GUIDELINES FOR WRITING
THE LITERATURE REVIEW
The Literature Review is the chapter of the FYP
which refers to publications that are related to your particular research.
The Literature Review chapter provides a detailed review, discussion and
comment on published work that contributes to your own study.
The Literature
Review has a number of important functions:
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It shows that you
have read the work of other researchers in your particular area. |
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It provides more detailed information
about studies already referred to briefly in the introduction to your
FYP. |
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It provides a critique of the
existing literature and shows how it contributes to the development
of your particular study. |
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It helps to refine the direction of your own research.
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It makes a small contribution to the research that
is being carried out in your particular area. |
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It shows that you are a serious and reliable student/researcher. |
Reference to Published
Sources of Information
When writing
the Literature Review, frequent reference to the work of other authors
will be made. The two main methods to refer to the work of published sources
are:
to use a direct, verbatim (word-for-word)
quotation, and
to summarize or paraphrase an autho's
work, using your own words.
Click here
to view guidelines for quoting and summarizing/paraphrasing
Author Prominent versus Information Prominent References
References
(citations) to published work can be presented in two ways:
Information Prominent
Author Prominent
Information Prominent, as the name implies,
focuses on the information first, followed by a reference to the author.
e.g. |
An improvement in one part
of the process may necessitate adjustment, change, and improvement
in another part to prevent additional errors or defects. (Berk
and Berk, 1993) |
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Author Prominent
refers to the author first, followed by the information.
e.g. Kumar (1999) developed a set of instructions
for determination of the indexes for benchmarking.
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Note that whenever the author
is referred to, the surname only should be used.
Click here for additional guidance on identifying
an author's surname. This site will take you to the Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs) page. Click on Question 8 for help with this point.
Author Name versus Numbering
System
There is an alternative method for
referring to sources which does not use the author's name. This alternative
method simply allocates a number to the source and the number then refers
the reader to the bibliography at the end of the FYP. This method is frequently
used in science-based disciplines. If using this system, the reference
number is allocated chronologically, starting with [1] and with the number
placed within square brackets. Should a reference be made later in the
FYP to a source previously referred to, the earlier number is used.
Note that if the numbering system
is used to refer to authors, the bibliography will list the references
numerically and not alphabetically.
Example of the numbering system
in use
A number of researchers have utilized
the COMIS model in accessing the ventilation performance of buildings.
Applications included the numerical analysis and comparison of various
ventilation systems [11], the study of building conditions under
certain circumstances [12-14] and the evaluation of pollutants spread
in buildings [15]. The COMIS group [3] has carried out extensive
development and validation of multi-zone models. Validation has
also been carried out in some European countries [4]. The predicted
and measured ventilation rates agreed reasonably well.
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(Note that the numbers in the above
example are not fully chronological because many of the references had
been referred to in earlier sections/chapters of the FYP.)
Click
here to view examples of references taken from student FYPs. The exercises
will familiarize you with the use of 'author prominent' versus 'information
prominent' references, as well as the use of the 'author name' versus
the 'numbering system'.
Choice of Verb Tense when Referring to Authors
When reading academic texts, you may
notice that several tenses are used to refer to the work of other authors.
The tenses often used are simple past, present
perfect and simple present. Such a range is
perfectly acceptable and there are several reasons that influence the
choice of tense.
Simple Past Tense tends
to be the most frequently used tense to refer to the findings of another
author's research. The past tense is also most commonly used when the
writer uses the 'author prominent' style.
e.g. Walker (1998) simulated
the speed needed to ¡K
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Present Perfect Tense is often used when the focus of the work is on several
authors.
e.g. |
Jolly [2] and Lawrence [3] have
studied ...
A number of authors have investigated
the strength of ¡K [3, 6, 9]
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Present Perfect Tense
may also be used when you want to refer to how much or how little research
has been carried out on a particular topic.
e.g. Very little research has
been carried out into the effects of ¡K
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Present Tense is
often used to refer to generally accepted scientific facts.
e.g. Experimental observations
carried out in the past show that ¡K (Smythe, 1995).
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Modal Verbs may
be used if you wish to introduce a degree of tentativeness into your comments
about the work of an author. In this situation the reporting verb will
be in the passive voice and the addition of a
modal verb will indicate the degree of confidence attributed
to the information.
e.g. It has been indicated by
both Wilkens (2001) and Smithson (2000) that additional parameters
should be added.
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Other modal
verbs that can be used, ranging from rather weak in meaning to quite
strong, are: could, may, should, would, will
Range of Verbs to Refer to an Author's Work
When referring to sources, your writing style will be more effective if
you vary the choice of verb to refer to the source. The following is a
list of frequently used verbs. When referring to an author, select a verb
that is most appropriate to the context and that conveys the autho's meaning
accurately .
Argued
Concluded
Demonstrated
Discussed
Examined
Explained
Found |
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Indicated
Investigated
Noted
Pointed out
Presented
Proposed
Provided |
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Reasoned
Recorded
Reported
Showed
Stated
Suggested
Surveyed |
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