FOUN 1105 Scientific and Technical Writing

Plenary Lecture 7
Introduction to the Review of
Related Literature

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 At the end of this session, students will
be able to:

Reviewthe concept and attributes of a

review of related literature

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 A review of related literature is an account of what has
been published on a topic by accredited scholars and
researchers.

It conforms to a specific word count and comprises

commentary on synthesized information about the
topic.
The topic is narrow and is the guide to a specific
question to be answered in the literature search

A critical element of the review is your discussion that

assesses the merit of the synthesized information.
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 Thereview, therefore, is really a synthesis of
what published authors have to say about your
topic.

ITIS NOT SIMPLY A COLLECTION OF WHAT

THEY HAVE SAID. NO. THERE IS NO REVIEW
IN THIS!

A critical aspect of the review is your voice tying

the source information together.

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 Paragraph 1 Summary of Anthony 1998

Paragraph 2 Summary of Campbell 2010

Paragraph 3 Summary of Lopez 2002

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 Summary of
Anthony 1998

Your voice is the glue

that binds or synthesizes
the information from
different sources

Summary of Summary of Lopez

Campbell 2010 2002

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 Authority: Who is the author? What are his/her
credentials? With what university is he/she
affiliated? What is his/her area of expertise?
Usefulness: How is this source related to your
topic? How current or relevant is it to your
topic?
Reliability: Does the information come from a
credible source such as an academic journal?

(ASU Libraries Website)

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 The cause for concern lies in the fact that advertising
targeting children is a high growth area, as is childrens
buying power (Eagle and de Bruin 2001). Marketers
target this youth market, hoping to establish early
trends of brand loyalty and influence parents buying
decisions (Dobrow 2002). Furthermore, whilst children
may influence their parents spending habits,
advertisers recognize that children also have their own
money to spend (Strasburger 2001).
Adapted from:
Hawkens, J. 2002. A Cross-cultural Content Analysis of the Portrayal of Food and Nutrition in Television Advertising
and Programmes in New Zealand and Japan in 2002/2003.Unpublished Masters Thesis, Massey University,
Auckland, New Zealand.

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 Television advertising may influence childrens nutrition practices,
particularly in regards to food requests, purchases and consumption (see
for example, Hutchings and Moynihan 1998; Kotz and Story 1994;
Borzekowski and Robinson 2001). Story and Faulkner (1990) state that
television exposure may impact on actual eating behaviorsimilarly, Kotz
and Story (1994) note that television is such a ubiquitous medium that it is
difficult to measure its behavioural effect. Their reports concluded that it
was not possible to prove that food advertisements aimed at children
cause poor eating habits. Whilst these and other such studies report a
positive correlation between television viewing and food requests,
purchases and consumption, there is limited conclusive evidence to
support the direct cause and effect relationship between the messages
portrayed and the actual eating patterns of children.
Adapted from:
Hawkens, J. 2002. A Cross-cultural Content Analysis of the Portrayal of Food and Nutrition in Television Advertising
and Programmes in New Zealand and Japan in 2002/2003.Unpublished Masters Thesis, Massey University,
Auckland, New Zealand.

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 If you are to effectively critique the
literature you must evaluate it using a
systematic approach!

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 What is the main idea being put forward?
What points developed this idea?
What evidence is provided?
Do you agree with the conclusion?
Is it a response to another text?
Underlying theory?
Etc.

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 Baum and Koman (1976) and Epstein and Karlin (1975) explain
that experimental research on varying room size reveals a
relatively consistent pattern of gender differences, with more
aggressive responses to limited space found among males than
those observed among women . Loo (1972) said that studies
examining the effects of density on children also report sex
differences in response to density, with boys displaying
heightened aggression. He also explained that research on
gender differences in withdrawal has produced more mixed
findings. Evans and Lepore (1993) cited that several longitudinal
studies on the impact of household crowding on psychological
distress among college students reveal no differential effect by
gender.

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(1) The thorough overview of previous
research (in summary).
(2) The large number of previous research
studies referenced (correlating of
information).
(3) The succinct and well-organized
writing style
(4) The manner in which previous studies
are cited.
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 Experimental research in varying room size reveals a relatively consistent
pattern of gender differences, with more aggressive responses to limited
space found among males than those observed among women (Baum and
Koman 1976; Epstein and Karlin 1975; Freedman et al. 1972; Mackintosh,
Saegert, and West 1975; Stokols et al. 1973). Studies examining the effects
of density on children also report sex differences in response to density,
with boys displaying heightened aggression (Loo 1972, 1978). Research
on gender differences in withdrawal has produced more mixed findings
(e.g., Loo 1978). Still other research finds no evidence of sex differences
in discomfort as a result of crowding (Aiello, Epstein, and Karlin 1975;
Baum and Valins 1977) or in the impact of crowding (Evans et al. 2000).
Several longitudinal studies of the impact of household crowding on
psychological distress among college students reveal no differential
effect by gender (Evans and Lepore 1993; Lepore, Evans, and Schneider
1991). However Karlin, Epstein, and Aiello (1978) report more physical
and psychological effects of limited space among women than men.

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 Youshould be able to write a summary
sentence for each paragraph.

This could be the last sentence you write

after completing the synthesis of the
paragraph.
Can you write a topic (summary) sentence
for the paragraph above?

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 Theremay be a direct correlation
between ones gender and ones
response to overcrowded social spaces.

A sentence like this summarizes the

content of the paragraph and should be at
the beginning of each paragraph.

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 You need to have a fundamental main idea that
is being explored per paragraph. This would
be your main idea that is a pertinent dimension
of your overall topic. This main idea and its
explanation/exploration become your words
and guide the entire review.

The related
literature would be what you have
researched and discovered from others that
may lend support to this main idea and its
explanation/exploration in each paragraph.
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 Finda way to break down the narrow
topic.

A search of the literature will help to

focus the specific aspects of the
topic/paragraph

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 Broad topic Possible Specific Topics
Aggression and Gender 1. Aggression in Boys

The focus question that will

The aim is to get a topic that
guide the literature search is Is
answers a specific question
peer pressure a trigger for
aggression in boys?

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 Broad topic Possible Specific Topics
Aggression and Gender 2. Aggression in Female
Workers on Construction Sites

The focus question that will guide the

literature search is Do male
dominated workspaces contribute to
aggression in women?

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 The complete review then becomes what your ideas
and explanation of the topic/sub-topics are plus what
you are saying about the related literature.

In this way, you are offering a review of what the

literature (discovered through the research process)
has to say about your topic, as it feeds your ideas.

Note that you may cite research that actually supports

the points you are making as well as identify research
that runs counter to what you are stating.

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 Your topic generates some main ideas or sub-topics.
These help to flesh out the discussion so the reader
understands your explanation of the topic.
Each main idea or focus is expressed in a sentence at
the beginning of each paragraph and forms the theme
for the summarized main points of the related literature
being cited in the specific paragraph.
The research must be focused directly on the main idea
and not be peripheral to it.
Reporting verbs are used to integrate the information
of the literature, as are necessary.

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 This research comes from multiple sources (hence the
term, synthesis) and must be relevant, current and
applicable to the overall topic.
Since a literature review is different from a research
essay, your task is to cite all the views on the topic. That
means literature that has views that run counter to the
prevailing views must be brought into the discussion.
This reflects not only sound maturity of thought and
appropriate critical thinking skills but an effective
approach to reviewing the literature.
The overall product is the review of related literature that
shows your main ideas, their explanation, the integrated
and synthesised research and your commentary on it.
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 In writing a review of related literature, your goal is to
convey to the reader some main ideas and their
explanation as these are directly related to the given
topic.

This is then underpinned by synthesized information

and ideas that have already been directly established
on the topic, and critically assessed in terms of their
strengths and weaknesses.

In effect, the review is your commentary on, and NOT a

conglomeration of, researched information.
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 A sound literature review must perform these four
actions:

1. Be organized around and related directly to the

problem/issue/topic/research question/thesis you
are developing

2. Synthesize results into a summary of what is and is

not known

3. Identify areas of controversy in the literature

4. Formulate questions that need further research

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 Review of related literature

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 Critiquing and finalizing related topics
for Credit Assignment 2
Overview of topic sentences,
paragraphs and conclusions
Worksheet #6: Composing an
introduction and body paragraph for a
literature review
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 Based on your tutor-approved narrowed
topic, compose a draft literature review
for Credit Assignment 2. Your tutor will
provide feedback on this review during
next weeks tutorial (Tutorial 5).

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myeLearning
Explore related links on todays topic

Self-Assessment (Grammar):
Complete Past Participle Worksheets 1&
2
Complete Proofreading Exercise 2

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 Continuation of the Literature Review

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