Sociology (Climate change)

Literature Review writing guide

Jordan McKenzie

1. A. literature review is an overview of a field of research that can serve as an introduction to a specific topic. It may not have a specific question like an essay, but you may want to decide on a research question that can guide your assignment. Ideally this will align with the research questions in your final assessment, the research proposal. You can modify this topic later on, but it will be easier in the long run if you are well organised now. Use the time you spend on this review to think about and plan your final assessment.
2. the broader context of a research proposal, a literature review does two things:

• brings the reader up to speed on the research on the field to make it easier for them to understand why the proposed research is necessary.
• is shows that the writer is familiar with the existing research in the field. This helps to avoid needlessly repeating existing research.

The literature review answers a few key questions:

• What are they key pieces of research in the field? What are they saying? (this can include conceptual/theoretical publications as well as empirical research)
• What are the key disagreements in the field? (this can include your analysis of these perspectives. i.e. who do you think is right? why?)
• What kinds of methodologies are being used in this field? (qual or quant) What are the key disciplines publishing on the topic? (sociology, psychology, economics, politics, history etc)
• When and where is the research coming from?

You should aim for 10-15 sources in your literature review, but quality is more important than quantity. Your decisions about what to include and what to leave out are really important. This is all about how you curate a set of key papers. You are using this piece of writing to introduce a person to the field. You are the expert. So what kind of picture are you going to paint?

Traditional journal article structure:

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Results/discussion
• Conclusion

Look for this structure as a guide when reading articles (they may not use these subheadings)

• pay close attention to the literature reviews of the articles you are citing, who are they citing?

Library guide:

https://www.uow.edu.au/student/support-services/learning-development/resources/literature-review/