Chapter 04

A Literature Review Guide

http://www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice/LearningResources/StudyGuidesPDFs/litrevws.pdf

This site contains a valuable guide to writing a literature review, authored by Peter Wilson of the Centre for Learning Development at the University of Hull. You will notice the document is written in a good, clear, academic style, so it practices what it preaches! Wilson uses the footnote method of referencing, which works very well. Bryman and Bell favour the Harvard system, one of a number of Author-Date systems. Make sure to check with your own institution for its precise requirements.

Various Types of Literature

http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/tut/litrev/index.html

Another excellent guide, this time with an American orientation. This site is particularly good on the various kinds of literature that may be accessed. These authors use an Author-Date referencing system.

Advice on Paraphrasing

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QuotingSources.html

This site (and the one previous) is among the most popular links used by other academic institutions around the world. This section is chosen for its valuable advice on paraphrasing our readings, but you will find lots of other useful pointers elsewhere in the site’s pages.

How Much Must You Read?

http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/literature#fulltop

A quick visit to Australia for a super, short but comprehensive, guide, including very practical pointers about the number of references to include in your literature depending on the type of dissertation (such as whether it's for undergraduate or postgraduate study). Navigating to “Acknowledging Sources” will bring up a detailed examination of referencing systems. Remember, your own institution’s requirements come first!

A Valuable Checklist

http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html

Back to North America for another short guide, written by Dena Taylor and Margaret Procter. Much as we would like to give credit to website contributors, we cannot always do so, since many websites are written in a corporate style, leaving the specific authors anonymous. This time, we can give the credit for a quite ingenious checklist.

Study and Teaching Tips

http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/el21open.htm

The Asian Institute of Technology, in Thailand, has a generous disposition with its materials and resources, making very large quantities of them available on-line. This particular document was selected for its overall style and clarity. Like the OUP site you are currently visiting, the AIT site is an on-line resource prepared specifically for interactive use. It contains a large number of dynamic links and seems to be well maintained.

Using Nvivo

http://www.sdgassociates.com/downloads/literature_review.pdf

Bryman and Bell discuss NVivo as computer software useful in qualitative research. In the paper available on this site, Silvana di Gregorio elaborates on its use as a literature review tool. Di Gregorio is a trainer and consultant of international repute in the field of qualitative research software. Her commercial website (www.sdgassociates.com) contains lots of book reviews, among other useful bits and pieces.

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Oxford University Press, Online Resource Centre, Chapter 04.

Chapter 04