Top Iii Tips For Literature Review Success

Today I receive got the pleasance of hosting Dr. Ben Libberton, who shares his best advice for the literature review alongside us. Ben is a Postdoc at the Karolinska Institute inwards Stockholm, Sweden. He’s a microbiologist alongside a marking from the University of Leeds as well as a PhD from the University of Liverpool. 
He currently manages 2 blogs. At Literature Review HQ he aims to guide students through what he establish to endure the most hard business office of the PhD - the Lit Review. Now, every bit a confused but enthusiastic postdoc, he aims to collect the advice as well as wisdom of experts as well as portion it at the Postdoc Lounge.

The lit review tin endure tough. It’s a long as well as technical procedure as well as oftentimes we’re expected to just “pick it upward every bit nosotros acquire along”. To me this is similar trying to acquire how to drive a auto without having whatever lessons. It's possible, but it’s going to accept a long fourth dimension as well as the chances are you’ll selection upward unopen to scrapes along the way.

I desire to outline unopen to quick tips inwards this article. I desire to laissez passer on you lot something that you lot tin implement correct at nowadays that volition assist you lot run across a departure inwards your literature review writing as well as your productivity. However, earlier I begin, I intend I must country the biggest matter that affected my progress every bit a author was training as well as education. For unopen to reason, I never considered writing the literature review every bit a discrete science that could endure learned. Somehow I just filed it inwards my encephalon nether “PhD stuff” as well as treated it just the same every bit doing lab work. This was a huge mistake. Academic writing was totally dissimilar from anything I’d e'er done before. What I should receive got done is started out trying to understand writing every bit a skill as well as learning how to do it. So whatever phase you lot are at now, commit to your academic pedagogy as well as discovery a agency to acquire nigh writing. Everyone is dissimilar as well as at that topographic point isn’t a “one size fits all” answer, but you lot tin start past times going to your library as well as checking out a few books on writing the lit review.

So, if nosotros desire to play the piano, nosotros receive got to accept unopen to pianoforte lessons right? I intend I’ve made my betoken so lets come inwards unopen to tips.

The start major tip I would laissez passer on is to alter your perspective.

For me this was so powerful that every bit before long every bit I heard it, my writing changed instantly. I read it inwards Pat Thomson’s book, “Helping Doctoral Students Write”. She outlines unopen to useful metaphors to role when thinking nigh the literature review. Whenever I idea nigh writing, I would intend of climbing a huge mount or drowning inwards a bounding main of literature. Pat says nosotros should intend nigh the literature review every bit to a greater extent than of a creative challenge. H5N1 much to a greater extent than useful analogy for the literature review is trying to acquire an octopus into a jar. When you lot intend nigh drowning inwards a bounding main of literature as well as putting an octopus into a jounce you lot experience totally different. The start invokes feelings of panic as well as fear. There is a sense of impending doom as well as the idea that the solely agency out is to swim for your life until your muscles laissez passer on out. Drastic - I know, but this is how many of us feel. The minute analogy makes us intend nigh as well as interesting occupation to solve. There is no impending doom, just an effect that nosotros desire as well as hurdle inwards our way. We are gratis to discovery the entire occupation earlier making judgments as well as nosotros are gratis to pace away as well as think.
The other matter that helps me acquire perspective on my writing is when I establish out that you lot tin pay people to write your literature review for you. I calculated on my weblog that it would accept 1 of these professionals 2.5 hours to write 250 words of your lit review (references as well as all). This was liberating for me (not because I could pay individual to write it – I actually don’t recommend you lot do this). I realized that at that topographic point must endure a “process” past times which you lot tin write, a procedure that these professions had worked out. I had the dependent champaign cognition so all I had to do was figure out a chip of their procedure as well as I’d endure able to do the same.

The side past times side tip would endure to conception to a greater extent than than you lot do now.

Seriously. Planning isn’t just an do that you lot receive got to leave of absence of the agency earlier you lot start writing. Planning IS writing. When it comes to the lit review, having a goodness conception is similar having individual side past times side to your telling you lot what to type. You just run away every bit fast every bit your fingers volition acquire as well as the literature review magically appears. While planning as well as writing are business office of the same procedure it is really useful to classify them into 2 stages. I intend doing this solves many problems alongside writers block. Firstly you lot conception as well as run out just what it is you lot desire to say. Then when you lot write, you lot merely create upward one's hear how you lot are going to country it. The beauty is that doing it this way, earlier you lot sit down downwards to type, you lot already know just what you lot are going to say.

The Third as well as concluding tip is nigh feedback.

Give, as well as Seek Feedback at every phase of your writing.

Seeking feedback is form of obvious but inwards my experience, nobody does it enough. Remember to endure respectful of people as well as their fourth dimension but brand certain that you lot seek feedback. Try non to just inquire for comments either. If you lot receive got a detail problem, tell people what the occupation is as well as what you lot are trying to do.

Giving feedback is possible 1 of the most underrated as well as quickest ways to amend your writing (and confidence). In your group, merely offering to critically read the run of your colleagues. You powerfulness non endure confident at start but every bit before long every bit individual agrees, at that topographic point is pressure level on you lot to do a goodness job. In other words you lot receive got something to lose, you lot receive got a stake inwards the game. As hard every bit it powerfulness be, critically read as well as comment on your friends work. Use reference books as well as papers if you lot receive got to. At the terminate of it you lot volition receive got been exposed to a dissimilar agency of writing as well as you’ll receive got spotted mistakes. If you lot do this a few times as well as so you’ll endure able to instantly interpret this dorsum to your ain run when you lot are writing as well as editing.

So at that topographic point are my 3 overstep tips. My aim for this was fast results. I intend that implementing whatever of this volition laissez passer on a noticeable improvement inside a week. Are they globe shattering? No, but if you're stuck as well as you lot commit to these (or all three) as well as so you’ll run across results inside vii days.

What do you lot think? Do you lot concord or do you lot intend I’ve missed something? Let me know what you lot intend inwards the comments.