Literature Reviews: 4. Writing

1. Tell a story
2. Look at examples of literature reviews in professional publications

The presentation of the thesis and its supporting research in the final paper should hold the reader's attention. The presentation of the literature review should tell a story.

Look at the information from the College of Graduate & Professional Studies to make sure you understand the ISU requirements for theses and dissertations. In addition, your department may have specific criteria and guidelines regarding the professional writing in that discipline. And your advisors and committee may have requirements for you to follow, too.

Be sure you understand what is expected. It would be disappointing to be in the middle of the project only to find out you had been doing it wrong or had not done something correctly.

"The source of your ideas or language, is it is not your own, should be easily traceable by another. In the APA style, this is called a parenthetical citation, that is, the placing of a reference citation in parentheses at the end of the phrase containing the quoted language or borrowed concept. Then, you place the full citation in the reference list at the end of your study. In other stylistic conventions, you achieve the same result with a numerical reference or with a footnote." (Bryant, 2004, p. 79)

Bryant, M.T. (2004) The Portable Dissertation Advisor, Corwin Press.

When finished with your topic, you will

• Know key journals.
• Know the names of key researchers.
• Be familiar with the most recent studies.
• Be familiar with common research techniques used.

Making the implicit explicit: creating performance expectations for the dissertation (2007)
By Barbara E. Lovitts

ISU Main Library LB2369 .L685 2007