A literary review is an essential component of any scientific work. It analyzes the current points of view on the question that arises in a diploma (dissertation, course). The author’s task is to study the views of various scientists and find a place of their work among them, to reveal its uniqueness. A literary review can be made in different ways. For example, several paragraphs in the introduction may be reserved for him. In other cases, it is drawn up as a separate chapter. It all depends on the requirements of a particular educational institution and teacher.
You will need
- - literary sources on the topic of your scientific work;
- - the Internet;
- - a computer;
Instruction manual
1
Study the maximum amount of literature on the topic about which you are going to write a scientific work. To do this, visit the library. It is best to use the original editions.
Try to refrain from using only electronic books. They can be scanned without mandatory illustrations, charts, and graphs.
2
After studying each source, make a short summary in which you will state the main content of the book you have read. You can have a special notebook, in which you will study citations and write quotes and theses necessary for your work.
3
Begin your literary review in advance. She can go in several stages. First, draw up the order in which literary sources should be presented in your scientific work. It depends on the logic in which your own reasoning develops on the chosen topic.
4
Take the chronological principle as a basis and build familiarization with the history of the issue in chronological order. Describe what views on the problem you are studying existed, how they evolved. What are the main representatives of scientific thought who worked on this issue, what they achieved in their research and reasoning.
5
Analyze the work of predecessors critically. Indicate the weaknesses in their writings, write which of the questions were left unexamined. Be sure to indicate the reasons why the authors did not consider this or that side of the issue. Perhaps the reason was the lack of necessary equipment (at the time of research it might still not exist). Thus, you can determine the location of your research within this issue.
6
Briefly describe the scientific challenges that the researchers have set for themselves. How much they succeeded or failed to achieve the desired results. Take your time to lay out your vision on a question in a literary review. State the reasons why you decided to continue researching this topic. You will formulate your tasks and describe how to achieve them in the following parts of your scientific work.
7
Write a literary review throughout the work on the diploma (dissertation). So it will be easier for you to correct it, supplement and make changes at the final stage.
note
Observe the correct tone, do not allow yourself to speak disrespectfully about one of the predecessors. Still, they are your predecessors, and, therefore, teachers.
Useful advice
Do not make the literature review too voluminous. Focus on the total amount of future scientific work. The literature review should not exceed 50-100 pages (for the dissertation). Consult a teacher.
