Academic Research Booklet

27

In the body of the literature review:

Have you referred back to your question? Examples: ‘To answer this question information was needed on...’ ‘In answering the question primary sources were needed and secondary sources were used to further fill in gaps in the research. Primary sources included...’ Rather than list your articles one by one, refer to them in relation to the main points you are making throughout the essay. Example: ‘The History of Germany by Smith (2009) was used heavily early on in the research to fully develop an understanding of [...] as discussed in detail in [section two].’ Whilst it is important to identify the credibility of a source the assumption is you will have chosen only credible sources for your essay, you do not therefore need to state the credibility of each individual source. Instead, identify why you chose the sources you did, for example: Did the source give a balanced view of the subject looking at both sides of the argument? Was it a primary source? Was it data backed by scientific evidence? Was it a controlled study? Did it cover multiple time periods/ multiple viewpoints/ multiple countries etc. Was it a source which was heavily biased, and you made use of it to show the extremes of an argument? You might mention the initial purpose of the resource (an academic study, a biography, a news article etc.) and why it was created (to prove something, to tell people about an issue etc.). If you found lots of info, how did you narrow down your choices? Why were the resources you chose the best options? – this point might also feature in the introduction. If there wasn’t much research available what problems might this pose for making sure your view is well rounded? Were you able to back your points by multiple sources? Have you considered potential bias? Conclusion (3-5 sentences): A short summary of the potential limitations of your sources