The Art of Literature Review 1500-SZD-TAOLR
The review of relevant research literature is expected in Ph.D. dissertation, both by the supervisors and the reviewers. In most cases, dissertations in linguistics include a dedicated chapter (typically the first chapter after the introduction). As the first “real” part of the dissertation, it provides the first impression of the text's merit in terms of research skills and analytical thinking. Poor literature review may impact the readers’ opinions of the dissertation negatively despite efforts in subsequent chapters. The challenge of writing an effective literature review chapter is how to succinctly and persuasively present the often overwhelming amount or research done throughout the dissertation writing process.
During the course we will be discussing strategies, approaches, and techniques that help organize this part of one’s research into an engaging and reader-oriented text.. The course will draw on participants’ previous experiences of success stories and good practices of how successful literature review can be done. We will also address challenges and (possibly) failures to find ways of avoiding them in the future. .
The topics of discussion are:
● Different types of research literature and their relevance to specific research problems, including differences in how sources are relevant (background and context, inspiration for methodology, data, arguments and conclusions to agree/disagree with)
● Planning review strategy: combining together in one chapter or presenting where appropriate
● Creating a synoptic consistent picture of what has been published
● Review organization: by topic, by author, by chronology of publication
● Reviewing whole texts vs text fragments
● Making sense of diverse and divergent theoretical frameworks
● Advantages of paraphrasing and quoting/translating
● The art of intellectual disagreement
● Balancing between avoiding bias and maintaining one’s voice and perspective
● Avoiding plagiarism and unethical practices
The participants will be required to prepare a short fragment of their literature review to be presented and discussed in class (the language of such a sample to be decided in class).
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Upon completing the course, the student
● Is aware of multiple and varied research paradigms and theoretical frameworks in linguistics
● Understand academic texts relevant to their research, produced in various theoretical frameworks
● Is capable of critical understanding of relevant literature and employing it appropriately in their research and writing.
P8S_WG.1; P8S_WG.2; P8S_WG.3; P8S_UW.1; P8S_UK.4; P8S_KR.1
Assessment criteria
○ Regular class attendance (three absences without justification acceptable)
○ Participation in class discussions
○ Preparing the sample literature review
(Make-up assignment: another sample of your literature review)
Bibliography
Ar Rabbim Md.Tahamid and Mian Md. Naushaad Kabir, „Literature Review in Applied Linguistics: A Conceptual Framework,” in English Language Teaching in the Twenty First Century. Issues and Challenges, ed. T. Karunakaran, 138-158, Colombo – Chenai: Kumaran Book House, 2014
Greetham, Bryan, How to write your literature review, New York: MacMillian Publishers, 2021.
Ridley, Diana, The Literature Review. A Step-by-Step Guide for Students, Los Angeles: Sage Publishers, 2012.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: