversity Library

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Dr Caroline CrowOn behalf of the Writing Development CentreRobinson Libraryhttp://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle

Getting Critical: The Literature Review and Beyond

http://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle

http://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle



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Content of the Session

Why does my dissertation have to be critical? What does being critical actually mean?! The difference between critical and descriptive writing The Literature Review: what is it, what does it do, what to

avoid, how to structure it! Reading critically Use of secondary quotations: tell-tale signs your writing

may not be critical enough.



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Why does my dissertation have to be ‘critical’?: Bloom’s Taxomony: Cognitive Domain (1956) as revised by Anderson & Krathwohl (2001)



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What does being critical actually mean?!

Being critical means:

Developing and presenting your own ideas Having a particular stance or viewpoint Justifying or supporting this viewpoint: explanations,

reasons, evidence Engaging in existing critical/theoretical debates



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The difference between critical and descriptive writing

Descriptive writing (what?) Critical analytical writing (so what?!)

States what happened Identifies the significance

Notes the method used Identifies whether something is appropriate or suitable

Says when something occurred Identifies why the timing is of importance

Lists details Evaluates the relative significance of the details

Lists in any order Structures information in order of importance

Gives information Draws conclusions



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Being Critical: the Literature Review

Depending on what subject you are studying, your dissertation may or may not have a separate Literature Review chapter.

Even if you do not have a Literature Review chapter, you will be engaging with existing literature throughout your dissertation



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The Literature Review: what is it?

Literature Reviews survey, discuss and evaluate the existing research relevant to your topic. They provide answers to the following questions:

What has already been done in this area? (Historical background for research)

What is the current state of knowledge? (Recent developments; contemporary debates, issues and questions in the field)

Who are the key players? What are the key works/texts/developments? What are the main trends, patterns, themes, approaches? What are the problems, issues and controversies in your topic area? Have you spotted any gaps, any missed opportunities? What further research is needed? Why is it needed?

(Justification/rationale)



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The Literature Review: what does it do?

As part of your dissertation, your Literature Review will:

Situate your work within a larger disciplinary context Demonstrate how you will build upon or deviate from

existing publications/findings Highlight what your contribution will be: how will your work

extend and develop existing knowledge?



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The Literature Review: what to avoid

Effective literature reviews are critical and analytical rather than descriptive: they evaluate rather than report.

It is thus important to remember that a Literature Review is not:

a descriptive list of all the work published in your field

a chronological account of existing research



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Writing the Literature Review: what to avoid

Weak Literat

ure Review

s describ

e:

• Crow (2012) looked at the impact of the Reformation on representations of death, commemoration and the supernatural in sixteenth century tragic drama. She found that tragedies from the 1560s to 70s focused on the political implications of the Reformation, whilst tragedies from the 1580s were more concerned with the psychological impact.

• Gray’s (2014) study of late Elizabethan tragedy identified two types of dramatic response to the Reformation: a direct and an indirect response.



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Reading critically

In order to write critically, you need to read critically. Don’t just read for information! Leeds University has developed a handy critical reading checklist, available here:

http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/thefinalchapter/documents/printable/Critical_reading_checklist.pdf





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Writing critically enough? Watch out for these tell-tale signs

Unsupported statements, assumptions or generalisations: “The majority of British teenagers own Smartphones”; “Many critics have argued against this.”

Not providing reasons, explanations and/or examples: “This view is outdated and is no longer applicable.”



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Writing critically enough? Watch out for these tell-tale signs

Beginning and/or ending sentences and paragraphs with quotations

Quotation ‘dumping’: quotations in sentences all of their own

Quoting when you could easily paraphrase

Using very long quotations. It often looks as if you are just trying to fill up the space! If you do need to use a long quotation, you usually have to justify this by analysing it in detail.



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Tuesday 12-12.30 For Starters: Refining your research topic and first steps

Wednesday: 12-12.30 Getting Critical: the Literature Review and Beyond

Thursday: 12-12.30 Whetting Appetites: Introductions and Conclusions Friday: 12-12.30 Keeping Going: Managing your Time, Tasks and Motivation

1.30-2:00 The Last Course: Managing the Final Stages

Writers groups: Wednesday 2-3 Friday 10-11



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The Writing Development Centre

Understanding assignment types, questions, instructions and marking criteria

Critical thinking, critiquing and reviewing literature Note-taking from lectures and reading Planning and structuring writing (incl. paragraphing) Academic writing style (incl. fundamentals of grammar) Understanding and using feedback to improve your work Referencing, citing and avoiding plagiarism Managing time, work and writing (incl. writers block and

procrastination) Exams and Revision Managing research projects, dissertations and theses Presentations and posters Learning effectively in lectures, seminars, classes, labs etc



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The Writing Development CentreLevel 2, Robinson Library

Our team offers:

- One-to-one tutorials on study skills and all stages and types of academic writing

- A programme of workshops on aspects of study and academic writing

- Online resources

You can book appointments and workshops with us online: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/

getting critical the literature review and beyond

Education

critical analytical

existing literature

critical means

wdc content

literature reviews survey

wdc dr caroline crow

existing research relevant

order of importance