So you are about to pen down the next chapter of your dissertation that comes right after the introduction part? You probably must be contemplating the notion that the literature review is something similar to the book review or any write-up where you have to present your feedback related to some sort of writing piece. Is that so? If that’s the case with you too, then let us explain to you the concept of literature review, thus let’s dive at the bottom!

What is a Literature Review?

A literature review is said to be the primary ingredient that holds the utmost importance in the whole recipe of the dissertation. It is based on the layers of various scholarly materials including articles, journals, research papers, case studies, e-books, printed books, blogs, conference proceedings, etc. that are connected with the detailed insight and discussion of a particular problem, area of discovery or theory. Moreover, to compose this chapter, you need to have an enormous amount of the existing literature that you would assemble through online journals, libraries or any credible resource. The principal aim of the literature review is to provide a succinct synopsis of the core theme of the dissertation. In addition to this, you organise different sources pertinent to your study that showcase that what is the area of your research, how it would be conducted, what possible outcomes you could attain, what research methodologies would be employed, etc. In the nutshell, the literature review envelopes the following components:

• A short and clear summary of reference.
• The main parts of the source including the topic, objective, research design, population,
findings, and conclusion.
• The gaps, significant areas, and contributions to the study.

Therefore, the importance of this chapter is not negligible since it develops a solid backbone of the study at which the entire context is mapped out. On the contrary, students who face serious problems in shaping their literature review could get adequate knowledge from the best ways that are listed below of crafting it ideally.

Gathering Voluminous Data

The essential element out of all is the fact that how much literature you have collected to establish the fundamental layer of your literature review. The impeccable word limit of this section is around 2000 according to the prerequisites of the study. In this manner, the number of references to be implemented in the context should be more than 15. You have to keep this thing in mind while outlining this chapter that the more sources you would embed, the more accredited the dissertation would be considered. Moreover, all of the references must be the work of authentic scholars. Hence, you should include only those publications in the context that you think are the most relevant and vital ones.

Extracting useful information

Now that you are certain that, you have the right amount of data for the study, start analysing it. In this process, you have to first put the information in the correct order following the worth it entails. After that, you have to read thoroughly all the sources and simultaneously accentuate their important parts during the examination. This way would make your work flexible and you would save yourself from any future bothering. Additionally, categorise the highlighted information on a sheet and try to make the logical link among them. The information that necessarily constitutes this section comprises of chiefly the thesis problem, purpose, methodology, design, sample size, scope, geographical area, setting, tools of data collection, techniques of data analysis, findings, and conclusion. In this manner, you would only consider the most pertinent information for the context and carve them together coherently.

Maintaining a record

Also, do not forget to keep a track of all the references you have selected somewhere in the safe corner. The record consists of the date of retrieval, the URL source, and the name of the journal the reference belongs to. Believe us; this tip is profitable while composing the literature review of your dissertation. it would not create any kind of hassle in the future and you would have a complete list prepared to be used in the reference list. Hence, apply this trick to bear fruits for you!

Creating the final draft

You have the the rough framework at hand. You have all the necessary materials. Now is the time to start the writing part. Before you commence the writing, have a look at your major theme and all the data you have opted for. The next thing you would do is, start with the research questions. Then, keeping all the literature in a definite pattern, formulate coherence. Describe the significance of your study with the help of these valuable sources. Where necessary, add direct quotations. Moreover, if you feel that some point is really impressive then paraphrase it fairly and add it within the text. Similarly, give signposts that direct the readers to where you are taking them. Do not become too wordy, just stick to the point, and nail it precisely. Consequently, this particular chapter needs to be written professionally since the essence of your entire dissertation comes under it.

Focusing on the structure

As far as the structure of the literature review is concerned, it should be critically evaluated and painted just as a story is being narrated. Moreover, you have to give importance to the chronological pattern of the text along with the themes of each paragraph. Wrapping up, the whole text should be coherent, enlightening, perceptive, thought-provoking, and all-encompassing. Therefore, you should keep it eye-catchy and professional.

Avoiding from plagiarism

Plagiarism is sometimes committed accidentally and sometimes intentionally. Whatever the causes are, the consequences are quite devastating that only lead to serious penalties. When you try to paraphrase someone else’s work but forgot to exhibit your ideas and copy-paste the actual work, it not only destroys the true meaning of paraphrasing but also increases the chances of plagiarism. Therefore, the best way of escaping it is to either mention the direct quotation within the context or cite it using proper style of referencing such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Oxford. Also, don’t forget to frame your reference list and for that, you would need the list of complete information on the sources you have used in the study. In this case, step 3 which if you apply would be effective! And of course, in any need of comfort, the best dissertation help is just a few clicks away in rendering you comprehensive guidance and assistance in every minor aspect of the dissertation. Thus, wait no longer and make your literature review stand out in the whole dissertation!